As per course,
"Focus Area 3: Collaborative Inquiry
Read:
Collaborative Teacher Inquiry into 21st Century Learning
https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/tlc/report/collaborative-teacher-inquiry-21st-century-learning/
Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario, pp. 27-39
www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growSuccess.pdf
View:
Segment 5: How Do We Design Assessment with Instruction?
http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/aer/aervideo/planningassessmentwithinstruction.html
Teacher collaborative inquiry is a professional practices, where teachers work together to add to their professional development and support student success. With collaborative inquiry, teachers integrate new knowledge and an understanding of student learning and classroom instruction, into their existing knowledge and professional practice. Teacher collaborative inquiry essentially looks to construct an understanding of the classroom encounter where curriculum, instruction and student actions intersect. It honors openness and flexibility, and helps both teachers and students engage in critical thinking. A focus on learning, positions the teacher as an informed practitioner who adjusts and improves their planning, instruction and assessment approaches, to be more innovative, and meets the needs of their students.
Teachers can use their leadership skills in many ways, through collaborative inquiry, in the sense that they can promote the collaborative process, in which educators work together to inquire about students’ learning and engagement. Discourse analysis is another way in which teachers can use their leadership skills.
Post:
What is collaborative inquiry for teachers? How can teacher use their leadership skills? How can being part of a collaborative inquiry support teachers and students? Should it be utilized more often, if so in what capacity? What is the importance of assessment in this process? Create an infographic or podcast that answers the questions posed.
Review and comment on two other postings by your colleagues."
As per discussion,
"To begin, a collaborative inquiry sits on a board platform that many assume includes, talking, siting, reading and reporting. They wouldn't be entirely wrong. There is a serious lack of expectation that leaders hold when it comes to "inquiry" though and a lack of self-confidence when developing the background and goals as some of us teacher-leaders might experience when having little to no experience.
I want to start this discussion with a focus on where we as teachers begin our journey into collaborative inquiry, here is a brief, including pictures of a class inquiry I led with my students. This would have been the first ACTUAL attempt at this in my Grade 11 English Lit Studies Course (ENG3U)-2017*?
It took me a long time to develop the resources I needed to guide and develop path as well as confidence in the direction of the content that I thought students might move into. This was in regards to the school environment. This was also a part of a class studying, not only themselves, but their classmates and peers within the school community.
This is something I reflect a lot because although it was not a masterpiece, it was not only a point where my students and I had done something that was aimed at making a difference but were doing something that most administrators and other teachers didn't want to talk the time to organize/do. This was apart of my culturally responsive pedagogy-which is why collaborative inquiry is so focused on, especially in the 21st century when the world and organizational methods are literally at one's fingertips.
One considers collaborative inquiry but should first begin with a reflection of their own pedagogy.
A culturally responsive pedagogy looks like instances during lessons and teaching in which the teacher is not calling on students but inquiring with students. Prompting students to inquire further for answers, rather than giving answers could be a way of acknowledging different student strengths and abilities in different areas of study in the classroom. Inquiry leads to not only the apprehension of knowledge in a natural and free flow manner (every student at their own pace), but it also provides students with the skills to demonstrate their knowledge with sound research and scientific/fact backing.
Students learning that the personal features of a classroom (themselves) and the institutional features of a classroom (the classroom itself) come together in building the learning community. What students, may not fully grasp in the beginning is the instructional piece that teachers bring to the formula, to make it all blend together in a harmonious way.
Teachers are building the instructional dimension into the formula by including high expectations as discussed as a characteristic in Capacity Building Series K-12, (2013). This is clear to be an empowering tool for students who do struggle because when they do succeed, they know they are succeeding at the level they are expected to succeed it. To grant a student copious accommodations and modifications because of how one aspect of their learning/education is perceived is wrong. In the case of ELL/ESL students who are simply struggling with “communication” are not incapable of achieving the same work as a student who is a first language English speaker. To provide examples, Mesut, shared a math exemplar how a student completed work in their first language and then changed it into English after words to create a better understanding. Skills are skills, the capabilities of demonstrating the skills in another language are not necessarily in need of grand accommodation/modification, but need to be nourished and scaffolded.
An interesting thought about how to foster learning using culture comes from the idea of a teacher knowing when and where the students come from. I will mention more in my next part how a student’s background is crucial to knowing the potentiality of a student as well as building their language. Having high expectations, doesn’t mean having the “highest” expectations. The students should be expected to perform at a level they are comfortable or better, but should not be penalized if they are not meeting the expectations of the highest standard. This is where I feel students and teachers find it difficult to make the culturally responsive pedagogy function. Yes, I believe students are in part responsible for creating a culturally responsive pedagogy. The relativity of this for my classes in particular I feel is incredibly high, my students need to meet the expectations of the English curriculum as they are not enrolled or recognized as second language English Learners. Students completing the class materials in the same format as students who speak English as a second language are expected to meet the same requirements. I will provide assistance where needed. Support students who need it, but I will not accept “I don’t know” for an answer to a question.
I find that an amazing number of students who use this, actually do know the answer. The idea is that that they don’t know why they know the answer or that they even do know the answer sometimes. In regards to the classroom, or instructional dimension, teachers can do a lot to foster CR. A teacher should not only ask every student a question in class as often as possible, but ask the question in a clear way (sometimes even simplifying the question to its basic purpose). In doing this, the teacher is allowing not only the student who is answering the question to better understand, but the students around them who are listening and can better access the class discussion from the accessible questions.
Ultimately, if a teacher follows the approaches that one may take to participate in good conversation, they are practice a culturally responsive pedagogy. These steps are important to ascertain what it is that a team can/should inquire in regards to (possibly even in regards to the methods), handing a group of ELL a survey with teacher jargon (or even it going home to newcomer parents), is going to end up in next to no useful data being collected. "
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