Feedback on #psuaged16 questions from National Agriscience Teacher Ambassadors

From our reflection on November 13th, I distilled comments to three primary questions that I in turn sent to our friends, colleagues and  associates who are National Agriscience Teacher Ambassadors (Learn more about that program from NAAE and DuPont here: http://www.naae.org/profdevelopment/nataa.cfm)

1) What should the teacher be doing while the students are engaged in the inquiry process?

Monitoring for safety if this is a lab setting, formative assessment - don't answer procedural question - make students read and follow directions on their own so that you can be asking deeper questions, and depending on the class, you might at times be sitting down watching the kids work through whatever you have challenged them with. Please don't read this statement to think I said read the newspaper, but what I am saying is that don't be a helicopter teacher - give them a chance to work and think without you standing over their should for every minute of the period. (Donna, Ohio)

Moving about the room offering guidance and feedback (formative assessment). Posing "questions" to make the students think even deeper. (Mark, Pennsylvania)

Your job has now sifted from a teacher to facilitator- wonder around the room. With out being too distracting, ask them questions to connect with them- How was your day? How is your steer? Who do you play tonight?, etc. Its an opportunity you now have to connect with students who you might not otherwise connect to. Its also time that you give feed back, How might you do this differently? What do you think is going to happen? How could you take this further? Its also a chance to verify they are using equipment efficiently, etc. Try not to work on other things, as tempting as it might be. (Gina, Ohio)

Monitoring. Questioning students one on one. Probing. Do not fall into the temptation of multitasking and doing something else just because all of the students are busy. Question their ideas. Look at their observations and writing. My best discussions with students happen during this time. (JoAnn, Ohio)

Walking around among the students. Helping them stay focused without assisting too much. I like to ask questions about what they are doing Encourage thought and discovery. (Lee, Kansas)

Video Feedback from Jaysa Fillmore (Idaho)

2) How do you effectively manage groups/classroom management while conducting inquiry?

Starts on day one with your management and expectations when they are sitting in their seats not in groups. I use stamps to check to make sure groups get to a certain point correctly before moving on. I set up the expectation that you need to wait patiently until I get to you. Rarely do kids get to the same point at the same time so there is not a lot of ideal behavior. If a group is not on task, I talk to them directly. If a student specifically is not behaving I deal with that student. I teach three different age groups of kids, so how I deal with the sophomores is very different than the seniors. (Donna, Ohio)

Break the students into smaller groups/partners. An inquiry classroom will "seem" to be very chaotic and out of control to a casual observer, but in reality the students are "engaged" in their own learning. The teacher must move about the room. Be sure to set the room/lab up in such away that allows for easy movement and access to supplies and equipment. (Mark, Pennsylvania)
I still believe in heterogeneous groups when kids are working on day-to-day work. I use craft sticks with kids name to randomly assign groups. If it is a long term project I let them pick their own groups since they will need to be in contact with each other outside of class. However, to help them reflect on their work during long term project they have daily logs to fill out to explain what progress they have made and who is doing what for the next meeting/work day. (Donna, Ohio)

Part of what you have to do is make sure groups are set up well- if you know kids don't get along or wont work together, then don't put them together. Even if you are randomly assigning groups, control that randomness a little, to keep your groups under control. Again wonder around the room, keeping an eye on groups. I sometimes assign different roles/have them pick different roles. time keeper, clean up, group leaders, whatever it takes. Also have a plan and share that plan with them for clean up, where items go, etc. (Gina, Ohio)

Question cards (limiting the number of questions that a group can ask) helps tremendously. So does the use of stamps/stickers (when they get ____ done, raise your hand, get a stamp, move on). I have fewer class problems during inquiry because the kids are almost always engaged.(JoAnn, Ohio)

Prior discussion and expectations, walk among students, but do not do activity for them, let them struggle but help them stay focused, encourage and make sure they are using their notebook to record information.(Lee, Kansas)
3) How do you keep the “connection” when conducting an inquiry lesson over multiple days?

Five minutes at the end or beginning of class....what did we learn today/yesterday? Could be a KWL chart as well (I tweeted one not too long ago.)....Not sure what "connection" means - are you referring to content or teacher/student connection? Teacher/student connection should never be lost because you are monitoring/asking questions throughout the period. (Donna, Ohio)

Have each group conduct a debrief/review of what happened the day before and how it relates to today's activity as part of the "bell work". One of my favorite is an "entrance ticket". Just the opposite of an "exit ticket". In this case the students must answer a question(s) and receive a sticker/stamp from me before they may begin that day's activities. This helps me ensure that they are seeing the "connection" to yesterday's lesson/activities before they charge ahead, while also serving as another formative assessment of what they really learned. (Mark, Pennsylvania)

Discuss what happened the day before, before leaping into the lesson the current day. Let them talk, discuss what happened, predict what it going to happen today. Or use some cool review tool or game, kahoot, post it notes, poll every where, etc.   (Gina, Ohio)

Review what they discover through them leading discussion. Just guide and sometimes add an article to help connect and make relevant and link activities and help reinforce. (Lee, Kansas)