Self-Reflection: Think of issues in your school or community that are ongoing or "hot" at the moment. Are there topics in your curriculum that lend themselves to a debate? Is there an issue you feel passionate about? Is there a topic your students are interested in? What are some An example would be my students are very passionate about dinosaurs. A question or issue related to dinosaurs i Record these in your journal.
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thinking_routines.docx | |
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One of my favourite routines to get students thinking about the issue is to use the See, Think, Wonder routine. (Ritchart,Church, and Morrison, 2011 p. 55). In this routine students are shown a picture and asked what do you see? Next they are asked "what do you think?" Finally they are asked "what do you wonder?".
Here is a video of students engaged in a See Think Wonder off of a picture of students during the Spanish Flu outbreak. In this video students are defending why they thing the picture was taken in the winter. The students are seen practicing not only sharing their thoughts but defending their claims with three supporting pieces of evidence. |
classroom_pet_inquiry.docx | |
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You can not just take a pre done unit and apply it to your classroom on Monday. It is important that you spend time preplanning and finding the pros and cons yourself making sure you have a good understanding of the issue prior to presenting it to your students. What are contextual issues and information that you need to be aware of? Every class, every school division, every city is different. To be successful critical inquiry projects need to reflect the context in which you work.
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In your journal record what three things you want to add or remove this month from your teaching in order to increase critical thinking opportunities for students. What will critical thinking look and sound like in your classroom? In your journal keep track of what you tried, What worked? Why? What didn't?Why? What are your next steps? What are some issues or topics your students may be interested in pursuing for a critical inquiry project?
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