Nadine's notes on...Spirals of Inquiry for Equity & Quality ~ Linda Kaser and Judy Halbert ~

Workshop notes graciously provided by Nadine Trumbley, MB ASCD Professional Learning Committee member

Summary – Take-Aways – Learnings

  • 3 Key Goals of BC’s Network of Inquiry and Innovation – p. 18 Playbook

  • HARD Goals – Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult - framing goals in terms of moral purpose

  • SMART Goals – hard to be “in love” with SMART goals

  • Teachers need to be curious too - Build curiosity – Smile, Talk in an encouraging manner, Demonstrate curiosity by sharing your own interests & passions

  • How can we use the pull of curiosity as well as the push of policy? Be comfortable with uncertainty, more familiar with the power of story, and more connected with each other and with a sense of place

  • 7 Principles of Learning – p. 13 Playbook *Technology is not listed as a Principle – it’s an enhancement and accelerator of learning – not in place of Teaching Effectiveness

  • Growth mindset – teach growth mindset 1st to the community – teach it directly

  • Grading practices – can be very fixed so they need to align with growth mindset

  • Helen Timperley – inquiry is not an initiative - it’s a way of being – a metacognitive process

  • First Peoples Principles of Learning – p. 15 in Spiral Playbook – Land, Family, Learners

  • Key Questions – What are you learning and why is this important? How is it going? What’s your next step? Can you name 2 adults in this learning setting who believe you will be a success in life?” *discuss what success in life looks like before asking students

  • Other Questions – What have you learned from another student? What did you learn that will affect you for life?

  • Learning involves patience & time (must slow down to speed up), requires exploration of one’s identity, involves recognizing the consequences, involves generational roles and responsibilities

  • Phases in the Spiral of Inquiry

Scanning - doesn’t mean avoiding data sets/scores, its just not all about quantitative data

Focusing - don’t have to focus on something that is a problem, but you can take a strength/ emerging strength and focus on that (eg. student story-telling – opportunities & strategies to get better)

  • Developing a Hunch - bring your intuition to the table

  • Engaging in a new professional learning

  • Taking new professional action

  • Checking that you’ve made a big enough difference

Extra Take-Aways

  • Indigenous Perspectives – learn TRUTH then RECONCILIATION (rep from Laura Secord School spoke to group about Indigenous learning in their school)

  • Learning Maps (video of teacher)

  • Do field studies, not field trips 

  • Learning Partners – everyone who helps student succeed

  • Consider one thing you will stop doing

  • How about students assigning the teacher something to learn?

  • Create a simple school mission statement that the whole school community knows and is driven by

  • Be intentional in the use of the Spiral of Inquiry – if you change outcomes for learners in your setting, the more coherent and innovative the whole system will become

Meghan BurnsComment