When curiosity is sparked...

Click here to access the first of three recordings for my "Spark Learning" Masterclass. This session explored research and strategies related to sparking student curiosity at the beginning of an inquiry learning cycle. 

With many schools announcing that they will be embarking on various distance learning models this Fall, student engagement in the online learning space is extremely important. That being said, given the stress of curricular modification, and the barrage of training and tools being thrown at teachers daily, student engagement is often overlooked. 

Keeping the above in mind, click here for a toolkit I created a few years ago to assist fellow educators in understanding and implementing techniques for sparking student curiosity. Many of you already have this document, but I am hopeful that sharing it again provides a reminder as to how simple, and exciting, curating curiosity eliciting moments are for students. 

Since the start of summer I have the opportunity to work with a myriad of teachers and schools as they prepare for the the inevitable chaos of developing new and meaningful systems/schools in the context of the even changing COVID-19 Pandemic landscape. 

Rather than focus on technology, I have been stressing pedagogical structures and cycles to help inform the lesson planning process in a way that can transcend whatever "blended" or "distance" or "hybrid" learning approach school leadership decides. Myself and my colleagues are deep in this process of our own reflection as well. 

I am true believer in inquiry and delaying direct instruction long enough to build student desire for information. This method, in my mind, transcends discipline, and is a solid pedagogy that technology can then be added to as a strategic partner to empower learning. 

There are many structures and systems in place that help teachers visualize inquiry and lesson plan accordingly. The 5E Learning Cycle, and its coincidental overlap with the Hero's Journey are two that I share often.  Last week, a different structure resonated with the teacher's I was collaborating with. 

In this new model Bloom's Taxonomy is used as the central focus of the learning cycle. In this model, teachers begin their planning cycle at the top of the Bloom's level challenging students to complete tasks in creative tasks that require evaluation and analysis with little background knowledge. 

Once student questions surface, and help is needed/requested information to promote understanding and remembering is relayed in the form of direction instruction. Once new knowledge is in hand, students then travel back up  applying assimilated information, evaluating new scenarios, and producing new creations. 

To quote a teacher in yesterday's workshop: I really like the 'Bloom's Walk Around' planning model because it addresses both the 'type' of task (Bloom's) and how difficult the task is (Depth of Knowledge). We start planning with simpler, higher Bloom's tasks, then once we turn the corner, we transfer basic content to student to fill in gaps in knowledge. We then climb back up, planning  tasks become more difficult in nature. This model incorporates inquiry, but also type, and depth of learning.

See the image below for visual of "Bloom's Walk Around" model and click here for downloadable drawing: