Transcript Name of presentation - Baltimore County Public Schools

Inquiring Minds Want to Grow
Della Curtis, Coordinator, Office of Library Information Services
Wendy Ingalls, Resource Teacher, Office of Gifted & Talented
Debra T. Myers, Resource Teacher, Office of Gifted & Talented
Outcomes
• Identify roots of inquiry-based learning, the curricular
continuum of problem solving-PreK-12, and best practices in
critical and creative thinking.
• Distinguish the difference between low-level, boring
research “reports” and rigorous, engaging inquiry-based
research models.
• Make connections with the BCPS resources that support
the implementation of the Common Core State Standards.
Begin with the end in mind . . .
Students who will have the knowledge
and skills to solve problems
in order to contribute to our
knowledge-based
economy.
You’re in a car with a
helium balloon tied to the
floor. When you accelerate,
what happens to the
balloon?
. . . and answer is . . . .
Would Google hire you?
Model Content Framework Chart
(PARCC)
Grade 3
Key Points In English Language Arts K-12
Research—both short, focused projects (such as those
commonly required in the workplace) and longer term in
depth research —is emphasized throughout the standards
but most prominently in the writing strand since a written
analysis and presentation of findings is so often critical.
Research expectations in BCPS K-12 Curriculum as of 2011
“Key Points in English Language Arts." Common Core State Standards. Common Core
State Standards Initiative, 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2012 <http://www.corestandards.org/
about-the-standards/key-points-in-english-language-arts>.
Reading
Critical Thinking
& Problem
Solving
Research
&
Information
Literacy
Communication
Investigation
Collaboration
Creativity &
Innovation
Speaking &
Listening
Writing
Results
Why Ban “Bird, Famous Dead
People, and Country” Reports?
NO Thinking, NO Learning
• Class comes to the library.
• Students pick the bird, dead person, or
country.
• Teacher gives students a list of “what-level”
questions.
• Students find answers in print and Googlefound resources.
• Students copy and paste facts on teachermade worksheet.
• Students bore each other with cookie-cutter
presentations.
(1)Students
learn to cut
and clip
information,
then
regurgitate
it.
(2)Students
memorize
THE
resources,
THE route,
and THE
answers.
Shift thinking through . . .
Knowledge Workers
• Relevant and authentic problem scenarios and highlevel “why, how, should” questions.
• Self-directed learning with scaffolding of the content,
process, and product to support all students and
learning styles.
• Using and evaluating the entire information landscape
– digital and print resources and collaboration with
experts and peers– to investigate answers beyond the
collection of superficial facts.
• Synthesizing reading, drawing conclusions, making
informed decisions or taking action, justifying
positions, applying knowledge to new situations,
creating new knowledge, sharing knowledge with
others, and reflecting on the learning and the process.
Results
(1) Critical
and creative
thinkers and
problem
solvers;
(2) Flexible,
resilient,
persistent
learners who
are motivated
to construct
answers, not
just find
them.
We ARE Growing Inquiring Minds
Overview of Research Initiatives
Driven by Student Interests
 Independent Research Seminar/Course
 My-Search (planned for middle schools)
 Science Fair Projects, Safe Racer, STEM Fair EMH,
Challenges M, Physics Olympics H
Embedded Within the Curriculum
 Research Models, Grades 6- 8 and 9-12
 Library Media Curriculum, Grades 1-5
 Primary Talent Development Model, PreK-2
Inquiry Learning PreK-2 Roots
Attributes
PTD Targeted Behaviors
Convergent and Divergent Communicative, Perceptive,
Questioning and Thinking Inquisitive, Persistence
Creative Problem Solving
Creative, Resourceful, Leadership
It’s storming outside
There’s nothing to do!
Solving Problems
The power is out
Our options are few.
My video game batteries
Are totally drained.
My sister is yelling.
My mom looks strained.
There has to be something
To pass the hour
Let’s brainstorm togetherWe’ll use our mind power!
The Storm
Branching Out K-5
Integrated Inquiry/Research
Curriculum Crosswalk
Library Media Curriculum
Literacies for 21st Century Learners
..........................................Grades 1- 5
How would you use this document to
facilitate long-range trans- and interdisciplinary planning?
Integrated Inquiry/Research
Example: Eco-Detectives
Eco-Detectives... Curriculum Alignment
Essential Question: How can understanding what happens to dead plants and animals
help us solve the problem of too much garbage?
Complete Research Package . . .
228 Research and Slam Dunk Models
82 Elementary School
•
80 Middle School
•
66 High School
Hands-on Exploration of Online Research Models
Directions for Hands-on Exploration
1
Go to LIS website at
www.bpcs.org/offices/lis
2
Use left navigation
index and click
elementary
3
Explore ORMs that
are marked
Middle School Examples
Slam Dunk Research (Short-term)
High School Examples Research
Independent Research Pilot
Strategies to Grow Inquiring Minds
• Nurture the PTD learning behaviors throughout all the grades and across
content areas.
• Encourage student generated questions.
• Encourage risk taking and “messy learning.”
• Differentiate by content, process, and product.
• Incorporate Online Research Models in School Improvement Plans.
• Facilitate collaboration and vertical planning among content area
teachers, library media specialists, technology teachers, reading
teachers, content leaders/department chairs.
– Creative scheduling
– Grade, content, and department teams/study groups
– Professional development opportunities
• Showcase student projects in school, PTA, local media, and
websites/wikis, BCPS “flashlights” news.
Impact of Student Inquiry
4th Grade Students Making a Difference in Their World
Universal Pictures Lets the Lorax Speak for the Trees!
I am learning to think for myself, not just through
the filter of the teacher’s thinking.
Works Cited
“Would Google Hire You? 10 Test Questions to Find Out.” The Christian Science Monitor,
2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2012 < http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2012/0208/WouldGoogle-hire-you-10-test-questions-to-find-out/A-plane-flight >.
"Key Points in English Language Arts." Common Core State Standards. Common Core
State Standards Initiative, 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2012<http://www.corestandards.org/
about-the-standards/key-points-in-english-language-arts>.
Model Content Frameworks for ELA/Literacy. Rep. Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), 22 Nov. 2011. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/PARCC%20MCF%20for%20ELALiteracy%20Webinar_112211.pdf>.
This presentation is archived on the
Office of Library Information Services website at
http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/models/aboutmodels.html , on Safari Montage, and
accessible on the Office of GT website at
https://intranet.bcps.org/offices/GT/misc/facultyAndStaff.html. Answers to the Google
questions are at http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2012/0208/Would-Google-hire-you-10test-questions-to-find-out/A-plane-flight
Prepare envelopes with the following questions. All answers
are on in the book and the web at
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2012/0208/Would-Google-hire-you-10-test-questions-to-find-out/A-planeflight
• Can you swim faster through water or syrup?
• How would you weigh your head?
• Using only a 4-minute hourglass and a 7-minute
hourglass, measure exactly nine minutes. You must use both.
• You're given a cube of cheese and a knife. How many straight cuts of the knife
do you need to divide the cheese into twenty-seven little cubes?
• At 3:15, what is the angle between the minute and hour hands on an analog clock?
• There are three boxes, and one contains a valuable prize; the other two are empty.
You're given your choice of a box, but you aren't told whether it contains the prize.
Instead, one of the boxes you didn't pick is opened and is shown to be empty.
You're allowed to keep the box you originally picked, or swap it for the other
unopened box. Would you choose the other box, or stay with the one you have?
(The person who showed you the box you didn't pick knows which box the prize is
in.)
• When there's a wind blowing, does a round-trip by plane take more time, less
time, or the same time?
• You put a glass of water on a record turntable and begin increasing the speed
slowly. What will happen first: will the glass slide off, will it tip over, or will the
water splash out?
•
You have a choice of two wagers: One, you're given a basketball and have one
chance to sink it for $1,000. Two, you have to make two out of three shots, for
the same $1,000. You are a very good basketball player. Which do you prefer?
•
If you had a stack of pennies as tall as the Empire State Building, could you fit
them all in one room?
•
You get on a ski lift at the bottom of the mountain and take it all the way up to
the top. What fraction of the lift's chairs do you pass?