Inquiry-Based Learning

3 Reasons to Embrace (Some) Worksheets

As I began my student teaching about ten years ago, I attended the first-day-back faculty meeting, during which the building principal chastised teachers, “Don’t use worksheets! They’re not best practice!”

Thinking about what she said, the same two questions come to mind now as they did back then: What should teachers be using instead? Can all worksheets really be that bad?…Let’s focus on answering the second question (which will then naturally help to partially answer the first).

So, here are three reasons to embrace (some) worksheets, reasons that are based on my work as a teacher.

Inquiry-Based Learning’s Impact on Professional Development #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper 2 Comments

This post is #5 in a series of 10 posts that serve as extensions of the 10 chapters in Hacking Project Based Learning, which I coauthored with Erin Murphy. This post is an extension of Chapter 5, which focuses on essential questions. #HackingPBL

For all of the posts in the series, tap/click here.

Admittedly, it took me longer than it should have to be able to make the distinction between professional development and training.

In short, I now view professional development as the process of building capacity in participants (or attempting to do so), while training generally follows more of a rigid approach with several “rights” and “wrongs.” Overall, I believe both have a place in education. For example, for about the past two years at my district’s elementary level there have been various forms of professional development involving Writing Workshop, but in January a representative from Heinemann is going to be training these same teachers on the new Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System.

At the same time, I have come to realize there is a third category, which can be triggered when we mistakenly believe we are providing deep professional development, but in actuality we are barely scratching the surface with not much more than conversations and examples related to a specific topic. This third category, which falls somewhere in between the other two on the “autonomy spectrum,” can be called discussion.

Since the line between discussion and professional development can easily be blurred, let’s take a look at how each of these categories applies to educators being introduced to essential questions, the topic that serves as the main focus of Chapter 5 in Hacking Project Based Learning.

10 Ways to Rethink Your Project Based Learning Directions #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

This post is #4 in a series of 10 posts that serve as extensions of the 10 chapters in Hacking Project Based Learning, which I coauthored with Erin Murphy. This post is an extension of Chapter 4, which focuses on developing a plan for your project. #HackingPBL

For all of the posts in the series, tap/click here.

Once you have a solid project idea, getting it down on paper and delivering it to your students can be a daunting task. At the beginning of the planning process, you often don’t have much more than a blank slate and a job that involves creating directions that will hopefully help to bring to life the project you’re envisioning. I have been designing project based learning directions for several years, and I have found that working with certain features in mind helps to (1) provide me with a solid direction, and (2) assist in making my directions that much more effective.

Here are ten features to always consider when creating project based learning (PBL) directions for your students.

5 Ways to Avoid Project Based Learning Fluff #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper 9 Comments

This post is #3 in a series of 10 posts that serve as extensions of the 10 chapters in Hacking Project Based Learning, which I coauthored with Erin Murphy. This post is an extension of Chapter 3, which focuses on deciding on which content your project should focus. #HackingPBL

For all of the posts in the series, tap/click here.

When I taught fourth grade, I was initially met with skepticism from other teachers when I started to regularly engage my students in project based learning (PBL) and STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). I think much of this apprehension existed because some of my practices did in fact perpetuate the myth that PBL was fluff and that the “real” teaching and learning takes place through more direct instruction. However, as I continuously reflected upon and refined my craft, many of these doubters went from, “That wouldn’t work with my students!” to “How can that work with my students?”

Looking back, I still think some of my original PBL practices were forgivable, simply because I had to begin somewhere (Don’t we all?). But, there are definitely some bits of advice I wish I had been given prior to getting started.

That being said, here are five ways to avoid project based learning fluff.

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Should we grade 21st century skills? #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper 7 Comments

This post is #2 in a series of 10 posts that serve as extensions of the 10 chapters in Hacking Project Based Learning, which I coauthored with Erin Murphy. This post is an extension of Chapter 2, which focuses on explicitly teaching collaboration skills. #HackingPBL

For all of the posts in the series, tap/click here.

Last week I participated in the EdLeader21 conference in Denver, Colorado (highly recommended). Two of my highlights were Jay McTighe’s (@jaymctighe) two sessions – one on curriculum design and the other on project based learning – and a closing session on design thinking by two members of Stanford’s d.school.

Throughout the conference (and also during much of this year’s in-district professional development), the primary theme that served as the basis for all of the work was the 4Cs: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. In fact, the EdLeader 21 website sells 4Cs rubrics (free for members), and Jay McTighe’s latest book (which I purchased after watching him present, but have yet to fully read) also contains rubrics for these skills.

Should these skills be graded?

First, let’s keep in mind there is a difference between assessment and grading. Whereas the goal of assessment is to improve student learning, grading (or a grade) is generally used to evaluate current level of performance. And, I don’t think anyone would necessarily argue against assessing these skills, at least within the context of learning experiences.

So, back to the question at hand…

When I initially sat down to write this piece, my answer was a definitive “No!” However, upon further thinking, any well-designed project based learning experience (and many activities/assignments) will naturally require students to engage in all 4Cs, with the possible exception of collaboration if students are to work alone: critical thinking when students investigate higher-order questions, communication when students explain processes and decisions, collaboration as students rely on each other’s strengths, and creativity through opportunities for student choice…Therefore, if/when grading takes place, students’ abilities to navigate the 4Cs contribute to their grades in one way or another.

So, I’m thinking the better question is whether or not these skills should be graded in isolation.

Reimagining Learning Spaces with Design Thinking #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper 12 Comments

This post is #1 in a series of 10 posts that serve as extensions of the 10 chapters in Hacking Project Based Learning, which I coauthored with Erin Murphy. This post is an extension of Chapter 1, which focuses on establishing a culture of inquiry and creativity. #HackingPBL

For all of the posts in the series, tap/click here.

Before I left the classroom a few years ago, there were a few items on my bucket list I never got to accomplish (and I would have accomplished them had I taught for just one more year)…One of these missed opportunities was a complete redesign of my classroom.

You see, the final year I taught fourth grade, my students and I started our work in science by learning about the scientific method through the creation of original egg packagings with a process called design thinking. In short (ok, very short), students didn’t just engineer creative products, but they did so with empathy for the consumer in mind. And, they then assessed the effectiveness of their homemade creations based on what they determined to be the indispensable features of an exemplary product (while visualizing themselves in the shoes of the consumer).

My students enjoyed our design thinking work so much, following the egg unit and throughout the year I consistently told them something to the effect of, “Once state testing is done in April, I’ll give you a budget of a few hundred dollars and you can use your experiences with design thinking to revamp our classroom.” Nevertheless, for one reason or another, the overhaul never happened.

Stop Posting Essential Questions for Every Lesson

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

Essential Questions, by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins, p. 15

My Thoughts on the Excerpt

1. Learning Targets for Lessons, Essential Questions for Units

If students are able to thoroughly investigate an essential question within a given class period, the odds are it’s not an essential question. As stated, it could instead possibly be a leading question or guiding question…On the other hand, students can benefit from a learning target being posted for every lesson.

How to Transform Step-by-Step Directions into Inquiry

By Ross Cooper 9 Comments

In a previous post we explored a potential problem with prepackaged STEM products (or STEM in a box). In short, the problem is when schools and districts invest more in them than they do in their teachers. Because, if the ultimate goal is to leverage these resources to promote inquiry-based learning (which it should be), some form of professional learning is most likely needed, as opposed to simply handing over the goods and believing their potential will be maximized.

Now, let’s examine how teachers can take a product with step-by-step directions and transform/reconfigure it in such a way that inquiry-based learning is promoted…For the purpose of this post, we’ll look at how I previously accomplished this task with solar powered cars, but I believe these same ideas and steps can be applied across countless products/contexts.

The Problem with Prepackaged STEM Products

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

This post was originally published on Tom Murray’s (@thomascmurray) blog.

Over the last handful of years we have seen an explosion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. And, coinciding with this movement has been an influx of new STEM-related products that are school friendly. Some of the more popular merchandise includes littleBits, Snap Circuits, and Spheros.

The Problem

While there is no doubt in my mind many of our students will benefit from these products, and I do wish they had been invented while I was still teaching fourth grade…something is missing if we’re not doing much than placing these items in the hands of our students and teachers, crossing our fingers, and hoping for change.

At the end of the day, these are tools or resources that can help in shifting mindsets and culture, but I do believe an overreliance on them means too much time and energy is being spent in the wrong place.

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Inquiry is King. Here’s Why…

By Ross Cooper 3 Comments

What is Inquiry?

Inquiry-based learning can be defined as learning that “starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios – rather than simply presenting established facts or portraying a smooth path to knowledge. The process is often assisted by a facilitator.”

In short, through some form of productive struggle, students “uncover” material, as opposed to content coverage and the memorization/regurgitation of facts and knowledge…For a look at what this uncovering looks like and why it is so crucial, refer to a previous post, “Why I Refused to Flip My Classroom.” In fact, I highly encourage you to take a few short minutes to read the post and then return to this one.