The infamous Trevor Mackenzie dropped into our EdTech class on February 26th and shared his plethora of knowledge on inquiry-based learning! It was really interesting to hear his take on “inquiry”, and to make so many connections to it!
My Link2Practice experience in a Nature Kindergarten class really opened my eyes to this style of learning and teaching, and exposed me to the notion of learning through play. Student’s have a natural curiosity, and to fuel their learning through inquiry and self-direction is such an effective tool to utilize!
Inquiry stems from constructivism, and as we learned in Dr Di and Graham’s classes last semester, this means that learners are co-designers of the learning and have an active role in the learning environment. We also discussed prominent philosophers such as Piaget, Vygotsky, and Dewey. This differs from what Trevor discussed as traditional practice, and how teachers must unlearn biases and preconceived notions, and relearn to be more agile and pivot within our own teaching frameworks.
I’m finding the connections I’ve made across different classes and past experiences fascinating and inspiring as I step foot into this profession!
If there’s one thing that Trevor mentioned in his presentation that will stick with me, it is that, “small actions have lasting effects.” Throughout my future teaching practice, I hope to support my students growing curiosities and leave them yearning to continue learning for the sake of learning!
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
1 Comment
I would love to connect and hear all about your Nature K experience. I want to incorporate these tools in my classroom one day!