Thinking, learning, and planning

1. Thinking, learning, and planning Ball 29 May 2012

2. Goals: • Introduce you to: • A framework for planning inquiry lessons [5Es] • When and why the 5Es is useful • Invite you to connect this information to your students and your teaching.

3. Do you remember the shift? Duck or Bunny? Old or young woman?

4. Shift from focusing on teaching…

5. …TO focusing on thinking & learning This means: • Planning to shape thinking • Watching for thinking while teaching • Looking at student work as thinking

6. In your journal… • Describe one of the most engaging and exciting learning experiences you remember…. • What made it great? • Why did it interest you? • Why do you remember it so clearly? • Share with your table • Prepare 3 points for great learning

7. Think for a minute…. • When a child tries to make sense of something new, how does s/he go about it? What do they do first, next, and if they still do not understand? • Compare and contrast your great learning experiences with what you see children doing to learn…..what is the same? Different? • Be ready to share

8. …opens a can of worms

9. Let’s explore children’s responses as clues to ways of thinking It’s important to plan for, watch for, and respond to the regular ways learners go astray…

18. Let’s consider another can of worms… Misconceptions

19. Misconceptions….. • Common and regular ways people mis-reason about natural phenomena • Occur in all cultures and across all ages • Have to do with how human beings experience and make sense of the world • Resistant to change: learners must change their own thinking

20. Where does all that tree matter come from? A seed….. Becomes a tree…. Hand out prompt for completion….

21. Sharing answers, reasoning

22. So we need an approach to learning that…. • Excites learners and connects with what they value, care about, and think • Involves EACH student with real objects and/or connections to daily life • Gives them time to get familiar with materials, to mess about • Provides structure and progression in learning while making room for students’ thinking…. • Adds information when students are ready for it • Asks students to apply that information and rethink their ideas • Invites learners to express their own learning

23. A planning outline to shape thinking…. Developing understanding, changing misconceptions

24. Assumptions: • Teaching for thinking and deeper understanding NOT for simple skills or recall • Learning cycle inquiries are essential to science AND are a way of learning in all disciplines • Shifts role of teacher: requires open questions, hands-on with real materials, and letting students’ thinking lead you—input happens “just-in-time”.

25. 5 E Learning Cycle--- • Engage learners and invite thoughts & connections • Evaluate: learners self assess • Learners Explore Student thinking • Extend: learners apply ideas • Learners Explain; teacher supplements

27. What are you thinking now….? • What benefits do you see of using a 5E’s learning cycle with your students? • What questions do you still have about student thinking and 5E’s learning plans? • What two things seem most important to you from what we shared this afternoon?