Workshop IntroductionCritical, Creative Thinking in inquiry

Questions to consider when planning

Explore web sites and activities

Using creative and critical thinking strategies, and effective questioning in the inquiry

process.

WHY?To develop

deeper thinking about a topicdeeper understanding and related higher order cognitive skills and dispositions.

left and right brain

The use of high order thinking; understanding, applying, analysing, synthesising, evaluating of gathered information generated by observation, experience, reflection and reasoning.

Cognitive skills•Interpretation•Analysis•Evaluation•Inference•Explanation•Self - regulation

The ability to imagine or invent something new; ability to generate new ideas by combining , changing, reapplying e.g. SCAMPER , BAR , Thinkers’ Keys etc.

Cognitive skills•Exploring ideas•Generating possibilities•Looking for many right answers rather than just one

PERCEPTIVE STAGE identify and focus the issues    play around     listen     take in ideas     list things 

decide on limits     clarify problem     give up, but expect to succeed

INCUBATION STAGE subconscious mind working   no real time used   doing other things   relaxed

 INSIGHT OR ILLUMINATION

You expect it to happen, but you don’t know when 

ELABORATION STAGE develop it    apply skill and knowledge 

 EXPRESSION STAGE

finalise it   make it convincing   authenticate it  patent it   copyright it   publish it

 EVALUATION OR VERIFICATION

does it work?    is it beautiful or elegant?   does it help people?  does it make a profit?    is it better than before? 

 

 

Critical v CreativeAnalytic Generative

Convergent Divergent

Vertical Lateral

Probability Possibility

Judgment Suspended judgment

Focused Diffuse

Objective Subjective

Answer An answer

Left brain Right brain

Verbal Visual

Linear Associative

Reasoning Richness, novelty

Yes but… Yes and…

Planning an inquiry.Questions to consider.

What is the unit?

What are the big ideas?

Which ELAs are addressed in this unit?

Where does it sit ?Is it an integrated unit?Does it belong in just one ELA?

What are the central ideas ?What are the key concepts/enduring understandings I want to students to have at the end of the unit?

Have I selected too many ELAs?Am I trying to cover too much?

What are the outcomes for this unit?

How will I assess?

What is the content?

What do I want my students to know, understand, do and value by the end of the unit?

What ongoing assessment process will I use (assessment for learning)?What rich assessment tasks will I construct to evaluate student achievement (assessment of learning)?

What essential content will I include in this unit?Have I made sure that the outcomes, essential content and learning experiences are all linked?

What activities will provide the best opportunities for maximising student learning?

Reflection:

What learning experiences will help my students best meet the outcomes of this unit?What specific materials and resources will I use?How will I differentiate activities for individual students?Do these experiences provide intellectual quality, quality learning environment and significance for my students?

How will I evaluate the effectiveness of this unit?

Examples of inquiry unit templates.

Wanganui ICT cluster

Wanaka Primary School Inquiry templateThinking Skills

ILPO

Tuning in activities:Target map. Uses. Whole class input. P/c this map, cut it up and give out as an independent activity. Rearrange words in as many different ways as possible. What headings would you use.?http://wordle.net/create use this programme to brainstorm ideas. Print out and display. Model with students. Use data projector.

Oral language. Become a newsreader just like on TV. (teleprompter)Great programme to practise reading out loud. Has the facility to add own work to read back. Make this part of your oral language programme in the am.

www.stuff.co.nzUp to date news items from NZ papers

Access database

Encourages engagement with the lesson activity; develops understanding

S – stimulus T – task O – objective R – resources

Share the stimulus and resources with students, but then ask them to work out what the task and objective might be.

Grab Bag put photos into a bag and use this as a starter activity• Share their prior knowledge about context for study.• Pose questions for further inquiry.• Set up a wall display and use the images from the grab bag to form a display in the centre. Keep adding to this set of images as you work through the unit. Use the display to note questions that students may have so far and return to these throughout the learning.

BeholdMorguefile

What we already know about…

What we want to find out

Images of ….. from grab bag.

BeholdMorguefile

Use to develop subject knowledge, do creative thinking, explore points of view.

Collect photos linked to subject or topic. (use photos supplied, create list of words from rhymezone. Complete the activity. Present.Generate words , synonyms and antonyms associated with these photos. www.rhymezone.com

Collect 2 pictures linked to your subject.Choose 2 single but opposing words – one for each pictureDisplay words with pictures.??? Do the words describe the images?Do the switched wordsdescribe their new pictures?What do they think now?

Other switch thinking examples.

Develop subject knowledge, analysis, creativity, reasoning.•Choose some photos related to your lesson. •Think creatively outside the square and complete the similes they choose to•Describe and explain their choices

??? Which similes are funniest?, weirdest? Best?What makes for a good simile? Which similes do you rememberbest and why?

High jumping is like …… because …..

Diving is like …. because ….

Running shoes are like …. because ….

Basketball is like …. because ….

Develops knowledge, visual thinking, problem solving, abstract thinking

This challenges students to make new and abstract connections between ideas and a selection of shapes. This provides an opportunity to extend thinking about subject content in a creative way.•Use photos of subject (olympics) brainstorm words, lists of feelings/moods . Try and fit these words into a shape.Fit each shape to one photo or idea from the list Justify their choices.??? Which shapes were easiest to fit and why? Which shapes were hardest to fit and why?How could you use this activity in a different subject?

Consolidates understanding; developing reasoning and decision making.S – sell G – give away K - keepTo learn about key features of a concept/idea in the context for study. Lots of discussion about idea using as many photos, books, webs etc.E.gWhich sport would you keep and why?Which sport would you give away and why? Discuss choices and give reasons.Record criteria that were used to make decisions.

 Event Situation Choice Person Reason Means

Present What is? Where/When is?

Which is? Who is? Why is? How is?

Past What did? Where/When did?

Which did? Who did? Why did? How did?

Possibility What can? Where/When can?

Which can? Who can? Why can? How can?

Probability What would?

Where/When would?

Which would?

Who would? Why would? How would?

Prediction What will? Where/When will?

Which will? Who will? Why will? How will?

Imagination What might? Where/When might?

Which might?

Who might? Why might? How might?

Use jigsaw website with specific questions for discussion