INQUIRY FRAMEWORK for Early Childhood Education

1. INQUIRY FRAMEWORK for Early Childhood Education CREATING THINKERS BY FOSTERING INQUIRING MINDS in Bermuda Public Schools 2015

2. In the 2015-16 school year the focus is on inquiry Preschool – Primary 2

3. Why Inquiry? • On average, children between the ages of 3 and 5 ask  300 questions a day! Then, they stop. Why? • For lots of reasons including this one: School and teachers are usually looking for answers from children not questions. • Berger’s main message is that wondering why? what if ? and how? Are the critical skills of our time(21st century) •  We need to cultivate children’s natural curiosity and questioning disposition in schools.

4. Questions that Bermuda’s preschool children are asking: • Does the magnet (force) go through the water? (physics) • Do caterpillars get wet in the rain? (biology) • How many is two tens (holding two hands up with fingers spread)? (mathematics – multiples-multiplication)

5. Our Vision for Inquiry Bermuda’s children will ask questions that matter. They will explore, investigate, inquire, develop theories, engage in collaborative conversations and build collective understandings. Skilled teachers will facilitate children’s learning by designing rich authentic learning opportunities that will build on children’s informal knowledge and challenge high-level thinking. Bermuda’s interesting local landscape, cultures and traditionswill be the subject of their studies.

6. The Benefits of Inquiry Based Learning 1. Watch the video www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ylmVT5lkck 2. Discuss the following: Why is inquiry based learning important in the 21st century?

7. The Inquiry Framework • Engage and experience • Define and refine questions Investigate, research, theorize Get feedback and reflect on learning

8. Inquiry is a Curriculum Emphasis Cambridge Creative Children raise questions about the topic, and through exploration and discovery they find answers to their questions. The hands-on experimental nature of studies taps into children’s natural curiosity, resulting in a learning environment that is both fun and intentional. Cambridge learners are alive with curiosity, embody a spirit of enquiry and want to dig more deeply. They are keen to learn new skills and are receptive to new ideas. They work well independently but also with others. They are equipped to participate constructively in society and the economy – locally, nationally and globally. They are engaged intellectually and socially, ready to make a difference.

9. Cross Curricular Connections asking questions problem solving predicting communicating hypothesizing theorizing interpreting collaborating critical thinking

10. What is Inquiry Based Learning? 1. Watch the video (6 mins)www.youtube.com/watch?v=u84ZsS6niPc 2. Discuss examples of inquiry based learning from your experience?

11. Daily actions in the classroom Children Teachers Create a culture of inquiry Provide meaningful, rigorous provocations Pose higher level questions Engage in small group investigations Express thinking through multiple means Reflect on the learning with others Get curious! Get engaged! Ask questions! Find out! Express ideas! Share the learning!

12. Professional Activities for teachers 2015-16 • Monthly after-school training on the inquiry framework (25 PD hours) • In-school application of the inquiry framework in conjunction with the Creative and Cambridge curriculum • An inquiry conference will feature local speakers on the topic of inquiry (5 PD hours) • An inquiry expo will showcase examples from classrooms towards the end of the year (3 PD hours)