Meeting today to look at ideas and begin planning for the second term's set of lessons for the Enquiring Minds classes next year. The first term will be about gathering information about the pupils lives. The second term is to pose a question based on this information and guide the pupils through a method of enquiry based initially on the TASC wheel of learning.
It was a good meeting, lots of discussion about our doubts and concerns. Then we worked in groups and posed a question and tried to quickly work through the wheel. How would it work in a class? Interesting discussions about the nature of questions themselves and what would be the most effective question to allow an effective, in-depth line of enquiry.
Last night I was preparing myself for the meeting by researching some of the key terms listed in the agenda given. Co-constructing threw up this wonderful blog that is well worth a look.
I'll be googleing these words too:
community building
deconstructing
empowering
philosophizing
problem-solving
re-enforcing
scaffolding
These words supposedly represent what is that special extra about the Enquiring Minds teacher. Let's hope that I'm up to the descriptors.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Sunday, July 02, 2006
book review
As part of the research and development work for the Enquiring Minds project that I am participating in, I was asked to read and write up a book review. I chose to read Youth Media by Bill Osgerby.
This book explores youth culture at almost every stage and sub-stage from 1900 through to 2005. Much of the history of and description of youth we will all recognise and understand. The book explores the positive and the negative depictions of youth culture. It also explores in detail the economical (youth = money making opportunities), political and media influences and encourages the reader to view these representations with a certain amount of common sense doubt. As the book summarises: "Unless adequate attention is given to all the dimensions of this circuit - production, identity formation, representation, consumption and regulation - it is impossible to grasp the full cultural meanings and significance of pop music, fashion, film, video and the full panoply of 'youth media' "
How is this useful in terms of Enquiring Minds? In two ways-
It is a useful reminder that 'youth' is a development stage in a person's life that is targeted by market forces. And when pupils begin to explore and research their own lives - we need to instill in them a healthy skepticism as to how they are represented by others.
This book explores youth culture at almost every stage and sub-stage from 1900 through to 2005. Much of the history of and description of youth we will all recognise and understand. The book explores the positive and the negative depictions of youth culture. It also explores in detail the economical (youth = money making opportunities), political and media influences and encourages the reader to view these representations with a certain amount of common sense doubt. As the book summarises: "Unless adequate attention is given to all the dimensions of this circuit - production, identity formation, representation, consumption and regulation - it is impossible to grasp the full cultural meanings and significance of pop music, fashion, film, video and the full panoply of 'youth media' "
How is this useful in terms of Enquiring Minds? In two ways-
It is a useful reminder that 'youth' is a development stage in a person's life that is targeted by market forces. And when pupils begin to explore and research their own lives - we need to instill in them a healthy skepticism as to how they are represented by others.
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