Some action from school...

As a teacher, I still cringe at the way I taught many years ago.
It was so much of me up the front, kids in front of me answering my questions.
Sure, I know that is the way we were told to teach, but after so many years of experiencing other methods, I remain totally convinced that inquiry learning is the best way to go.
I'm aware that we may have been doing it subtly for quite a while, but until it was painted explicitly for me I wasn't really able to develop greater structure with it.
It does sound strange saying that I needed structure with inquiry, but in my own mind I know what I mean!!

Just the act of questioning with the kids...their own questions and answers to each other can guide and drive a session. It needn't always be directed by the teacher towards pre-determined outcomes.

So, what's the point of this post???

Well, another teacher who I work with is a bit of a gun with inquiry learning, and was helping to plan and implement an inquiry into Minibeasts that our Gr 2's were doing.
I was asked ( make that told!) to join her in dressing up as mad scientists and act out a scenario in front of the Gr 2 classes.
Our 'Mission' was to rid the world of Minibeasts, because we felt that they just got in the way, annoyed us and were generally just pests. The Gr 2 children now have to convince us otherwise.
On the day, Jess and I dressed up as Professors Squirrellsquirt and Snifflepiffer, and created a frothing green potion in front of the children, promising to use it to rid the world of minibeasts!!
The kids were throwing up all sorts of reasons as to why we shouldn't do this, so we gave them a 5 week window of opportunity to present a case for the preservation of them.
In the past week or so, the evil professors have sent a few letters to the classes advising them that we are producing our potion at an alarming rate, but if they can convince us to change our ways we will then use the potion for good rather than evil, as it can easily be changed into minibeast food.

The number of letters we are receiving from the children continues to grow, so over the next two weeks the evil professors will have hopefully changed their ways!!

Professor Snifflepiffer and Professor Squirellsquirt.