When I started my final teaching prac, in my last year of Uni, I asked the Principal what his pet hate was. I was keen to make a good impression and finish the prac with a good reference before I graduated. I expected the principal to reply with something like; “late teachers” or “chewing gum”.Continue reading “Do I have to know the answer?”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
What difference do you make?
I attended the funeral of my primary school teacher last year. I was extremely privileged to have had this teacher for most of my primary school years. Especially when you consider that my public schooling occurred in a city that encourages teachers to transfer between schools every 5 years. My teacher followed my cohort throughContinue reading “What difference do you make?”
Should I freestyle?
Now you may be thinking, “Is it necessarily one or the other, self-directed or planned?” Well, in my experience this tends to be the case… I have often started inquiry units with the good intention to allow students space to direct their own learning. However, I would succumb to the need to control what wasContinue reading “Should I freestyle?”
May I have this (inquiry) dance?
I have been discovering a lot about inquiry teaching over the last year. These discoveries have challenged my preconceived ideas not only in inquiry learning but in teaching in general. This is the first of a series of posts in which I will be inquiring into inquiry. Previously I viewed learning as a journey,Continue reading “May I have this (inquiry) dance?”
Why must you ask so many questions?
Texel by Jana Reifegerste available at Flickr under CC BY 2.0 This post is pretty straight forward. Questioning is important. As educators, parents and community members we must search for the things which make children, youth and ourselves question the world in which we live. Why is questioning so important? Here is one of myContinue reading “Why must you ask so many questions?”
How can pop music teach?
Woman by Public Domain Pictures available on Pixabay under CC0 1.0 In Year 11 my English teacher asked us to bring in a song and analyse the lyrics attached to it. “Analyse, uck!” I thought, “This is going to be awful.” Not only were my music tastes very different to my peers (see previous postContinue reading “How can pop music teach?”
I Wonder
Image supplied by author “I wonder… ” what joy comes from that question stem. It is through the search for the answers of these types of questions that we develop as humans. Who we are can be measured not only on what we know but on what we don’t know and most importantly on whatContinue reading “I Wonder”