Inquiry 'stocktake' Reflection and direction for this year

Task: Use the ‘inquiry stocktake’ doc to reflect on and write about what you aim to learn about this year

1. Identifying valued learning outcomes (VLOs) to focus on:

Throughout last year, the inquiry framework/guidelines and step-by-step blog post suggestions that were provided to us from Woolf Fisher were highly useful to support us in developing and implementing an in depth inquiry.

It will be useful to have a similar framework provided to us throughout this year as a support to our learning and developing inquiry. It will also be useful if we can have time in our meetings to reflect on each others inquiries, leave comments or give each other suggestions/support.

2. Profiling students’ learning in those VLOs:

I found the profiling of students' learning really difficult last year as my topic branched from the key competencies rather than learning areas. Therefore, I had to create ways to assess the children in front of me, rather than use formative assessments which were readily available and tested.

Going into this year, I feel more confident with how I will be able to profile students' learning as I am confident that my topic will allow me to utilise readily available and tested formative assessments.

3. Generating hypotheses (especially teaching):

It was really important last year to discuss the data I found with teachers and experts in the field I was working with. I was also really fortunate to be a Manaiakalani Innovative Teacher last year which meant I had a group of teachers from around New Zealand who I was constantly networking with. With the MIT group, we did a lot of work on generating our hypotheses. This process resulted in quite a different focus to what I had originally thought I would focus on.

This year, I will not have this additional opportunity to support me in my inquiry. I would therefore find it extremely useful to have opportunities to bounce ideas off others in our CoL meetings. I will utilise the frameworks and ideas from MIT19 to ensure I create robust and thoughtful hypotheses. In addition, through sharing of ideas in our last CoL meeting, I learned that one of the other CoL teachers is going to be working on a very similar inquiry to mine in a year 7/8 classroom. We hope to meet with each other, bounce ideas of each other and ensure our inquiries can support and enhance each other's inquiries.

4. Testing hypotheses (investigating own teaching):

I want to ensure that I collect student voice more regularly throughout this year. I collected student voice last year however not very regularly.

5. Using research literature and other sources to identify more effective approaches:

Last year, we noticed that we were limited in our access to academic literature. It will be important to discuss this with people who can support us if it becomes an issue during research this year. Other resources I could possibly make more use of this year are Best Evidence Synthesis (BES). Another resource which could be useful to me is Sheena Cameron's book on oral language.

6. Implementing new approaches:

It was a challenge to implement new approaches without 'wasting' valuable learning time. It was really important that there was value in anything that was implemented. Last year, it was clear that the approach I implemented was engaging for learners and provided them opportunities to create and share their learning. This year, I am going to have to think about what implementation of a new approach will look like and how it will fit into our classroom.

7. Monitoring (and tweaking) new approaches:

Having a record of my inquiry through blog posts was really important so I could reflect, make changes, and go back to previous approaches or ideas. Hyperlinks on blog posts were also really useful for this.

8. Evaluate shifts in own teaching

9. Evaluate shifts in student learning:

I found this really challenging last year as my topic was not one which I could easily utilise formative assessment tools. Even at the end of the year, I did not feel entirely confident that comparisons of data were accurate and fair representations. I feel more confident coming into this year of evaluating shifts in student learning. I feel that the topic of critical thinking through reading and writing will be more easy to measure than critical thinking and interpersonal skills online. I have already begun by creating a more detailed rubric to measure blog posts.

10. Keep a clear and detailed record of all stages of inquiry:

The process of keeping track of each stage of the inquiry process was personally highly helped from having a professional blog. For someone who was looking at my blog and wanting to learn from what I did, the labels would have helped. For me, I found it most useful to use the label, CoL or 2019 to track my journey. This year, I will work with the CoL group to think of any other ways we can make following our inquiry more user-friendly.