Another Breakthrough...Happiness and Inquiry...

WHAT AM I DOING TO HELP KIDS ACHIEVE?

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THEY ARE THERE?

WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?

     I heard a cool TED podcast.  There is a guy looking at the science of happiness. (LINK)  He has people download an app on their cell phone.  Once a week he asks them some questions about what they are doing, how they feel, if they are tired or hungry..etc...He gets about 35000 responses in a month and uses some high powered programs to look for relationships.  Guess what is the number one idea that affects our happiness...the ability to focus.  It does not matter if you are changing a diaper, stuck in traffic or talking to a friend.  If you are focused, you are happy.  The flip side is that it seems if you are not focused, then you are not happy.  Take a minute to think about when and what makes you happy.  Are you focused during that time?  Probably.  So what does this have to do with inquiry.....

     Our brains have the ability to do some amazing things.  We have the ability to wonder.  We can say "what if".  It helps us think outside the box and be creative.  What happens when we go too far?  What happens when we get stuck?  Our minds wonder...we get frustrated...welcome to inquiry.  How many times have people said they hate science?  It is frustrating...hard to focus?

     So here is what I think I might be able to do to have students survive inquiry and not totally hate the process.  First, try to stay focused.  Second, trust the process (the scientific process).  Third, stay healthy.

     On another note we are now doing our "wonderings" in the Miami class.  I definitely want to do something with the internet, flipped assignments and being part of the kids network.  I think there is some possibility there.

A Breakthrough.....

WHAT AM I DOING TO HELP KIDS ACHIEVE?

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THEY ARE THERE?

WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?

     For almost a year now I have been writing about how to try to come up with a plan to get better.  I am taking another class in the Project TIMU program.  Just got a book written by Nancy Fichtman Dana and Diane Yendol-Hoppey called "The Reflective Educator's Guide to Classroom Research".  It is written with teacher's in mind.  It explains how to examine classroom research and perform classroom research.  It was written with teachers in mind.  It has five steps to try and get better.

1.  Context of Study - Describe the classroom and situation in detail.

2.  Wonderings and Purpose:  Is there a clear and purposeful question about my own practice and how it effects students?

3.  Research Design and Analysis - Did I look at multiple sources of data?  Are they logical and tied to student performance?

4.  Interpretation - What did I learn from the experience?  Does it enhance my learning and classroom practice?

5.  Implications for Practice - Do I put my new knowledge into practice?

I think this cycle is the key to not only examining other's research but also in leading mine.  I hope to put this into play for 2014-2015.  I will keep you posted....