PME 801
Welcome to PME 801- Collaborative Inquiry
Introductory Module:
ACTIVITY 1- ABOUT ME AS A COLLABORATOR
In my opinion, the term collaboration shares many associations and attributes. Words that come to mind when I think of collaboration are: teamwork, cooperation, respect, receptiveness, flexibility, encouragement, and unity.
Fisher Peak
4 friends, 9,336 feet, steep scree, internal doubts, varying levels of fitness, and one goal- to reach the highest peak in the Southern, Canadian Rocky Mountains.
There's not many people I have come across who, at some point in hiking Fisher Peak, don't think to themselves, "You fall, and you're a goner." That's certainly what was going through my mind as I was scaling the loose scree from the basin to the saddle. This segment of the hike was one that was described by a friend as the "choose your own adventure" section. Once you've crested the saddle, you might think the hard part is over, but simply put, the worst is yet to come.
You now are faced with scaling a towering boulder patch, exhaustion, shaky knees, and trembling thoughts of- "Can I do this?" The time where I felt the most alone in my messy thoughts, thousands of feet above sea level, actually became the start of one of the most memorable team efforts. I noticed the higher we got, the lighter the conversations were. As a group we became aware of everyone’s emotions and adjusted our conversations towards funny stories and compliments.
As we gained more elevation, we continued to encouraged one another after each successful hand plant and secured footing. When one route seemed too daunting or the start of a potential dead end, we re-evaluated and problem solved together. We respected everyone's comfort zone, knowledge, and capacities. After two and a half hours of a gruelling trek, we finally reached the summit!
I had so much appreciation for my friends and own ability in making it to the top. By working as a team, respecting one another, and encouraging each other, we were able to achieve the goal we set for ourselves, and in my opinion defined the meaning of successful collaboration.
Module 1: Collaborative Inquiry Core Concepts
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-develop a general understanding of collaborative inquiry
-develop an understanding of the core concepts of collaborative inquiry: collaboration, inquiry, problem-solving, and design
Activities we completed were:
-a discussion relating to collaboration and inquiry
-a case study
-a concept map based on the core concepts
ACTIVITY 1- COLLABORATION AND INQUIRY THREAD
The article that resonated the most to me this week was Towards a Culture of Inquiry for Data use in Schools: Breaking Down Professional Learning Barriers Through Intentional Interruptionby Steven Katz and Lisa Ain Dack. I felt a sense of comfort and adversely, discomfort when reading specific paragraphs or sentences, and reflected on my own situation within my district.
“collaborative inquiry is a way in engaging in real professional learning, such that new understandings can give rise to improved practices, which in turn influence student learning and achievement.” (Katz & Dack, 2014, p. 36).
There were many points made throughout the article that reiterated how beneficial collaborative inquiry is to both teaching professionals and students. It strengthens our practice, allows us to teach effectively, and enhances student learning. Reflecting back on my collaborative experiences, I have come to realize that they haven’t been as impactful in increasing student achievement as I thought and were far from what I would define as proper collaborative inquiry. These collaborative sessions I took part in were what I would describe as unit planning/creating, as opposed to problem solving. My school district is supportive of collaboration but based on what I have seen and heard about from colleagues, I don’t think their idea of collaboration refers to that of identifying and solving authentic school problems.
Most educators are aware of what the term collaboration means, but could quite possibly be unaware of what collaborative inquiry entails, like Kevin had mentioned in his discussion post. Explicit modelling and instruction is crucial for children when it comes to applying new learnings to their environment, therefore, it should also be the same for educators. A lot of teachers I know, myself included, have never experience collaborative inquiry and would not know how to start one without some sort of professional development surrounding it.
“This more rigorous definition of learning means that sitting in a workshop may not be learning, reading a book may not be learning, and – contrary to colloquial rhetoric – people may not (and probably are not) learning each and every day. It all depends on whether or not the activities one is engaged in contribute to a permanent change in knowledge or behaviour.” (Katz & Dack, 2014, p. 37).
I resonated with Kelsey’s thoughts on professional development. There is nothing more exciting in our line of work, than feeling motivated and inspired to make changes to your practice. However, I have found that in the past few years , the professional development offered to teachers (in my district) involved more of the district’s agenda and less of workshops relating to the actual concerns from us teachers. The majority of workshops that should be offered are ones that help us support our students and their learning. The conversations the staff at my school end up talking about at recess and lunch are far more important, engaging, useful, and relevant to our students and school than the pro-d experiences we have recently been presented with, which is unfortunate.
“Real professional learning is about making changes to thinking and practices.” (Katz & Dack, 2014, p. 35).
When we participate in a process that directly affects our learners in our classrooms, I believe we teachers are far more engaged and accepting of change because we know it is in the best interest of our students. I am increasingly interested in learning what this course has to offer because I feel it will present me with the professional development I have been searching for. Collaborative Inquiry- A Facilitator’s Guidewas a great resource to look over as it provides detailed instructions and examples of how to start and a complete a collaborative inquiry. I am excited to take part in true collaborative inquiry and experience all that it has to offer. I have never ran any professional development workshops, but wouldn’t be opposed to sharing this information with my staff at the end of this course.
References
Katz, S., & Dack, L. A. (2014). Towards a Culture of Inquiry for Data use in Schools: Breaking Down Professional Learning Barriers Through Intentional Interruption. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 42, 35-40.
ACTIVITY 2- CASE STUDY
Where do you see it fitting and how might you use it?
I could see this guide working in a few different ways at my school. Grade group collaboration is common in my school and I could see us using this framework to address a universal concern that would benefit the grade as a whole (i.e. easing the transition from primary [grade 3 at our school] to intermediate [grade 4 at the next school]). This framework could also be used to support our at risk learners (i.e. developing tier 2 and/or 3 interventions). Our school is also mandated to create, monitor, and report out on a goal each year, and I can see how this process would be useful in supporting that.
Do you like the process that is outlined?
I like the process of this resource and appreciate that it is very thoroughly written. It is especially helpful for people like myself, who have never been a part of or conducted a formal collaborative inquiry, because it provides you with extensive directions, prompts, visuals, templates, possible materials needed, and plenty of written examples. As stated on the first page (after the title page), you are free to share this resource with your team and adapt it to suit your collective vision.
Do you see issues with it?
ACTIVITY 3- CONCEPT MAP
Module 2: Knowledge Building
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-build awareness of the role technology can play in supporting Collaborative Inquiry
-develop an understanding of key concepts, beyond the core concepts, related to Collaborative Inquiry. Including: contextual constraints, problem framing, inductive/deductive, and adductive reasoning, and knowledge building
-begin to develop a plan about the problem/dilemma that you will take on during the second portion of the course
Activities we completed were:
-adding to the Knowledge Building Google Doc
-creating a technology montage of digital tools to support collaborative inquiry
ACTIVITY 1- KNOWLEDGE BUILDING GOOGLE DOCUMENT
In this activity we were asked to revisit burning questions from the previous module and discuss possible solutions. We also compiled a list of technology tools proven useful for collaborative inquiry.
Knowledge Building Link
ACTIVITY 2- TECHNOLOGY MONTAGE
Following the knowledge building document, we put together a technology montage highlighting technology tools that would be useful for collaborative inquiry. Click on the link below to view this artifact.
Module 3: Reflections for Practice
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-reflect on how collaborative inquiry could be brought into my own professional practice
-consider and identify personal and professional obstacles to engaging in collaborative inquiry
-consult with the Course Instructor about course engagement and consult about the direction they will take in Module 4
Activities we completed were:
-reflective readings
-a mid-course self-evaluation
ACTIVITY 1- READING REFLECTION
In this activity we were asked to pause and reflect on personal and professional obstacles or challenges, particularly concerning mindset, biases, and assumptions, as it pertains to engaging in collaborative inquiry.
This week in particular, I have spent a significant amount of time reflecting on collaborative inquiry (CI). Seeing that we are nearing the midway point, it was important to recount and synthesize my knowledge, bias, professional and personal obstacles, and mindset towards CI. The article that resonated the most with my thoughts on CI was Collaborative Inquiry as a Professional Learning Structure for Educators by Christopher DeLuca et al.
What attracted me the most to CI are the reports of how the entire school community can profit from it. DeLuca et al. (2015) states, “Previous research has demonstrated significant benefits of CI for teachers, students and schools.” Participating in CI makes me believe I am contributing to a greater good for my students and school. In terms of how CI specifically benefits teachers, Hulme et al. (2009) expressed “that although CI is primarily intended to help teachers answer practical questions, it also makes teachers more aware of their approach and orientation toward inquiry and their own philosophical foundations about teaching.” In knowing this, it is difficult to not want to be on board with this approach, but there are still obstacles and biases that confront my thinking about the practicality of CI.
There are many challenges I still see with CI, which make it difficult to implement. After creating an extensive list of obstacles, biases, and assumptions, I was able to merge together a few themes. There needs to be a “buy-in” by staff members and administrators in order for CI to be considered. “For CI to effectively create change in educator thinking and practice, educators need to buy-in to the inquiry process and fully participate in dialogical sharing, taking action and reflection” (Deluca et al., 2015, p. 653). When educators ‘buy-in’, they are more empowered to create change (Nelson and Slavit 2008) and engage in a process of re-culturing within a school (Nelson et al. 2008).Furthermore, Kennedy et al. (2011) and Nelson et al. (2012) indicate that, “School leaders are integral to the creation of school cultures that promote CI.” These quotes identify the consequential importance of establishing an acceptance of CI in order for it to be implemented successfully.
Another parallel discussed in the article, that I feel is missing in my school environment, was the importance of creating time and space. Based on what a lot of people have mentioned in our forums, time and space appears to be a reoccurring issue with CI. In order for CI to work and for staff members to buy-in, time and space needs to be provided. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I believe all teachers care about the best interests of their students, but they may be limited in how much time they can spend on work outside of their working timetable. CI can appear daunting and impossible without the promise of time and space during the work week. “Protecting sanctioned time for participation in CI has been consistently identified in the literature as a fundamental element of enabling effective CI work” (Slavit et al., 2011). Robinson (2010) continues to support this stance by vocalizing, “It is the responsibility of teachers and school leaders to find adequate time through purposeful timetabling, fiscal resources and teacher coverage.” I could see CI being accepted by my staff, but only if we were given time and space inside the working timetable to participate in it.
Although I still have some reservations about the applicability of CI in my school, I think there are ways of working around those obstacles. CI is a process that involves two or more people working together to solve a mutual problem. As we are learning in this course, location does not need to be a limiting factor to make CI work. You can reach out to a professional learning community to find members teaching the same grade who also share similar interests and wonders. “Within these groups [grade], collaboration may be more easily supported because group members share common interests, which focus CI questions that will help all members of the inquiry group” (Ermeling, 2010). Experience is another important factor for engaging in CI. It creates a complete understanding of the process and develops your confidence so you can transfer and apply what you have learned to your professional practice. With the second half of the course beginning shortly, I am excited to engage in my first design project, knowing that this experience is the gateway for future collaborative inquiries.
References
DeLuca, C., Shulha, J., Ulemu, L., Shulha, L. M., Christou, T. M., & Klinger, D. A. (2015). Collaborative Inquiry as a Professional Learning Structure for Educators: a Scoping Review. Professional Development in Education, 41(4). 640-670. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2014.933120
Ermeling, B. A. (2010) Tracing the Effects of Teacher Inquiry on Classroom Practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(3), 377-388.
Hulme, R., Cracknell, D., & Owens, A, (2009). Learning in Third Spaces: Developing Trans- Professional Understanding Through Practitioner Enquiry. Educational Action Research, 17 (4). 537–550.
Nelson, T.H. & Slavit, D. (2008). Supported Teacher Collaborative Inquiry. Teacher Education Quarterly, 35 (1). 99–116.
Nelson, T.H., et al. (2008). A Culture of Collaborative Inquiry: Learning to Develop and Support Professional Learning Communities. Teachers College Record, 110 (6). 1269–1303.
Robinson, M.A. (2010). School Perspectives on Collaborative Inquiry: Lessons Learned From New York City, 2009–2010. Philadelphia, PA: Consortium for Policy Research in Education.
Slavit, D., et al. (2011) Support for Professional Collaboration in Middle School Mathematics: A Complex Web. Teacher Education Quarterly, 38(3). 113-131.
Module 4: Engage In Collaborative Design with Course Peers
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-engage in critical review of a problem and the context in which the problem exists in a community
-propose solutions to a problem that are sensitive to the concerns of the stakeholders
-provide prototype versions of the solution for review by other students in the course
-write a design/problem brief that includes background information, a clear presentation of scholarly connections to the literatures, and communication of the proposed solution
Please see the Collaborative Design Brief Page for more information.
Module 5: Connect With A Professional Community
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-connect with a Professional Community and to communicate, and, where possible, to interact with this Professional Community to establish rapport and the possibility of future interactions. Students are to develop a "digital foothold" that relates to the specific Professional Community and communicates how Collaborative Inquiry relates to this community
Activities completed were:
-identifying our Professional Learning Community (PLC)
-interacting with the PLC
-reflecting on the interactions with the PLC
-a mid-course self-evaluation
ACTIVITY 1, 2, 3- PLC- Making Connections
Professional Learning Communities
POST 2: INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MYSELF AND THE PLC
For this assignment, I decided to approach the task in an unusual way by creating my own PLC community, as opposed to contributing to an already existing one. I wrote an email to the two of the primary schools in my town (including my own school) and our District Literacy Support Teacher, sharing what I have been learning about in this course so far. In my email I explained my understanding of Collaborative Inquiry along with its process, and also some examples of inquiry questions. My email also included two prompts, asking the teachers to discuss the collaborations they have been involved in, or concerns within their learning community that they would be interested in exploring. One of the emails I sent is listed below:
Hello lovely staff members,
I wanted to take a moment to share with you what I have been working on in one of my Professional Masters of Education courses, Collaborative Inquiry. If you have a moment and are able to read the email and write a response to it, that would help me out greatly.
-collaborative inquiry is the process of working together with others to explore challenges within schools or a student’s learning
The process of Collaborative Inquiry looks something like this:
1. Identify a problem
Examples of Collaborative Inquiry problems:
-What can we do to improve provincial reading scores?
-How can we weave Indigenous Education into all areas of the curriculum, and what resources will help us do this?
-What supports can we offer students who struggle with writing, and how can we strengthen their skills and motivation to improve?
It would be greatly appreciated if you could take a moment to respond to one of the prompts in this email by either discussing:
a) What collaborations you are involved in and how has this impacted your thinking or actions in the classroom?
Full disclosure:
I would like to screenshot your responses for my Professional Learning Community assignment. I can edit the screen shots so that your name is blurred, and if you would prefer that, please indicate so by putting a “B” behind your name. Any additional responses you contribute will also have your name blurred.
Example:
Hi Lauren,
You are awesome!
Staff Member B
Thank you all and I hope to hear from you!
Lauren Bancks
Figure 1:
Figure 2:
Initiative (2
Initiative (3
Initiative (4
POST 3: REFLECTION ON THE INTERACTION
There are a few things I will take away from this engagement:
The first being vulnerability. I found it slightly stressful to completely put myself out there in an online community. Although I know a good majority of these people, it is still nerve-wracking to wait each day to see if anyone responded to my email, or worse, contemplating why someone didn’t respond. In an online setting I tend to feel more exposed than in a face-to-face one. After my first email reply, however, I had a positive response from a co-worker who suggested that I reach out on a grander scale. I put this off for a couple days because I felt worried of being judged or ignored, but knew I needed to try to gather more information. Once I was able to send off the other emails, I actually felt proud of myself for following through on something that felt daunting and scary.
This is a screen shot of a positive response I got from a principal within my district.
Another takeaway I would like to note is time. I should have allotted more time to gather responses and sent out my email sooner. In doing so I believe I would have more participation among district teachers. It is a busy time of the year for them, and I know many teachers have a lot on their “to-do” lists with report cards being due fairly soon. If I would have been working back home, I could have connected easier with these staff members in person and I know there would have been a greater response.
From the responses I was able to gather, this experience helped open my eyes to the number of collaborations occurring within my school district. I knew a few of the collaborations mentioned, but was surprised to learn of the Essential Literacy Skills for K/1s and A.S.K. K to 9 initiatives. Reaching out to a variety of people within my email also taught me a bit about networking and which individuals I should direct my questions to within the district.
Course Closure Module
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-promote selection on participants' learning in the course by producing a brief multimedia artifact that communicates their thoughts about the course and their development while participating in the collaborative components of the course
-assist participants in assessing their personal development in terms of Collaborative Inquiry during this course
Activities completed were:
-creating an iMovie of My Growth So Far
ACTIVITY 1- MY GROWTH SO FAR ARTIFACT
To view this artifact, please click on the link below:
Introductory Module:
ACTIVITY 1- ABOUT ME AS A COLLABORATOR
In my opinion, the term collaboration shares many associations and attributes. Words that come to mind when I think of collaboration are: teamwork, cooperation, respect, receptiveness, flexibility, encouragement, and unity.
Fisher Peak
4 friends, 9,336 feet, steep scree, internal doubts, varying levels of fitness, and one goal- to reach the highest peak in the Southern, Canadian Rocky Mountains.
There's not many people I have come across who, at some point in hiking Fisher Peak, don't think to themselves, "You fall, and you're a goner." That's certainly what was going through my mind as I was scaling the loose scree from the basin to the saddle. This segment of the hike was one that was described by a friend as the "choose your own adventure" section. Once you've crested the saddle, you might think the hard part is over, but simply put, the worst is yet to come.
You now are faced with scaling a towering boulder patch, exhaustion, shaky knees, and trembling thoughts of- "Can I do this?" The time where I felt the most alone in my messy thoughts, thousands of feet above sea level, actually became the start of one of the most memorable team efforts. I noticed the higher we got, the lighter the conversations were. As a group we became aware of everyone’s emotions and adjusted our conversations towards funny stories and compliments.
As we gained more elevation, we continued to encouraged one another after each successful hand plant and secured footing. When one route seemed too daunting or the start of a potential dead end, we re-evaluated and problem solved together. We respected everyone's comfort zone, knowledge, and capacities. After two and a half hours of a gruelling trek, we finally reached the summit!
I had so much appreciation for my friends and own ability in making it to the top. By working as a team, respecting one another, and encouraging each other, we were able to achieve the goal we set for ourselves, and in my opinion defined the meaning of successful collaboration.
Module 1: Collaborative Inquiry Core Concepts
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-develop a general understanding of collaborative inquiry
-develop an understanding of the core concepts of collaborative inquiry: collaboration, inquiry, problem-solving, and design
Activities we completed were:
-a discussion relating to collaboration and inquiry
-a case study
-a concept map based on the core concepts
ACTIVITY 1- COLLABORATION AND INQUIRY THREAD
The article that resonated the most to me this week was Towards a Culture of Inquiry for Data use in Schools: Breaking Down Professional Learning Barriers Through Intentional Interruptionby Steven Katz and Lisa Ain Dack. I felt a sense of comfort and adversely, discomfort when reading specific paragraphs or sentences, and reflected on my own situation within my district.
“collaborative inquiry is a way in engaging in real professional learning, such that new understandings can give rise to improved practices, which in turn influence student learning and achievement.” (Katz & Dack, 2014, p. 36).
There were many points made throughout the article that reiterated how beneficial collaborative inquiry is to both teaching professionals and students. It strengthens our practice, allows us to teach effectively, and enhances student learning. Reflecting back on my collaborative experiences, I have come to realize that they haven’t been as impactful in increasing student achievement as I thought and were far from what I would define as proper collaborative inquiry. These collaborative sessions I took part in were what I would describe as unit planning/creating, as opposed to problem solving. My school district is supportive of collaboration but based on what I have seen and heard about from colleagues, I don’t think their idea of collaboration refers to that of identifying and solving authentic school problems.
Most educators are aware of what the term collaboration means, but could quite possibly be unaware of what collaborative inquiry entails, like Kevin had mentioned in his discussion post. Explicit modelling and instruction is crucial for children when it comes to applying new learnings to their environment, therefore, it should also be the same for educators. A lot of teachers I know, myself included, have never experience collaborative inquiry and would not know how to start one without some sort of professional development surrounding it.
“This more rigorous definition of learning means that sitting in a workshop may not be learning, reading a book may not be learning, and – contrary to colloquial rhetoric – people may not (and probably are not) learning each and every day. It all depends on whether or not the activities one is engaged in contribute to a permanent change in knowledge or behaviour.” (Katz & Dack, 2014, p. 37).
I resonated with Kelsey’s thoughts on professional development. There is nothing more exciting in our line of work, than feeling motivated and inspired to make changes to your practice. However, I have found that in the past few years , the professional development offered to teachers (in my district) involved more of the district’s agenda and less of workshops relating to the actual concerns from us teachers. The majority of workshops that should be offered are ones that help us support our students and their learning. The conversations the staff at my school end up talking about at recess and lunch are far more important, engaging, useful, and relevant to our students and school than the pro-d experiences we have recently been presented with, which is unfortunate.
“Real professional learning is about making changes to thinking and practices.” (Katz & Dack, 2014, p. 35).
When we participate in a process that directly affects our learners in our classrooms, I believe we teachers are far more engaged and accepting of change because we know it is in the best interest of our students. I am increasingly interested in learning what this course has to offer because I feel it will present me with the professional development I have been searching for. Collaborative Inquiry- A Facilitator’s Guidewas a great resource to look over as it provides detailed instructions and examples of how to start and a complete a collaborative inquiry. I am excited to take part in true collaborative inquiry and experience all that it has to offer. I have never ran any professional development workshops, but wouldn’t be opposed to sharing this information with my staff at the end of this course.
References
Katz, S., & Dack, L. A. (2014). Towards a Culture of Inquiry for Data use in Schools: Breaking Down Professional Learning Barriers Through Intentional Interruption. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 42, 35-40.
I have collaborated with teams before (personally and professionally), but never have delved into a formal collaborative inquiry. Collaborative Inquiry- A Facilitator’s Guidewas plentiful in information and was a resource I was hoping we would eventually come across and explore.
Where do you see it fitting and how might you use it?
I could see this guide working in a few different ways at my school. Grade group collaboration is common in my school and I could see us using this framework to address a universal concern that would benefit the grade as a whole (i.e. easing the transition from primary [grade 3 at our school] to intermediate [grade 4 at the next school]). This framework could also be used to support our at risk learners (i.e. developing tier 2 and/or 3 interventions). Our school is also mandated to create, monitor, and report out on a goal each year, and I can see how this process would be useful in supporting that.
Do you like the process that is outlined?
I like the process of this resource and appreciate that it is very thoroughly written. It is especially helpful for people like myself, who have never been a part of or conducted a formal collaborative inquiry, because it provides you with extensive directions, prompts, visuals, templates, possible materials needed, and plenty of written examples. As stated on the first page (after the title page), you are free to share this resource with your team and adapt it to suit your collective vision.
Do you see issues with it?
The issues I see are not within the guide, but in the process itself. “The collaborative inquiry team should consist of individuals who are able to take action, and willing to out the inquiry in their schools, departments, divisions, and classes. Team members should be aware of the commitment of time and energy that will required throughout the process.” (Learning Forward Ontario, n.d.). Finding the appropriate team members for the task and fitting in the time to work on the inquiry can be a challenge on its own. I am a young person who hasn’t started a family yet and I feel I have more time on my hands to work on something like this than others in my school. Everyone has a unique life outside of school/work that can limit the time they are able to dedicate towards their job. Aside from that, not every school is able to provide teachers with collaborative prep time during school hours, which can make it difficult to find team members who do have to work within time constraints (bell to bell). These factors don’t mean these educators care less about their students or job, but it does create issues in building a team that can dedicate time and energy towards collaborative inquiry.
ACTIVITY 3- CONCEPT MAP
Module 2: Knowledge Building
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-build awareness of the role technology can play in supporting Collaborative Inquiry
-develop an understanding of key concepts, beyond the core concepts, related to Collaborative Inquiry. Including: contextual constraints, problem framing, inductive/deductive, and adductive reasoning, and knowledge building
-begin to develop a plan about the problem/dilemma that you will take on during the second portion of the course
Activities we completed were:
-adding to the Knowledge Building Google Doc
-creating a technology montage of digital tools to support collaborative inquiry
ACTIVITY 1- KNOWLEDGE BUILDING GOOGLE DOCUMENT
In this activity we were asked to revisit burning questions from the previous module and discuss possible solutions. We also compiled a list of technology tools proven useful for collaborative inquiry.
Knowledge Building Link
ACTIVITY 2- TECHNOLOGY MONTAGE
Following the knowledge building document, we put together a technology montage highlighting technology tools that would be useful for collaborative inquiry. Click on the link below to view this artifact.
Following the knowledge building document, we put together a technology montage highlighting technology tools that would be useful for collaborative inquiry. Click on the link below to view this artifact.
Module 3: Reflections for Practice
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-reflect on how collaborative inquiry could be brought into my own professional practice
-consider and identify personal and professional obstacles to engaging in collaborative inquiry
-consult with the Course Instructor about course engagement and consult about the direction they will take in Module 4
Activities we completed were:
-reflective readings
-a mid-course self-evaluation
ACTIVITY 1- READING REFLECTION
This week in particular, I have spent a significant amount of time reflecting on collaborative inquiry (CI). Seeing that we are nearing the midway point, it was important to recount and synthesize my knowledge, bias, professional and personal obstacles, and mindset towards CI. The article that resonated the most with my thoughts on CI was Collaborative Inquiry as a Professional Learning Structure for Educators by Christopher DeLuca et al.
What attracted me the most to CI are the reports of how the entire school community can profit from it. DeLuca et al. (2015) states, “Previous research has demonstrated significant benefits of CI for teachers, students and schools.” Participating in CI makes me believe I am contributing to a greater good for my students and school. In terms of how CI specifically benefits teachers, Hulme et al. (2009) expressed “that although CI is primarily intended to help teachers answer practical questions, it also makes teachers more aware of their approach and orientation toward inquiry and their own philosophical foundations about teaching.” In knowing this, it is difficult to not want to be on board with this approach, but there are still obstacles and biases that confront my thinking about the practicality of CI.
There are many challenges I still see with CI, which make it difficult to implement. After creating an extensive list of obstacles, biases, and assumptions, I was able to merge together a few themes. There needs to be a “buy-in” by staff members and administrators in order for CI to be considered. “For CI to effectively create change in educator thinking and practice, educators need to buy-in to the inquiry process and fully participate in dialogical sharing, taking action and reflection” (Deluca et al., 2015, p. 653). When educators ‘buy-in’, they are more empowered to create change (Nelson and Slavit 2008) and engage in a process of re-culturing within a school (Nelson et al. 2008).Furthermore, Kennedy et al. (2011) and Nelson et al. (2012) indicate that, “School leaders are integral to the creation of school cultures that promote CI.” These quotes identify the consequential importance of establishing an acceptance of CI in order for it to be implemented successfully.
Another parallel discussed in the article, that I feel is missing in my school environment, was the importance of creating time and space. Based on what a lot of people have mentioned in our forums, time and space appears to be a reoccurring issue with CI. In order for CI to work and for staff members to buy-in, time and space needs to be provided. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I believe all teachers care about the best interests of their students, but they may be limited in how much time they can spend on work outside of their working timetable. CI can appear daunting and impossible without the promise of time and space during the work week. “Protecting sanctioned time for participation in CI has been consistently identified in the literature as a fundamental element of enabling effective CI work” (Slavit et al., 2011). Robinson (2010) continues to support this stance by vocalizing, “It is the responsibility of teachers and school leaders to find adequate time through purposeful timetabling, fiscal resources and teacher coverage.” I could see CI being accepted by my staff, but only if we were given time and space inside the working timetable to participate in it.
Although I still have some reservations about the applicability of CI in my school, I think there are ways of working around those obstacles. CI is a process that involves two or more people working together to solve a mutual problem. As we are learning in this course, location does not need to be a limiting factor to make CI work. You can reach out to a professional learning community to find members teaching the same grade who also share similar interests and wonders. “Within these groups [grade], collaboration may be more easily supported because group members share common interests, which focus CI questions that will help all members of the inquiry group” (Ermeling, 2010). Experience is another important factor for engaging in CI. It creates a complete understanding of the process and develops your confidence so you can transfer and apply what you have learned to your professional practice. With the second half of the course beginning shortly, I am excited to engage in my first design project, knowing that this experience is the gateway for future collaborative inquiries.
References
DeLuca, C., Shulha, J., Ulemu, L., Shulha, L. M., Christou, T. M., & Klinger, D. A. (2015). Collaborative Inquiry as a Professional Learning Structure for Educators: a Scoping Review. Professional Development in Education, 41(4). 640-670. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2014.933120
Ermeling, B. A. (2010) Tracing the Effects of Teacher Inquiry on Classroom Practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(3), 377-388.
Hulme, R., Cracknell, D., & Owens, A, (2009). Learning in Third Spaces: Developing Trans- Professional Understanding Through Practitioner Enquiry. Educational Action Research, 17 (4). 537–550.
Nelson, T.H. & Slavit, D. (2008). Supported Teacher Collaborative Inquiry. Teacher Education Quarterly, 35 (1). 99–116.
Nelson, T.H., et al. (2008). A Culture of Collaborative Inquiry: Learning to Develop and Support Professional Learning Communities. Teachers College Record, 110 (6). 1269–1303.
Robinson, M.A. (2010). School Perspectives on Collaborative Inquiry: Lessons Learned From New York City, 2009–2010. Philadelphia, PA: Consortium for Policy Research in Education.
Slavit, D., et al. (2011) Support for Professional Collaboration in Middle School Mathematics: A Complex Web. Teacher Education Quarterly, 38(3). 113-131.
Module 4: Engage In Collaborative Design with Course Peers
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-engage in critical review of a problem and the context in which the problem exists in a community
-propose solutions to a problem that are sensitive to the concerns of the stakeholders
-provide prototype versions of the solution for review by other students in the course
-write a design/problem brief that includes background information, a clear presentation of scholarly connections to the literatures, and communication of the proposed solution
-propose solutions to a problem that are sensitive to the concerns of the stakeholders
-provide prototype versions of the solution for review by other students in the course
-write a design/problem brief that includes background information, a clear presentation of scholarly connections to the literatures, and communication of the proposed solution
Please see the Collaborative Design Brief Page for more information.
Module 5: Connect With A Professional Community
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-connect with a Professional Community and to communicate, and, where possible, to interact with this Professional Community to establish rapport and the possibility of future interactions. Students are to develop a "digital foothold" that relates to the specific Professional Community and communicates how Collaborative Inquiry relates to this community
Module 5: Connect With A Professional Community
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-connect with a Professional Community and to communicate, and, where possible, to interact with this Professional Community to establish rapport and the possibility of future interactions. Students are to develop a "digital foothold" that relates to the specific Professional Community and communicates how Collaborative Inquiry relates to this community
Activities completed were:
-identifying our Professional Learning Community (PLC)
-interacting with the PLC
-reflecting on the interactions with the PLC
-interacting with the PLC
-reflecting on the interactions with the PLC
-a mid-course self-evaluation
ACTIVITY 1, 2, 3- PLC- Making Connections
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-promote selection on participants' learning in the course by producing a brief multimedia artifact that communicates their thoughts about the course and their development while participating in the collaborative components of the course
-assist participants in assessing their personal development in terms of Collaborative Inquiry during this course
ACTIVITY 1, 2, 3- PLC- Making Connections
Professional Learning Communities
PME 801
Lauren Bancks
November 10, 2019
POST 2: INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MYSELF AND THE PLC
The record of interactions between myself and the community.
For this assignment, I decided to approach the task in an unusual way by creating my own PLC community, as opposed to contributing to an already existing one. I wrote an email to the two of the primary schools in my town (including my own school) and our District Literacy Support Teacher, sharing what I have been learning about in this course so far. In my email I explained my understanding of Collaborative Inquiry along with its process, and also some examples of inquiry questions. My email also included two prompts, asking the teachers to discuss the collaborations they have been involved in, or concerns within their learning community that they would be interested in exploring. One of the emails I sent is listed below:
Hello lovely staff members,
I wanted to take a moment to share with you what I have been working on in one of my Professional Masters of Education courses, Collaborative Inquiry. If you have a moment and are able to read the email and write a response to it, that would help me out greatly.
I am hoping this email will facilitate rich discussion around current collaborations you are involved in and/or areas worth investigating within our school. Some of you might have a good understanding of what collaborative inquiry is, but for those of you who do not, here are a few fundamentals associated with it:
-collaborative inquiry is the process of working together with others to explore challenges within schools or a student’s learning
-Partnerships can take place with another classroom teacher, grade groups, student services teachers, educational assistants, principals, speech and language pathologists, counsellors, staff from other schools or districts, etc.
-You can work with your groups locally or in an online setting (video chats like Google Hangouts, online collaborative tools like Google Suite)
The process of Collaborative Inquiry looks something like this:
1. Identify a problem
2. Generate possible solutions (based on knowledge and research)
3. Implement interventions
4. Reflect on results
5. Refine
6. Repeat the process with a new exploration
Examples of Collaborative Inquiry problems:
-What can we do to improve provincial reading scores?
-How can we weave Indigenous Education into all areas of the curriculum, and what resources will help us do this?
-What supports can we offer students who struggle with writing, and how can we strengthen their skills and motivation to improve?
It would be greatly appreciated if you could take a moment to respond to one of the prompts in this email by either discussing:
a) What collaborations you are involved in and how has this impacted your thinking or actions in the classroom?
b) What are some collaborative inquiries you would be interested in exploring?
Full disclosure:
I would like to screenshot your responses for my Professional Learning Community assignment. I can edit the screen shots so that your name is blurred, and if you would prefer that, please indicate so by putting a “B” behind your name. Any additional responses you contribute will also have your name blurred.
Example:
Hi Lauren,
You are awesome!
Staff Member B
Thank you all and I hope to hear from you!
Lauren Bancks
So far, I have received responses from one staff member and our District Literacy Support Teacher, which can be viewed in the screen shots below:
Figure 1:
Figure 2:
Initiative (1
Initiative (2
Initiative (3
Initiative (4
POST 3: REFLECTION ON THE INTERACTION
What you will take away from this professional community engagement?
There are a few things I will take away from this engagement:
The first being vulnerability. I found it slightly stressful to completely put myself out there in an online community. Although I know a good majority of these people, it is still nerve-wracking to wait each day to see if anyone responded to my email, or worse, contemplating why someone didn’t respond. In an online setting I tend to feel more exposed than in a face-to-face one. After my first email reply, however, I had a positive response from a co-worker who suggested that I reach out on a grander scale. I put this off for a couple days because I felt worried of being judged or ignored, but knew I needed to try to gather more information. Once I was able to send off the other emails, I actually felt proud of myself for following through on something that felt daunting and scary.
This is a screen shot of a positive response I got from a principal within my district.
Another takeaway I would like to note is time. I should have allotted more time to gather responses and sent out my email sooner. In doing so I believe I would have more participation among district teachers. It is a busy time of the year for them, and I know many teachers have a lot on their “to-do” lists with report cards being due fairly soon. If I would have been working back home, I could have connected easier with these staff members in person and I know there would have been a greater response.
From the responses I was able to gather, this experience helped open my eyes to the number of collaborations occurring within my school district. I knew a few of the collaborations mentioned, but was surprised to learn of the Essential Literacy Skills for K/1s and A.S.K. K to 9 initiatives. Reaching out to a variety of people within my email also taught me a bit about networking and which individuals I should direct my questions to within the district.
Course Closure Module
This module's weekly objectives were to:
-promote selection on participants' learning in the course by producing a brief multimedia artifact that communicates their thoughts about the course and their development while participating in the collaborative components of the course
-assist participants in assessing their personal development in terms of Collaborative Inquiry during this course
Activities completed were:
-creating an iMovie of My Growth So Far
ACTIVITY 1- MY GROWTH SO FAR ARTIFACT
To view this artifact, please click on the link below:
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