My Final Reflections

For the past month (plus some interruptions and holidays) my class has been working on our data inquiry project). This was the first time, I let the students guide their learning as I stepped back and watch them stumble and struggle through the data. I have complete this project in future years but it was extremely teacher-led. I had deadlines, everyone was doing the same thing at the same time, in the same way and only if I said it was okay. The project was neat and tidy and I had several great examples of data tables and graphs with which to evaluate my students' learning. This year, it took a lot longer than expected and I feel as though, in the end, less "grade 5 data curriculum" knowledge was gained than in previous years. Other skills were definitely fostered, however, and it is this trade-off that I am currently pondering: was it worth it? This was my first experience allowing students to guide their learning and probably, in hindsight, I gave them too much freedom and therefore certain data skills were not explored.

Finding the balance between student-led and teacher-led is extremely difficult. Allowing students to lead their learning while still knowing the appropriate time to jump in and/or re-direct or to let them work it out will continue to be a challenge for me. For this project, any time I wanted to step in to correct a misstep or to try and alter a student's research, I held myself back (probably too much). Unfortunately, it was only at the end that I realized the lack of "product" and understanding that came from my lack of assistance.

On the positive, the students DID come up with some excellent questions to explore and DID sift through the raw data (school data) to come up with some initial answers to their questions. What was missing in the majority of their work was the relevance of the data they collected. One of the questions that I asked during the conferences was "How could you use this data?". Hardly any students had an idea of how their data could be used. 

This missing connection was most likely due to the students focusing solely on the school data and failing to look at the Canadian data and/or international data. For example, one group was investigating the heights of 10 year old boys. They only looked at the school data and made their conclusion that the average 10 year old boy was 143.63 cm; however, by not looking at the Canadian averages or averages from other countries around the world, this info has very little relevance. 

In the end, I am happy the project is done as I feel it would have taken a few more weeks (time that at this point I don't have) to sort everything out. Saying that, I certainly don't regret letting go of the reins. I feel as though it was a necessary step in my own growth surrounding inquiry, specifically in connection to the NPDL framework.

Would I do this project again as a student-led inquiry - YES! but I would do three things differently.

1) I would ensure that students had a better grasp of some of the basic skills before allowing them to take charge. I started our unit with this project. My intention was to teach mini-lessons as they arose but it was almost impossible for me to keep tabs on everyone and teach accordingly. Next time, I would ensure that my students were proficient in the following data skills before starting the project:

• using a table to organize data
• how different graphs (pictograph, bar, line, circle) can be used to highlight different patterns in the data
• how to calculate mean and find the median
• how to convert a fraction to a percentage (the Canadian data was in % and students had trouble comparing the class data to Canadian data since the units were different)
• some experience in using basic formulas and functions of spreadsheets

2) I would schedule formal "check-ins" on a weekly basis where students would discuss what they have determined up to that point and determine some goals and next steps for the upcoming week. This would allow the students a chance to practice sharing (and articulating) their learning as well as to ensure they weren't spinning their wheels.

3) I would have students practice before the final conference. As students have not had a lot of experience with conferencing, I would probably have an example set of data and, as a class, we could do a mock conference and develop some "look fors". Then, I might have students pair up and conference with each other, taking turns to present their data. 

This experience has been helpful in the development of my own teaching philosophy and pedagogy. It was good to see that my students can do things without my constant guidance but was also helpful to see that in some cases, I can't just let them loose with no facilitation or guidance. I hope that other classes have enjoyed this process and I look forward to hearing about their discoveries. 

Student Conferences

Rather than having students present to the class (although I still may have them share their findings a later date) or submit a portfolio to me for evaluation, I decided that I would schedule students conferences. I plan to meet each student in 5-minute blocks. During that time, students will share their initial question, predictions and findings. I am hoping that by having them explain their data and how they reached their conclusions, I will gain a richer picture of their learning. I shared a copy of the conference "questions"with the students and let them know that I would be using some of the questions to guide the conference but that the time was for them to share their data with me.

Here is a list of the questions:
1) What was the question you were investigating?
2) What was your initial prediction before you saw any data?
3) After viewing that data, what is the answer to your question?
4) What data, tables and/or graphs do you have to justify your findings?
5) If present, why do you think there was a difference between your predictions and the actual data?
6) If present, why do you think there was a difference between the school data and Canadian data?
7) How might you use your data? What may be a next step or next question?
8) What was the most difficult part of this project?

I am SO happy that I chose this format as it allowed me to ask questions and clarify things in their research. This helped to identify the level of understanding the students had regarding their data and data skills. It also allowed me to identify holes in their learning. The feedback I received was much richer than if I had the student present to the class or just hand in a package of their research.

Following the conferences, I was left a little underwhelmed. This project has been an interesting experience for me as it is the first time I totally gave up control. As it appears as though the students did not really obtain the level of critical thinking I was hoping for, I will have to ponder what went wrong and, more important, what I can do next time to ensure the experience is even better.