Social Family of Methods Assignment

We are social beings.  As social beings we create our understanding of the world around us through the social interactions and experiences that we encounter.  To not utilize the inherent nature of human beings to be social in education would be negligent.  Although, teachers, up until now and some still teach in this manner, teach with the ‘Sage on the Stage’ method.  We, on the other hand, want to empower the community to be innovative through collaboration.  The group is wiser than the individual.

Reasoning for using The Group Investigating Model in our school:

As you know our school is an IB world school, meaning that we employ all three divisions of the IB, PYP, MYP, and DP.  The IB has a strong focus on learning through inquiry.  In the PYP we follow lines of inquiry in each unit to develop understanding.  However, what we have been finding is that when our students move from PYP to MYP they are having a difficult time adjusting to the amount of work and the changes of what is required of them in terms of the inquiry cycle.  

What we would like to do is standardize the process and the language that we all use when entering and proceeding through different lines of inquiry.  We want to get to a point where students have developed the habits of inquiry when they encounter any phenomenon and have questions about it, that they can proceed with their own inquiry independently.  The investigations don't need to be lengthy or elaborate, especially at the lower ages.  What we are trying to get across is the process of inquiry that can become more elaborate and go into greater depth as the students move into PYP 7 and 8 and then on into MYP.  Eventually we want them to be asking themselves the guiding questions that the teachers have been asking along the way.

If we look at the inquiry cycle of the PYP and the Design Cycle of the MYP we see clear connections between the two.  Using the group investigation model in both the PYP and MYP is what bridges the gap that we have been seeing between the two programs.  

Teacher’s Role:

The teacher’s role is a difficult one to do well in this model.  The most difficult part of the teacher’s role is the initial entry point into the inquiry.  The inquiry is the most powerful if the questioning comes from the students themselves.  This is why it is so important for the teacher to provide the stimulus in the most authentic manner that they can.  We begin in this model by confronting the students with a problem or a stimulus that elicits questions.  The questions that arise can’t seem imposed rather the teacher should be guiding the process by asking questions that nudge the students to inquire further.

Furthering Questions at the different stages of Inquiry :

• Problem Solving or Task Level (Inquiry and analyzing, or Ask stages)

• What is the nature of the problem?
• What are the factors involved     
• The Group Management Level (Developing ideas, or Investigate stages)
• What information do we need now?
• How can we organize ourselves to get it?
• The Individual Meaning Level (Evaluating, or Reflecting stages)
• How do you feel about the conclusions?
• What would you do differently knowing what you now know?

What the teacher is trying to do here is create a culture of inquiry with known processes that the learning community can utilize to raise the understanding and discourse about all topics.  Using this process students will become comfortable problem solving and relying on the group dynamic to further their own understanding.  It is also of the utmost importance for the teacher to keep the educational support staff (librarian, tech integration specialist, physical education, music) abreast of the lines of inquiry that the students are engaged in on order for them to further develop ideas and access to resources, expanding the range of understanding available.  This also provides strong examples of how to utilize the social aspects of enriching academic knowledge.  The classroom teacher or the subject area teacher are then not seen as the only ones who hold the knowledge.  As the teacher takes more of a sideline role, the emphasis on where the learning and knowledge comes from is put on the group.  The teacher is there to develop the social order of the class in order for them to inquire efficiently and successfully.         

Resources for teachers:

Extensive Group investigation demonstration video

https://goo.gl/58gdaV

Brief description video for students about what Group Investigation is

https://goo.gl/pg4vgJ

Group Investigation Method Background and Process

https://goo.gl/KgYECk

Bibliography

Calhoun, E., Joyce, B., & Weil, M. (2011) Models Of Teaching Eighth Edition. Boston: Pearson Education.

Duhigg, Charles. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. New York, N.Y. :Random House.

www.ibo.org