Category: Inspiring Inquiry

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Inquiry Into Where We Live

This is part of a series of inquiry-based provocations for essential elements of the PYP. For more, click here. 

The notion of home elicits powerfully personal responses from us all. So what do our students gain when we help them inquire into what that means for more than just themselves?

This week’s provocation can be easily applied for the IB PYP “Who We Are” unit of inquiry (see more provocations for units of inquiry here), but it can also apply to other units involving geography, economics, humanities, adaptation, and change.

Resource #1: This House, Once, by Deborah Freedman

A fabulous picture book to get kids thinking about where each element of a home comes from.

via Amazon.com
via Amazon.com
via Amazon.com

Resource #2: Subprime, by Beeple

A fascinating video to elicit thinking about how the idea of home has evolved over the years.

Resource #3: “This Home was 3D Printed in Only 24 Hours and for Just $10,000” (Futurism article and video)

A remarkable view of the possibilities of the future in home construction.

Resource #4: The Bedrooms of Children Around the World, by BuzzFeed

A powerful video to show the vast differences in what today’s children call home.

Provocation Questions: 

  • How has the idea of home changed over human history? What has caused that change?
  • How might the idea of home change in the future?
  • What are the different points of view of home for people around the world?
  • How are people’s homes connected to where they live?
  • What responsibilities do humans have when it comes to creating homes?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

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Inquiry into Collaboration

Whether you are beginning the PYP Exhibition or otherwise would like to recharge your students’ teamwork skills, this week’s provocation centers on collaboration.

One word of caution however: spend more time “coaching from the side” than you do lecturing from the start. Chances are, they’ve heard it all before, and they need hands-on, timely feedback more than anything! (I’ve definitely gotten this all backward in the past, giving far too much time and energy to the initial instruction and then expecting them to put it into practice effectively).

Resource #1: “They All Saw A Cat” by Brendan Wenzel

via Amazon
via Amazon
via Amazon
via Amazon

Both the advantage and disadvantage of collaboration lies in the fact that we all have different perspectives. Enter “They All Saw A Cat” to get kids thinking about what this means.

Resource #2: 21 Balançoires (21 Swings) by Daily tous les jours

Every time I watch this, I keep forgetting that the background music was not, in fact, a professional soundtrack, but was created by these people simply cooperating with one another on the swings. Sure to evoke serious thought from your students!

Provocation Questions:

  • Why does perspective matter when it comes to collaboration?
  • What makes collaboration work?
  • How has the need for collaboration changed over history?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

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How the World Works: Provocation for Wondering at the World

This is part of a series of inquiry-based provocations for essential elements of the PYP. For more, click here. 

Season changes are the perfect provocations. Quite apart from their fascinating and mysterious wonders, there’s always something refreshing and hopeful about a new season — particularly spring. I may be overly optimistic at this point, but I feel like spring is just around the corner here where I live. The quail are on the move…the buds look full of promise…the snow is melting…and I’m ready to resume bike riding with kids!

Perhaps this is the reason I feel motivated to share this provocation today. While these resources fit most directly with a unit to do with natural science, the broader concepts are, as always, more interdisciplinary: change, causation, form, perspective, responsibility (you may also be interested in my list of “7 Videos that Will Prove That Science Rocks“). I would love to hear how you share this with your students!

Resource #1: The Discovery of New Species: Infographic by Blue Broadband

The Discovery of New Species by BlueFireBroadband.com [INFOGRAPHIC]

Resource #2: What A Wonderful World: Video by BBC One

Resource #3: The Most Astounding Fact – Neil deGrasse Tyson: Video by Max Schlickenmeyer

Provocation Questions: 

  • How is humans’ understanding of the world changing every day?
  • How does discovering more about the world around us impact our lives?
  • What is humans’ responsibility to learn how the natural world works?
  • Why is there so much humans still don’t know about the world?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

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Citizenship: A Sharing the Planet Provocation

This is part of a series of inquiry-based provocations for essential elements of the PYP. For more, click here. 

The notion of what it means to be a citizen has a longstanding role in schools everywhere. For this reason, we must recognize it in all its modern variations. In addition to traditional community/national citizenship, digital and global citizenship have also taken on crucial significance in the 21st century.  

In all its forms, citizenship comes down to helping everyone find a sense of belonging and contribution to the world. If we are to truly share the planet, we must do all we can to help our rising generation see themselves as local, national, global, and yes, even digital citizens.

Resource #1: “Lead India, The Tree” by Times of India

Resource #2: “I am Malala – UN Speech – Video Animation” by Juley Anthony

Resource #3: “The Power of One Young Digital Citizen”

Provocation Questions:

  • What does it mean to be a citizen?
  • What are our rights as citizens?
  • What are our responsibilities as citizens?
  • How are education and citizenship connected?
  • Why are there different perspectives on what it means to be a citizen?
  • How is the concept of citizenship changing?

Featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

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On Perfection & Imperfection: A How The World Works Provocation

This is part of a series of inquiry-based provocations for essential elements of the PYP. For more, click here. 

The PYP unit, How the World Works is designed as:

“An exploration of the physical and material world; of natural and human-made phenomena; of the world of science and technology.”

I believe one of the biggest overarching concepts — stretching across the “physical and material world” –is the concept of perfection. We search for it. We strive for it. We pay billions for it. And yet, it remains elusive.

Moreover, imperfection possesses its own beauty — the persistence, the originality, the innovation.

Below are three resources that could take your class in many different directions as they explore the idea of perfection/imperfection in the world around them:

Resource #1: Unsatisfying, by Parallel Studio

Resource #2: Forms in Nature

Resource #3: Audri’s Rube Goldberg Monster Trap

Provocation Questions:

  • Why is imperfection so much more common than perfection in the world?
  • How do people respond to imperfection? Why?
  • What is the purpose of imperfection in nature?
  • What is the purpose of imperfection in human’s creations?
  • What does the growth mindset have to do with perfection/imperfection?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

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Inquiry Into Our Common Ground

This week’s provocation is inspired by this powerful video by Asger Leth (please note that this is not part of the intended provocation for your students as it may be unsuitable for children). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBgSxUeHU80

“There’s more that brings us together than we think.”

Whether you hope to address existing contention in your classroom or to proactively build a stronger sense of community, this provocation aims to unearth more empathy, respect, and common ground.

Resource #1: Step In the Box If…

This resource is an activity I learned from an adult team building exercise a couple years ago. It goes something like this:

1. The leader puts tape on the ground in the shape of a large box, with the participants standing around outside it.

2. The leader starts by asking participants to “Step in the box if…” for fairly innocuous topics, such as, “…if you are wearing jeans today.” “…if you like sports.” “…if you love chocolate.”

3. The leader then asks participants to “Step in the box if…” for more personal concepts: “…if you are nervous about school this year.” “…if you have ever felt like you don’t belong.” “…if you have ever felt afraid.” “…if you have big ideas to change the world.” “…if you are responsible to take care of a younger sibling.” “…if you love someone who has a disability.”

Resource #2: Shawn’s Paper from “Turkey Day,” Season 4, Episode 10 of Boy Meets World (in which Shawn’s and Cory’s families try to come together for Thanksgiving but find discomfort with their social class distinctions)

Provocation Questions:

  • Where does the phrase “common ground” come from?
  • How do people find things they share in common?
  • How does it impact communities when people search for what they have in common?
  • How does it impact individuals when they search for what they have in common with others?
  • What is the relationship between finding what you share in common with others and being true to makes you different?
  • How is finding common ground connected to respect?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

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Provocation Into Growth Mindset & Problem Solving

As teachers, we sure love the skill of problem solving. After all, in a class of 30 students (each with their own daily sundry problems), the more they can figure out their pencil situation, bathroom needs, and minor spats among friends, the more energy we can devote to, well, teaching.

But of course, we all know there’s more to the skill of problem solving than classroom management. There’s empowering students with ownership. There’s equipping them with the ability to face future unknowns. And there’s helping them access solutions that will bring them joy throughout their lives.

Problem-solving is also closely tied to the growth mindset. As Carol Dweck has put it:

“In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”

Thus, with the growth mindset, we learn that our efforts are instrumental in helping us to grow, and are resilient when our initial solutions fail.

On that note, these are both resources I have shared with students in the past that have led to wonderful discussions on this topic:

Video of how the Panyee Soccer Club began amid less than ideal circumstances:

Anchor chart developed by the teachers at Fieldcrest Elementary School:

by Fieldcrest Elementary School teachers

Provocation Questions:

  • What makes a person a problem-solver?
  • How does knowing that our brains are flexible help us with problem solving?
  • What is our responsibility to the world to be problem solvers?
  • What is our responsibility to ourselves to be problem solvers?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto