The collaborative action research group to which I belong, DICEP, decided
to make this the focus for our shared investigation this year. Since the
first day of school, we have each been keeping notes of the sorts of
activities that we engage in in order to encourage our students to work
towards creating a mutually satisfying setting and to reflect on how
classroom practices affect their learning. Some of these activities have
been audio or video recorded and in some cases the recordings - or
transcripts of them - are being used as the basis for reflective discussion.
Later in the year we plan to explore our data together. As we teach
students ranging from grade 1 to postgraduate level, the results should
be interesting. One thing we have all noticed is that there are nearly
always some class members who are initially uncomfortable with an open-ended,
collaborative inquiry approach. Even by grade 1, some want the teacher
to be the dispenser of knowledge and evaluator of their individual
achievements. Recognizing and responding to their needs while still
sticking to our own principles is proving challenging for all of us.
We should be interested to hear how other teachers are approaching the
challenge of creating settings that work for them and their students.
Gordon Wells, gwells who-is-at oise.utoronto.ca
OISE/University of Toronto
http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/~ctd/DICEP/