This week in tech class we took a little field trip to downtown Victoria where we toured the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry ( http://learningstorm.org ) and man was it inspirational! We were able to have a personal presentation and explanation from Jeff Hopkins, the founder and principal educator of PSII. Jeff dove deep into the possibilities of inquiry based learning while still touching on the reality that this is a daunting task to carry out. The reality is that inquiry based learning takes time and guidance. It is not just a matter of students choosing what they want to learn and learning it but a matter of creating the opportunity for students to first figure out what they are interested in and then providing the tools and support they need to get rolling with their interests. This concept of deeper personal learning not only can encompass the curricular core competencies required in the typical public school, but also leads to a mastery of Information and understanding that goes deeper than memorization.
Twitter: @hopkinsjeff
Next we got an amazing opportunity to visit the classroom of an inquiry based primary education teacher Mrs. Rebecca Bathurst-Hunt! She is a kindergarten teacher and Co-Author of the book Inquiry Mindset ( https://www.trevormackenzie.com/inquiry-mindset ). We were able to view her wonder inspiring classroom and discuss what inquiry looks like at the primary level. Rebecca is all about sparking the joy of learning by creating an environment rich in curiosity! Here are some pictures of her inquiry inspiring provoking!
Twitter: @rbathursthunt
