Ruby Tuesday

This post offers ways to use one text to provoke and reveal children’s inquiries - genuine curiosity, sincere questioning, authentic tension and heartfelt wonderings.  Just like Winsome, the children in my class have passed their fifth orbit around the sun. Who is Winsome? Let’s find out how she connected Kindergarten to the concept of curiosity, the craft of bookmaking, the mindset of wondering and the magic of imagination -  and unearthed the roots of their inquiries. The Wonder of Winsome is a picture book recently published by Kath Murdoch, perhaps best known for being a true advocate of inquiry as pedagogy. Winsome, the main character in the text, arrived in book form in Paris recently, pretty much at the same time as I was inquiring into a specific workshop I wanted to attend (which itself led to inquiries about and connections to Paris and Rufus Wainwright!) What follows is a series of learning opportunities over the course of a week, sparked by Winsome! What happened W...

Open-minded is one of the ten attributes of the learner profile. The IB describes open-minded as: We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.  Strategies used so far in Kindergarten to foster a sense of being open-minded: Modeling - The classroom assistant and I have been intentional and explicit in modeling open-minded behaviour, choices and language. This has been through showing genuine curiosity in the children's families, cultures, interests and experiences outside of school. We ask open-ended questions that deliberately invite and explore different perspectives and reflect openly on how different thinking have helped us to learn new ideas.  Literature - We have deliberately bought texts to read aloud that reflect the diversity of families and cultures we have in the class. We have sought literature that ex...

Thinkers are another attribute of the learner profile. The IB describes thinkers as: We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.  In Kindergarten, there are many opportunities for children to think critically and creatively, pose and solve problems, show initiative, explain their reasoning and think about moral and ethical values such as belonging, family, relationships, diversity and inclusion.  I recently read this quote in The Art of Awareness (Curtis and Carter): When we offer children the kinds of materials (open-ended materials and loose parts), they become creators of their experiences rather than consumers. I was struck by this quote as the idea of consumers and creators said so much about my resistance to using worksheets and resources that deny children the opportunity to think.  In the Early Years of the PYP, thinking skills are part of a s...

Working in an IB PYP school, the learner profile represents some of the attributes most valued for learners. For the next 10 weeks, I am going to reflect on how these values are a part of the Kindergarten class I teach.  This week will be focused on inquirers. The IB describes inquirers as follows: We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research, We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.  The children have shown great curiosity in programmable Bee-bots, magnets, the flow of water and different living and non-living things at a nearby nature trail. We have focused on observation and wondering as two skills for inquiry and using different tools such as nets, hand lenses and non-fiction books as research tools. Through play, children work both alone and in groups, and are sometimes grouped in different ways. The children respond enthusiastically to number challenges (such as ...