Shifting Learning: What did You Learn at School Today?—David Truss We hear a lot these days about project based learning, inquiry based learning, etc. What does that mean? What does it look like when schools shift away from “drill and kill” learning towards big ideas, questions, and “no right answer” kind of learning? And what do parents need to know about supporting their kids’ learning? - Presented for the Coquitlam District 43 Parent Advisory Council, October 9th, 2013

1. Shifting Learning:
What did You Learn at School Today?
Nothin’
http://2di.me/SortOfDunno
David Truss

2. Shifting Learning:
What did You Learn at School Today?
Do you want your answer from here?

3. Shifting Learning:
What did You Learn at School Today?
Do you want your answer from here?

4. What did You Learn at School Today?
- What do you want your child to say?

5. Based on: Challenging the Status Quo: http://2di.me/ChallengeSQ

6. What did You Learn at School Today?
- What do you want your child to say?
- What do you really want to know?
- What else can you ask?
(We’ll get back to these questions)

7. About me and SD43:
Vice Principal of Coquitlam Open
Learning - servicing online and blended
courses to about 4,000 school aged and
adult students.
http://online.sd43.bc.ca

8. About me and SD43:
Lead Administrator for Inquiry Hub Secondary
School which provides students with:
• Blended instruction
• Reduced timetable structure
• A student-driven inquiry approach to
learning
http://inquiryhub.org

9. So what does iHub look like?
• Topical workshops instead of daily classes

10. So what does iHub look like?
• Use of extensive online learning resources

11. So what does iHub look like?
• Flexible assessment which allows for
a variety of ways to represent learning

12. So what does iHub look like?
• Small school, learning commons environment

13. So what does iHub look like?
• Dedicated Inquiry Time!

14. What do we want to create?
An inquiry-driven, collaborative, and engaging
learning environment that incorporates these
aspects:
7 Ways to Transform Your Classroom http://2di.me/7trans4m

15. Inquiry learning is ‘active’ learning…
Student driven
Students are provided an opportunity
explore and question on their own
(and also with the facilitation of a teacher).
Creating good questions and
coming up with thoughtful,
rich and compelling answers.

16. Inquiry learning is ‘active’ learning…
Student driven
Students are provided an opportunity
explore and question on their own
(and also with the facilitation of a teacher).
Creating good questions and
coming up with thoughtful,
rich and compelling answers.

17. Inquiry learning is ‘active’ learning…
Student driven
Students are provided an opportunity
explore and question on their own
(and also with the facilitation of a teacher).
Creating good questions and
coming up with thoughtful,
rich and compelling answers.

18. “Inquiry is not about the
pursuit of the perfect
question or the next exciting
project. It is about being
open to new learning and
taking informed action.”
Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser
Inquiring learning environments:
New mindsets required, April 2012

19. What are students doing?
http://2di.me/ihubgarden

20. What are students doing?
Current inquiries include:
• Designing 3D models to scale
• Improving writing in different genres
• Developing a commercial glass recycling program
• Inventing a vortex water fountain
• Studying game theory and human behavior
• Creating a mural with community influence
• Building a mirokernel (coding)
• Constructing aquaponic and hydroponic gardens
• Promoting healthy eating

21. What are students doing?
Current inquiries include:
• Designing 3D models to scale
• Improving writing in different genres
• Developing a commercial glass recycling program
• Inventing a vortex water fountain
• Studying game theory and human behavior
• Creating a mural with community influence
• Building a mirokernel (coding)
• Constructing aquaponic and hydroponic gardens
• Promoting healthy eating

22. What are students doing?
Current inquiries include:
• Designing 3D models to scale
• Improving writing in different genres
• Developing a commercial glass recycling program
• Inventing a vortex water fountain
• Studying game theory and human behavior
• Constructing a mural with community influence
• Building a mirokernel (coding)
• Creating aquaponic and hydroponic gardens
• Promoting healthy eating

23. And some of them will fail…

24. And some of them will fail…
(Or at least I hope so!)

25. And some of them will fail…
(Or at least I hope so!)
Because if none of them did…
Then we didn’t push them hard enough!

26. By David Truss
http://2di.me/fail2learn

27. “To teach is to model
and demonstrate,
to learn is to
practice and reflect.”
Stephen Downes
‘Push-ups’ by Ann Truss

28. http://2di.me/inquirypoints

29. (Students learning about learning.)

30. “We have been defining learning according to
what is to be learned… while what learners in fact
want is not to learn per se but rather to do.”
Stephen Downes
‘Father and son surf lesson in Morro Bay, CA 11 of 12’ by mikebaird on flickr

32. Shifting Learning:
What did You Learn at School Today?
If you ONLY ask:
What mark did you get on your test?
-orHow much homework do you have?
-orDo you want your answer from here?
How did your team do in today’s game?

33. Shifting Learning:
What did You Learn at School Today?
If you ONLY ask:
What mark did you get on your test?
-orHow much homework do you have?
-orDo you want your answer from here?
How did your team do in today’s game?

34. Shifting Learning:
What did You Learn at School Today?
If you ONLY ask:
What mark did you get on your test?
-orHow much homework do you have?
-orDo you want your answer from here?
How did your team do in today’s game?
What are you telling your child is important?

35. What did You Learn at School Today?
- What do you want your child to say?
- What do you really want to know?
- What else can you ask?

36. What did You Learn at School Today?
- What do you want your child to say?
- What do you really want to know?
- What else can you ask?
What do you want your child to
‘do’ at school?

37. What do students ‘do’ at school?
Learn how to learn?
What was your biggest challenge today?
Show compassion?
Who did you help today?
Enjoy learning?
What was your favourite part of the day?
What questions did you ask today?

38. What do students ‘do’ at school?
Learn how to learn?
What was your biggest challenge today?
Show compassion?
Who did you help today?
Enjoy learning?
What was your favourite part of the day?
What questions did you ask today?

39. What do students ‘do’ at school?
Learn how to learn?
What was your biggest challenge today?
Show compassion?
Who did you help today?
http://2di.me/whodidyouhelp
Enjoy learning?
What was your favourite part of the day?
What questions did you ask today?

40. What do students ‘do’ at school?
Learn how to learn?
What was your biggest challenge today?
Show compassion?
Who did you help today?
http://2di.me/whodidyouhelp
Enjoy learning?
What was your favourite part of the day?
What questions did you ask today?

41. What did You Learn at School Today?
Nothin’
http://2di.me/SortOfDunno
Shifting Learning: What else can you ask?
What kind of answers do you want?

42. Shifting Learning:
What did You Learn at School Today?
By David Truss
http://DavidTruss.com http://2di.me/2dimes