Week+10+(Teacher+Inquiry)


 * Today's PLC Lesson: Teacher Inquiry: Studying your own Practice**

// [ // **PLC Group Name: The Six Chicks** **PLC Meeting Location: Sugar Land Campus** **PLC Meeting Time: 11-12pm; 3-4pm on 10/26/10**
 * Today's PLC Lesson: Studying your own Practice**

As an anticipatory set for today’s lesson, please read the article “Getting "Inside Inquiry": Teachers' Questions Transform Their Practice“ []
 * Hour 1**
 * //ENGAGE//**

// [] //
 * //EXPLORE//**

// [ //// How do you make a teacher inquiry? // // What are the steps to inquiring about your teaching? // // What can you expect from your results? //
 * Hour 2**
 * //EXPLAIN//**

As a group, make a list of teaching strategies of your own about which you have a wondering. You probably have things in common! Take turns selecting one to focus on and formulating a “wondering” about that strategy. Help each member to make a plan to initiate, analyze, and write-up this inquiry? What questions does each member have that the group can help sort out about the process?
 * //ELABORATE//**

Our wondering deals with classroom management skills. Common problems: talking, distractions, off task behavior What can help: creating an engaging lesson, create a lesson that is student centered Another wondering is about how to transition without chaos. Common problems: talking, distractions, off task behaviors What can help: giving clear directions Our final inquiry was about how to hand out manipulatives to students without arguing about who gets what. What can help: clear directions like how to act when the teacher hands out directions, implementing consequences when students are not behaving correctly with the manipulatives 1. As a group, reflect on what you have learned today about studying your own teaching practice. Why should teachers ask questions about their own teaching? Because when they are reflecting, they are thinking about things they have done and how to improve their teaching.
 * Hour**
 * //EVALUATE//**

How would your job be different if you approach it with an inquiry stance versus approaching it with no intention to ask questions? It would improve teaching if we questioned it or self-reflected because we would change things that did not work the first time.

2. As a group, draft a brief statement (approx 1-2 paragraphs) of what you learned or new understandings you came to during this discussion. What did you agree with/about, and what did you not agree with/about? How do you KNOW you learned and grew?!

When we gathered for our group time, we were able to reflect upon our teaching to discover the importance of teaching inquiries. We agreed upon the teaching strategies that we would like to inquire more like classroom management and transitions without chaos. We did not really focus our inquiries on content areas, but how to keep the students engaged. We found we had more similarities in our inquiries, thus we did not have any disagreements. We know that we have grown in our learning because we have a better understanding overall of how to inquire about our teaching.

3. As a group, please look at the Assignments page for the description and grading rubric for the Inquiry #3 assignment. You will be selecting a teaching practice of your own to study. The format is the same as your other inquiries, and is detailed on the Assignments page for this assignment.

4. Individually, please send your “PLC Check” as an email to Dr. Pierson and Ida (mpierson@uh.edu; idalkm@hotmail.com): --What/Who worked well in today’s PLC meeting? --What/Who didn’t work so well in today’s PLC meeting? This PLC check is due emailed by Friday (10/29) at midnight.