Design thinking inquiry projects

The last couple of weeks my students tried out doing free inquiry design thinking projects in both my child development and interpersonal relationships classes. For the most part students were ready. Some were not, but wanted to try. I didn't stop them from challenging themselves. In the short amount of time each student clearly learned. They learned about the content direction they chose, they learned that working with others can be hard, they learned to be vulnerable and admit defeat and ask for help, not only from me- the teacher, but from their peers.

What did I learn? I learned that I need to better scaffold the entire semester in a logical manner so that students are better prepared for free inquiry. I spent some time making and editing new materials for students to support them better and I got direct feedback from them: showing them that I too am still learning. I learned that if I had graded each student in the same way it would not have been fair and equitable. Some chose to really dive deep into only 1 competency, and they did very well. Others chose to work on a few. They all learned, they all were on task (most of the time), they all asked for help when they needed it, and they all had something to share on sharing day. They were also open to criticism on sharing day. On sharing day we focus on listening to each group's project and try to give a rose, a thorn, or a bud. Students know that just because it's the end of the semester doesn't mean the learning had to end. There may not be a next time in this particular class, but there will be a next time in another class, another environment. This is what we want, we want learning to extend past the four walls of a particular classroom. Transfer of learning across our lives is what we want.

Next week students will participate in 1-on-1 learning interviews with me in 10-minute sessions. These are my favourite form of assessment. I learn so much about what they have learned and we assess together in a safe, supportive environment.