Wayfinder Learning Lab – Stephen Taylor

Category: Inquiry

  • PerplexityAI as an Inquiry Engine

    PerplexityAI as an Inquiry Engine

    How might we use Perplexity, a simple and accessible AI tool, as a research assistant in units of inquiry?

  • The Buoyant Force: L2 Talk & FOEN Workshop

    The Buoyant Force: L2 Talk & FOEN Workshop

    This was a great challenge during the Learning2 Conference last week in Nanjing. It was my first time at the conference and I was looking for an experience that would push me and provide something to think about. I presented this short talk, and an extended session on Global Ignorance, Factfulness and Data-Informed Inquiry. You…

  • Cultures of Thinking & Global Thinking Routine Posters

    A few quick visual posters for elements of Creating Cultures of Thinking. I made these as we work towards some of our goals in the WAB HS and in parallel with my role as a coach in the #CCOTOnline course. Printable A3 versions and a copy of the Chapter Summary Cards are in this Drive…

  • Creating Cultures of Thinking: Summary Cards

    I love Creating Cultures of Thinking by Ron Ritchhart of Project Zero at HGSE so much, and refer to it so often, that I made these aide-mémoire cards and chapter summaries, and I carry them with me for planning, coaching and collaboration meetings. The front side has a visual and chapter line, and the reverse…

  • Making Learning Visible in Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences

    “Children grow into the intellectual life around them.”  (Vygotsky, quoted by Ron Ritchhart) I really enjoy parent-student-teacher conferences. (I’d rather do more of these and less report writing, but that’s a different post.) Even with a limited time-slot (my last couple of schools have been 10mins), we have an opportunity to strengthen a home-school connection,…

  • Let’s All Meet Up In The Year 2000… (on #Factfulness)

    … won’t it be strange when we’re all fully grown?  November 1995: I’d just turned 15, Britpop was at its peak (who did you prefer, Oasis or Blur?) and Pulp released this singalong anthem. We loved it. ………..o0O0o……….. I couldn’t predict the year 2000, even in 1995. I had no idea I’d be ringing in…

  • Updated: The Challenge of Interdisciplinary Learning

    Since the original post in early 2016, we’ve made some progress, experienced some great successes and uncovered some further challenges. Enthusiasm is building behind Interdisciplinary Units (IDU’s), though there is still work to be done. I’ve updated the flowchart below to show some other “ways in” to IDU planning, and for potential inclusion in MYP…

  • Curriculum as a Compass?

    Over the last few years as a science teacher and coordinator I’ve been thinking a lot about how we might create a culture of thinking that balances vigorous and challenging outcomes with student co-creation (or navigation) of inquiry, particularly where there might be high-stakes terminal assessments looming. The “Curriculum as a compass, not a calendar” metaphor*…

  • Reflecting on the Impacts of Science: IMaGE, Global Goals & Connections in MYP Sciences.

    I’ve added a new page to i-Biology.net to post resources and ideas for MYP Science Crit. D: Reflecting on the Impacts of Science. Some slides are below, but to see the full page, click here. [IMaGE = International Mindedness and Global Engagment. To see my dissertation & resources on this, click here.]

  • Is this an inquiry with an ‘I’ or an enquiry with an ‘e’?

    Is this an inquiry with an ‘I’ or an enquiry with an ‘e’?

    This post has been sitting in my drafts for a while, and I was reminded to complete it after a question from a student when I was covering a TOK class: “What’s the difference between inquiry and enquiry?” [tL:dR: Definitions matter in education, especially when a topic is misunderstood or controversial. Using traditional definitions allows for…