Noticing the Unnoticed (Part 2)
DISPOSITIONS for being a good noticer.
• Are you open-minded?
• Can you generate multiple options?
• Do you explore and appreciate the importance of other points of views?
• Do you have an alertness to narrow attention?
• Do you look for opposites, things that are contrary?
• Can you pay attention?
• Is there anything that we are taking for granted?
• Do we have to do it this way?
• Are we making up "rules" that aren't really rules?
• Do you challenge assumptions?
• What if we change the way that we think about the problem?
What are some other ways to think about this that we haven't tried yet?
• If you were looking at it from where a bird is what might it look like?
• What is the exact opposite of the way we are thinking about it?
• Can you inhibit distractions?
• Do you make notes to reduce your working memory?
DISPOSITIONS toward WONDERING AND PROBLEM FINDING
• Are you inquisitive? Do you seek out what’s hidden or missing?
• Do you tend to wonder, probe, and find problems?
• Are you alert to anomalies, uncertainties and puzzles?
• Can you formulate questions?
• Can you make predictions?
• Are you inquisitive? Do you seek out what’s hidden or missing?
• Do you tend to wonder, probe, and find problems?
• Are you alert to anomalies, uncertainties and puzzles?
• Can you formulate questions?
• Can you make predictions?
• Are you curious? Do you like to imagine things?
• What do you wonder?
Are there some things that you want to know about it?
What questions do you have?
• Is there anything that seems odd to you?
Is there anything that you want to fix?
What would you change if you could?
How would you make it better? ...different?
• Do you notice anything that seems to be missing?
What would you add if you could add something? (Why do you think it's not there?)
• What if? What might happen if?
• Can you stay in the grey? … in the uncertainty?
• Do you notice loopholes in reasoning and argumentation?
• Can you stop and think: is this bias, relevant or credible? Is it a fallacy?
• Is this data reliable to make an observation?
• What do you wonder?
Are there some things that you want to know about it?
What questions do you have?
• Is there anything that seems odd to you?
Is there anything that you want to fix?
What would you change if you could?
How would you make it better? ...different?
• Do you notice anything that seems to be missing?
What would you add if you could add something? (Why do you think it's not there?)
• What if? What might happen if?
• Can you stay in the grey? … in the uncertainty?
• Do you notice loopholes in reasoning and argumentation?
• Can you stop and think: is this bias, relevant or credible? Is it a fallacy?
• Is this data reliable to make an observation?
IDEAS to help students ask questions
1. Think, pair, share with each other, before sharing with the class.
They think of a question, share it with their partner to see whether it is a good question to ask. Then they have more confidence to ask the question.
They think of a question, share it with their partner to see whether it is a good question to ask. Then they have more confidence to ask the question.
2. Use collaborative tool that allows students to pose questions and then have the class give them feedback anonymously. Students can like a question or say it could improve, but then they must add a comment saying why or rewrite the question. The teacher can view what students are writing to each other and step in if needed to provide support. The teacher can then show the best questions and some students will get surprised that they asked a good question or that other people in the class had the same question as them. One tool that does this well is Verso.
http://versoapp.com/teaching-resources/sample-activities/
(This could be the same with students sharing what they noticed or wondered.)
http://versoapp.com/teaching-resources/sample-activities/
(This could be the same with students sharing what they noticed or wondered.)
3. As a teacher do you model noticing and wondering? Do students see you as a learner? Do you create space for new ideas? Do you build in lesson time for reflection? Do you use questioning as feedback?
How will your effort be rewarded next time?
Students may not notice or ask questions because they are used to being told/ asked what to look for in investigations. As noticing requires intellectual stretch it is important to praise and provide feedback to students for their effort and not their ability. This guides the student’s behaviours next time, so they value the learning as well as increasing their belief that they can improve their ability.
Students can learn from each other. They can ask each others questions. How did you do that? What did you do to get that result?
Students may not notice or ask questions because they are used to being told/ asked what to look for in investigations. As noticing requires intellectual stretch it is important to praise and provide feedback to students for their effort and not their ability. This guides the student’s behaviours next time, so they value the learning as well as increasing their belief that they can improve their ability.
Students can learn from each other. They can ask each others questions. How did you do that? What did you do to get that result?
Helping students see that learning from mistakes is an important life skill and is central to developing a growth mindset. FAIL is Failing is the first attempt at learning. We can teach students how to reflect on negative feedback so they see how to respond to the feedback instead of seeing it as a personal attack or judgement. A question they might use is: What would you do differently next time?, allows them to have a sense of control over the situation by focusing on their effort and not their ability.
Who can I ask for help? What could I have done better?
Asking what you would do differently is a great example of metacognition; it helps students to analyse and reflect on their thought process.
Metacognition is an effective strategy as it helps students improve how they plan, monitor and analyse their thoughts and behaviours. Students who have strong metacognition often have a growth mindset and high levels of resilience.
Who can I ask for help? What could I have done better?
Asking what you would do differently is a great example of metacognition; it helps students to analyse and reflect on their thought process.
Metacognition is an effective strategy as it helps students improve how they plan, monitor and analyse their thoughts and behaviours. Students who have strong metacognition often have a growth mindset and high levels of resilience.
picture from sun-gazing.com/
link Verso
