Head, Heart and Hands
A couple of weeks ago my colleague and I were given 5 days study leave to develop an inquiry model for our school. This was a fantastic opportunity as:
- We got to dig deeper through research and better our understanding of inquiry.
- We had a brilliant time chatting with other educational lectures from BTI.
- It was terrific to be able to work with a colleague. We were able to problem solve much faster and reflect on things together.
We foraged amongst many readings of which one stood out: “Head, Heart and Hands” by Dennis P. Hollinger. He states
“Education philosophy and research has demonstrated that we do not learn by mind alone. Our deepest affections and our emotional states have a significant bearing on what we will open our minds to and how we actually process knowledge. And of course we all know what research demonstrates: we learn by doing.” (pg 184)
This reminded us that we need to engage the whole person in our inquiry journey; their head, heart and hands. We have come up with a draft model that includes these elements as stages in the inquiry. They will also guide us in our assessment.
Now because the model is a draft it needs to be presented to staff before it is critiqued and finally accepted. So I thought I would give you a peak at what has come out of our study. Below is a pictorial symbol of the inquiry. I hope to post about the rest early next year :+)
