I found the “Most Likely to Succeed” documentary to be a well-constructed version of how guided inquiry can be successful in a classroom, even when students are not accustomed to this type of learning. The students were engaged and wanted to produce an output they were proud of. This ambition to perform at a high level was compounded since these projects were completed in groups – the members of each group were held accountable and when there appeared to be less collaboration, the project failed.

Inquiry-based approaches in high schools are not just beneficial for the present but are also crucial for preparing students for the challenges of the future. The emphasis on project-based learning and collaboration enhances students’ soft skills, which are foundational for success later in life. The ability to think critically and solve complex problems using inquiry-based learning encourages students to tackle real-world issues, fostering a mindset that values innovative problem-solving. This prepares them to navigate the uncertainties and complexities they will encounter in higher education and the professional world, making them adaptable contributors to an evolving society.

As an educator, I have imagined my future classroom to be one that promotes student-led learning and free thinking. In order to take that to the next level and have it primarily inquiry-based, there would need to be a substantial amount of planning and organizing for it to be successful. As we discussed in class, good inquiry opportunities (at all levels) also include a good foundation of knowledge and openness to learning. I think as a facilitator, I would need to be willing and able to set the students up for success by knowing their limitations, building this foundation, and giving them proper instruction for them to succeed. In a way, it seems like a risky way to set up a classroom environment, especially as a new teacher. A balanced approach that allows for project-based learning while also giving kids structure would be a good way to get buy-in from the learners, parents, and administration.

Here is a link to my “ideal” School Design Project, which still closely aligns with what I think an ideal community and classroom would look like (which includes inquiry)!

I greatly appreciated the time that the guest speaker, Ken Yew, took in Friday’s lecture to answer our questions about student privacy. As the conversation developed, I thought about how there are so many hurdles in public school classrooms that restrict new technologies in the classroom. Teachers need to get buy-in from the students, parents, administration, collegues as well as considering all of the privacy concerns in case there was a data breach.

While teaching at a STEM-based school in South Korea, technology was heavily relied upon. We used it for attendance, incorporating video lessons, coding, reading at home, recording video journals, and many other things. In some ways, I think it limited the amount of creativity that flowed in the classroom it was distracting away from critical thinking. I was also curious about how this amount of screen time could impact student behavior and attention span. Based on the findings from Xie et al., screen time can effect childrens emotional and phyiscal well-being. All that said…what would you do in your classroom, knowing that increasing digital techonologies could put your learners at risk?