A conference sponsored by Heinemann, Teaching for Engagement, Inquiry, and Understanding: Reaching Beyond the Standards took place in Santa Fe, New Mexico from Jan. 15 – 18. Harvey “Smokey” Daniels served as the host of the weekend-long conference which was attended by Angela Bae, a representative of the Cotsen Foundation for the ART of TEACHING, and Michelle Baldonado, a Cotsen mentor from the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Threads of curiosity, student choice, and social justice were woven throughout the conference. Curiosity and student choice are at the crux of inquiry, allowing students to engage in topics of their choosing. Daniels advocates for educators to embrace the “Inquiry Approach” where students interact and talk with one another and engage in a discipline by pursuing topics of their choice powered by their curiosity.
“As a former classroom teacher and a current mentor liaison for the ART of TEACHING program, I have seen the powerful effects of student choice and the excitement that an inquiry based approach can generate,” said Bae. “Giving kids the choice as to what they want to pursue in a given content area is an automatic way to build engagement and enthusiasm for learning.”
Each day of the conference was kicked off by a keynote by one of the co-presenters, who included Nancy Steineke, Christopher Lehman, Kristin Ziemke, and Sara Ahmed. Several of the keynotes had a message of social justice. Ahmed, co-author of Upstanders, urged educators to give kids a voice so that in turn, it would empower them to give voice to another person someday. The conference consisted of keynotes by the various presenters, job-alike meetings, and time with groups to complete an inquiry project. The weekend culminated with a dinner on Sunday night where participants published their inquiry projects in alternative formats such as tableaus, song parodies, skits, and performance art pieces.
“It was really great to study with Smokey, Nancy, Chris, Kristin and Sara,” said Baldonado, third-year Cotsen mentor from Park Western Place Elementary School. “The best part was actually going through the inquiry process as a learner. We were able to collaborate, question, wonder and organize our work to complete an inquiry project. It was a very special experience to watch every participant-group share their work in alternative formats on the final evening. The room full of committed educators was inspiring and left me empowered.”
The Cotsen Foundation for the ART of TEACHING has had the pleasure of hosting Harvey Daniels and Christopher Lehman in the past. Last spring, Daniels led a daylong professional development workshop for Cotsen participants on Inquiry Circles: Comprehension and Collaboration Across the Curriculum, and this past fall, Lehman was one of several presenters to lead breakout sessions at Cotsen’s 10th Annual ART of TEACHING Conference.