Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 14:13:49 -0800 (PST)
Message-Id: <v01550100b12af44cf2c6@[192.174.3.101]>
To: advanced1@exploratorium.edu, assessment@exploratorium.edu,
From: fred@exploratorium.edu (Fred Stein)
Subject: New IFI Web Activities
Hello IFI Grads and Staff,
There are two new activities on the IFI web page. All the activities are
meant to serve a dual role -
* providing useful staff development ideas
and
* to provide a context for communicating about inquiry teaching issues
One of the activities is a description of part of a one-day staff
development workshop on inquiry done in Clark County, Nev. (Las Vegas). It
is a write-up of a brief inquiry into Balls and Ramps, written up by Thelma
Davis, one of the Clark Co.Teachers On Special Assignment.
Please look at the activity in the graduate work section of the IFI web page,
http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/graduates/work/thelma_davis/davis.html
She is particularly interested in your comments and ideas about the
importance of inquiry facilitators having content background knowledge.
Thelma did not have a lot of knowledge about the content of force and
motion, yet was able to convey the value of the inquiry experience to large
numbers of teachers. Her questions are - What opportunities might she have
missed by not having much content background knowledge? and What kind of
background knowledge would have been helpful to facilitate this experience?
There is a place for comments and conversation about this issue at the
bottom of her activity. If you want to use this activity, you are welcome
to print it out.
Another new activity is a description and write-up of the Process Skills
Circus Activity that was presented at the Professional Development Design
Workshops. It is a staff development activity to create an awareness of the
process skills that are critical for doing inquiry.
This activity can be found on the Inquiry Activities section of the IFI web page
http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/activities/processcircus/circus.html
If you want to use this activity, you can print it out. Some of the
handouts need to be printed out separately to be on their own page for easy
copying.
If you do (or have done) this activity, there is a place to discuss your
experience or read the experiences of others.
Thanks to the participants of the April 1997 Professional Development
Design Workshop who were photographed while doing this activity!
Hope all is well. If anyone has any difficulty getting to any of these
activities, or would like to post some of your inquiry work, please let me
know.
Best,
Fred Stein
fred@exploratorium.edu