14: Pause, Reflect, and Share

 “Reflection is looking back so that the view looking forward is even clearer.”

One of my passions outside of teaching is photography. There’s something special about looking through a camera lens and preserving an image of a beautiful scene or a special moment on film. One of the reasons why I enjoy it is because it allows me to pause and see the world from a different perspective. 

Some of my favorite photographs from my trip to Hokkaido during our Autumn break

In inquiry-based learning, reflection is an important step which allows the learner to deepen the learning process. It lets the learner pause and revisit the new knowledge, skills, or concepts that he/she has acquired throughout the unit. It’s similar to looking at a photo and remembering the moment when the image took place — but in this case, you look back on what you have learned. Just like a camera lens, the process of reflection also allows us to refocus and recalibrate our thinking, and identify how we will move forward. 

As we prepare to close our unit on food and healthy choices, the Kindergarteners had a chance to pause and reflect on what they have learned in their inquiry. Have a watch:

Jinnosuke's Reflection

Ren's Reflection

Yanchen's Reflection

Haruto's Reflection

Diego's Reflection

Emi's Reflection

Atsuharu's Reflection

Sophia's Reflection

Rino's Reflection

Arisa's Reflection

Mana's Reflection

How about you, what did you enjoy the most about our unit? 

Please share your thoughts on the comments section below. 😊

A big part of the reflection process is revisiting our wonderings at the beginning of the unit and checking if we had the chance to answer all of them. This made the children feel that their voices matter, and what they want to learn about — regardless of how simple it is — is important. The truth is, even I had some amazing discoveries through their wonderings:

Jinnosuke's Wondering

Answer: 

Bananas usually grow in tropical climates because of its warm weather and constant moisture in the air. Bananas are used to room temperature, which is how most households keep them.

Arisa's Wondering

Answer: 

Bananas are sometimes cold because some people choose to put them inside refrigerators. When you put them in colder temperatures, it takes longer for them to ripen.

Yanchen's Wondering

Answer: 

Unlike bananas, grapes are good for growing in colder climates. It's so much better to eat them colder, too, which is why most people put them in the refrigerator first before eating them!

Emi's Wondering

Answer: 

Peaches are sweet because they contain natural sugars. They say that one peach contains approximately 13 grams of sugar -- which would be a good source of that much needed sugar fix after a nice meal!

Sophia's Wondering

Answer: 

Ice cream is kept cold to stop it from melting and turning into slush. When you put ice cream out, the heat breaks down its molecular structure and some of its air bubbles escape. If you melt ice cream and freeze it again, its texture changes because of this.

Haruto's Wondering

Answer: 

Sausages are hot because we usually need to cook the meat before we eat them. We need to cook them thoroughly as they contain a high level of fat.

Mana's Wondering

Answer: 

Apparently, the seeds on the outer skin of strawberries aren't exactly seeds. They are fruits, and they contain seeds inside them! For a more detailed explanation, check out this link. This fascinated me, too.

Rino's Wondering

Answer: 

Strawberries become small when they have no space to grow. Usually, when a strawberry plant is crowded by too many plants, it inhibits the growth of the fruits. So if you want to grow big strawberries, make sure to give them ample space!

Eda's Wondering

Answer: 

Strawberries contain anthocyanins, which are pigments found in plants. This pigment also causes some of the leaves in autumn to turn red! Imagine that, we discovered a connection to our other unit!

Ren's Wondering

Answer: 

Fish, just like other animals, have skin to protect them from predators in the ocean. 

It also helps them regulate their temperature.

Isn't it fun to be curious? 😃

As a teacher, I am always happy when my students learn something in class. What gives me so much joy and pride is when they do something with what they have learned to make a difference in others or in the world. Taking action is an essential part of the inquiry process and this week, the Kindergarteners shared what they learned with our school community in the hopes that they can encourage others to make healthier choices, too.

Our first action step is to share with our community that preparing our own meals will allow us to make better choices. We posted the photos of the children's food preparation in school to inspire others to try making their meals at home, too.

Since our class loves reading books, one of the action steps that we came up with is to create a book that we can share with the community and donate to our school library. Each child was able to bring home a copy to read to their family and friends. We also shared the book with all the classes in DSKI, and even had a read aloud session with Kindergarten 1!

Please check out our ebook through this link and share it with people you know to encourage them to make healthier choices, too.

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This week, we continued our inquiry on the different seasons by going outdoors to appreciate the fresh breeze and the trees. The leaves of the trees on Rokko Island have finally started changing and we wanted to give the early years children a chance to enjoy them before they all fall to the ground. 

We noticed, too, that it has become colder lately. We wanted to catch the fresh breeze outside, so the Kindergarteners made pinwheels to capture the wind. We even attempted to fly a kite but it looks like we need a windier day for that!

The children also had a chance to preserve the colors and scenes -- just like what I did with my pictures -- by making Autumn illustrations of the island.

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Photographs allow us to capture and look back on big or little moments that happen in our life. They also make us stop and appreciate how much we have grown. One of my reflections this week: oh, how much the Kindergarteners have grown -- in their heart, head and hands. What a beautiful picture that is to see.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Your Kindergarten teacher,

Pam