15: An Attitude of Gratitude

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”

-Robert Brault

Each day consists of tiny moments that may seem inconsequential at the time when they happen, but when we look back we realize that they play a big part in shaping who we are.

The cycle of inquiry begins by activating a child’s curiosity through provocations and by giving opportunities for their wonderings to shine. It continues through investigation, exploration, and hands-on experiences, which are all focused on finding the answers to the children's questions. Throughout the process of learning, children are encouraged to reflect on what they’ve learned, how they have learned them, and what has changed in them — whether it’s through the new knowledge they acquired, skills they honed, or values they believe in. At the end of an inquiry, deeper learning is evidenced through the actions that the children will choose to do with what they have learned.

As we say goodbye to our unit on food and healthy choices, let’s revisit the little moments in the kindergarteners' inquiry that made them grow in big and meaningful ways.

TUNING IN

The start of an inquiry is designed to engage the students in the unit concepts, and to find out what they're interested in learning about. This is where their natural curiosities and wonderings take center stage. Apart from this, Tuning In provides teachers the opportunity to understand the children's misconceptions about a topic, what they value, and their prior knowledge. Have a look at how the kindergarteners tuned in to our unit:

The Kindergarteners shared their wonderings.

The Kindergarteners unlocked new words.

The Kindergarteners shared their prior knowledge through their choices.

The Kindergarteners shared their values and beliefs through their choices.

FINDING OUT

To dig deeper into an inquiry, the students are given opportunities to engage in their learning by finding out the answers to their wonderings. The Finding Out stage enables the children to use their skills and knowledge to gather new information, and to challenge their ideas, beliefs, and values. Have a look at the engaging learning experiences that the kindergarteners had as they explored, investigated, and experimented on the different aspects of food:

The Kindergarteners learned through observation and investigation.

The Kindergarteners learned through exploration and hands on activities.

The Kindergarteners learned through problem solving.

The Kindergarteners learned through books and literature.

The Kindergarteners learned from each other.

SORTING OUT

The Sorting Out stage is essential to help learners make sense of the information they gathered throughout the Finding Out stage. This allows the children to organize the new knowledge that they acquired so that they can process, retain, and appreciate the significance of what they have learned. Have a look at how the children sorted out the nuggets of information that we learned in this unit:

The Kindergarteners sorted out the different food groups.

The Kindergarteners sorted out healthy and unhealthy food.

GOING FURTHER

Concepts are big ideas that have a broad scope. In an inquiry, the Going Further stage gives the children an opportunity to deepen their understanding of a concept and to investigate other areas of personal interest. This stage allows for the learners to engage with the concept from a different lens or perspective, which also adds a deeper dimension to the learning. Have a look at the ways the Kindergarteners went further and deepened their understanding of health and well-being:

The Kindergarteners explored other aspects of well-being through yoga and meditation.

The Kindergarteners learned that choices are not black and white.

The Kindergarteners explored food at home and created different dishes with their parents.

The Kindergarteners discovered that emotions play a part in our well-being.

The Kindergarteners learned about sugary drinks and seasonal ingredients.

This week, we were lucky to be joined by one of our parents online, Ayumi Matsuo, to share her expertise on healthy food choices with the children. She is certified in Shokuiku or Food Education in Japan, and has various resources on food and its impact on our health and well-being. In her workshop, Ayumi-san focused on the amount of sugar in different drinks, as well as seasonal food and how to maximize its use. The children's reflections after the workshop were truly noteworthy, which they also shared with their parents at home. Some of the children even used what they learned as an inspiration for their personal action step! Thank you, Ayumi-san, for this wonderful opportunity to learn from you!

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Sometimes, the most essential part of the learning process takes place when we pause and reflect on our experiences and freshly acquired information. Making Connections (sometimes called Making Conclusions) allows for the children to revisit how they learned, what they learned, and why they needed to learn them. It's an opportunity to slow down and pinpoint the changes in our skills, knowledge, and values from the time we started with the unit. Have a look at the different ways the children reflected and made connections:

The Kindergarteners made better choices.

The Kindergarteners shared what they learned and enjoyed about the unit.

The Kindergarteners reflected on the saying, "I am what I eat" through art.

TAKING ACTION

Student agency is at the core of inquiry-based learning. Giving the children opportunities to have a voice, choice, and to take ownership of their learning are essential elements that make an inquiry work. Taking action and applying the ideas that they have developed throughout the unit is evidence of deeper learning. Connecting the concepts with real-life situations and making a choice to impact the status quo create a more meaningful inquiry. Have a look at the ways the Kindergarteners took action:

The Kindergarteners planted their own food.

The Kindergarteners wrote a book on what they learned about well-being.

The Kindergarteners shared their learning with the DSKI community.

The Kindergarteners created their personal well-being promises.

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14 weeks of learning have passed since we started our inquiry on food and healthy choices. This week, we ended the unit with a grateful heart. It is timely, too, as different parts of the world celebrated Thanksgiving. There were so many things to be thankful for: the fun experiences, the meaningful lessons, and the relationship that we've built as a class in our first inquiry together.