The Capacity Building Series monographs, Inquired-Based Learning and Student Voice have become our research support for the decisions we are making. We truly want to make student ideas "the central currency of the classroom." We want to be co-learners and co-constructors of knowledge with the students.
What we quickly realized was that we needed to start by looking at the learning environment. We needed to create space where students could work together collaboratively. We also needed to think carefully about the placement of materials and be very intentional about the materials we provided if we wanted to encourage inquiry and exploration by the students.
These decisions were all based around our mindset that "Children are competent, capable of complex thinking, curious and rich in potential" (the first non-negotiable mindset of our early years and Kindergarten colleagues). If we believe students are naturally curious and really WILL learn through exploration, it will help guide our planning and the direction we take.
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