Reflection: Connect, Extend, Challenge

'''In this reflection I talk about the text called 'Discussion as a way of teaching'. I use the Visible Thinking strategy that follows three questions to discuss about it: '''

After reading the text of 'Discussion as a way of teaching' and also the different inquiry texts in which we can see different examples of using inquiry in real situations, I can see a great connection between these situations and the theory that is explained in the text about discussion.

To get a deeply understanding of them I am going to use the Visible Thinking strategy:

- How are inquiry and discussion linked?

I consider that the biggest connection between inquiry and discussion is that inquiry is a part of the discussion process. The act of inquiry is the act to ask oneself about something that is misunderstood and to others as a way to clarify and develop an understanding through these questions.

Consequently, an inquiry or question results in a discussion between the person who asks and the one who answers, since the discussion is focused on exploring an inquiry that results in an exchange of thoughts.

We can see this connection in the different conversations of the text, for example, in the text one we can see a great use of inquiry between a teacher and his pupil, it shows how the teacher ask a lot of questions, especially using 'why', as a way to make the students think about the answer on his own. Consequently, the teacher is able to guide him throught questions to discover and clarify his knowledge, and a discussion between them is produced in this process.

-What new ideas stretch or drive your thinking in new directions?

Thanks to the deepening done in inquiry and discussion because of these texts. I consider I see even more the importance of using questions, especifically, the type of questions and when it is the best situation to use each of them. Moreover, not only teachers need to have clear this importance, but also parents, since children's learning is produced everwhere and by everyone. For example, in the third example of inquiry discussion, that is the one related to PYP, we can see a mother and her son having a discussion when the child asks her about where rabbits sleep as a result of the tale that she is reading to him. Even if the story hasn't finished, he wants to know more and more information but the mother doesn't pay too much attention to him, she seems being on a hurry to finish the tale. Anyway, the child insists and continue his seach of knowledge, so here we can see how children have an innate necessity to know more about the world around them. For this reason, as adults, our responsability is to guide this process as good as we can.

-What is still confusing in relation to these?

Something that is still confusing for me related to the concepts of inquiry, discussion and critical thinking is if I would be able to apply the correct question and strategy in each specific situation presented in class. Even if I understand the theory, the use of inquiry in day to day class-life could be more difficult since each class, group of students and situation is different. Anyway, I think it is something that as teachers, we have to learn through experience and if we have a previous preparation of the class, taking into account the different situations that can appear, it could be possible to develop an accurate teaching-learning process.