Trevor Mackenzie’s Inquiry Mindset presentation inspired me as an emerging teacher. His discussion around curiosity stood out to me the most, as someone extremely motivated by passion and curiosity. Through my years as a student, I noticed the hardest projects, essays, etc. were the ones where we could choose whatever topic we wanted that related to the course. These assignments were also the ones that I remember the most, and succeeded in. Space to explore what interests you definitely leaves the most room for meaningful understanding. Trevor Mackenzie did a really good job of describing why it is that curiosity fuels us so much. Not just at a university/senior high school level but even at elementary schools.
He used an example of inquiry mindset in a Physical Education setting, and as a future PHE educator, it was really neat to see how an inquiry mindset could be included in non-academic environments. Trevor also provided a lot of statistics showing increased engagement and performance when students are curious. I think this ties into our discussion about the phone ban in schools. If students are curious and engaged in the topic, the urge to pull out their phones should decrease. Additionally, his philosophy on feedback piqued my interested a lot. Where he returns essays with written feedback throughout, but no numeric mark on the paper. Students are left to then guess what grade they got, and think more critically about what grade they might actually deserve. Instead of just looking at the number and throwing the paper out without even reading the valuable feedback left by the teacher. This tactic is something I plan to use in my future teaching. Vertical learning, while simple, is also something else I’m going to take with me into teaching. As someone who is constantly feeling antsy in their seat, I can’t imagine how younger people are feeling being trapped in their desks all day.
All in all, the presentation Trevor Mackenzie gave I found to be the most valuable lesson we’ve had so far!