Madi Severson

Teacher Inquiry

What I Would Like to Have Happen: I would like to design project-based learning.
How can I implement project-based learning into the current curriculum?
An Obstacle to Reaching this Goal: An obstacle that could get in the way of this goal is
the curriculum that we form our teaching around. It includes a lot of workbooks.
A Big Question I Have About This: Where do I begin with project-based learning?
A Narrower Question I Have About This: Which subject would be the easiest to start to
incorporate project-based learning into?
A Teaching Strategy I Want to Try Out: I would like to have students collaborate on a
project together in math. We are currently working on two step story problems.
They could work in their small groups to plan a party using two step problems that
involve the number of students that are going to be at the party and how much of
everything they would need.
Sources of Data: Reviewing their project to see if they are correctly solving the two-
step problems. We can also see their problem-solving skills between peers when
working with others through observations.

What I Would Like to Have Happen: I want to foster equity through social
emotional learning. How can I foster equity through social emotional
learning?
An Obstacle to Reaching this Goal: An obstacle to reaching this goal is intentionally
setting aside time for our social-emotional learning weekly. It tends to be the first
thing put on the back burner when we are short of time.
A Big Question I Have About This: What part of equity do children understand?
A Narrower Question I Have About This: Which part of equity should we start with so
that students can grasp the concept that everyone has a different background?
A Teaching Strategy I Want to Try Out: I have recently come across a card game called
Actually Curious and it has questions that are geared towards children. I would like
to use that to pose questions about friendships and the different types of students
and families that we have in our classroom. By doing so each child can answer the
question and the other children get to hear their peers reasoning for their answer.
Sources of Data: Data that we can see is if students are accepting other’s
backgrounds and creating a community that is welcoming to all. We can also foster
equity by celebrating differences and this could look like holidays, traditions, and
customs.

What I Would Like to Have Happen: I want to create rubrics for students to use
and self-reflect. How can students reflect on their own learning and give
themselves feedback?
An Obstacle to Reaching this Goal: Students doing the brain work to use the rubrics
the correct way and identify if they have what is being asked of them. I feel that
students often believe that they have done exactly what is asked of them without
actually reflecting and looking to see if they can point out in their work where they
did what is required.
A Big Question I Have About This: Should I have a rubric for most subjects?
A Narrower Question I Have About This: How do I teach students to identify if they
have the work that is being asked of them?
A Teaching Strategy I Want to Try Out: I would like to use a rubric for writing and have
students highlight the parts of their stories that match the rubric and what is being
asked of them. I feel that this will help them identify if they are actually including all
of the work that is needed and they can problem solve without needing teacher
assistance.
Sources of Data: The data that can be collected would be found in the students’
published work in their final drafts of their writing. When they are reviewed by me, I
would be able to see if they include the things that are required of them. If they can
identify where each piece is in their story, they are correctly using the rubric. If they
can’t identify the pieces in their writing, then that gives feedback to the student that
they need to keep working- which is immediate feedback and they don’t have to
wait on a teacher.
What I Would Like to Have Happen: I would like students to be able to
communicate mathematical understanding. How can students better
communicate their mathematical understanding?
An Obstacle to Reaching this Goal: An obstacle that occurs is that students can show
their work through numbers but when it comes to explaining their work, they can’t
seem to put it in words. It tends to come out like “I just know” or “I know my math
facts”.
A Big Question I Have About This: Is there a prompt students could follow to frame
their thinking around answering these questions about their thinking?
A Narrower Question I Have About This: How can I support students that need to
write an explanation for their thinking in math but struggle with writing?
A Teaching Strategy I Want to Try Out: I would like to end each math lesson with an
exit ticket that encourages them to write out their understanding of the lesson. This
could look like them having to explain the steps they took to get to an answer, or
creating a story problem that shows their understanding.
Sources of Data: Collecting those exit tickets and reviewing them with the students
individually would help to know which students are improving in communicating
their understanding and which need more support. I can walk through their
answers with them and we can solve the problems together to see if they are
demonstrating understanding.

What I Would Like to Have Happen: I would like to work on using effective
feedback for future learning. What is the most effective feedback that I could
give to students to help them with future learning?
An Obstacle to Reaching this Goal: An obstacle would be students using the feedback
to improve their learning.
A Big Question I Have About This: What is the most effective feedback for a learner?
A Narrower Question I Have About This: How do I ensure that the students are taking
this feedback and implementing it into their learning and carrying it with them for
the future?
A Teaching Strategy I Want to Try Out: I will work on making my feedback open-ended
where the student must do the thinking, rather than me providing answers and
closing off that learning. I would like to try a feedback card. On this card we would
place a sticky note with specific feedback that they can implement into their
learning. They can keep this feedback card in a specific spot based on the subject
and we can build onto the card with more feedback as time passes. This card would
live with the students, and they would be able to revisit all the feedback that we
have given them to further their learning. We could even create a feedback wall and
when there is feedback that is consistent between multiple students, it is put on the
wall and able to be referenced at any time.
Sources of Data: Data that can be collected on this would be shown through student
progress. We can look at their writing and see if they are implementing the
feedback that is given to them. We can look back on the feedback card and see if
this is feedback we have already given them- if it is, we can reflect on why the
feedback was not as successful as others. Through conversations with students, we
can see if they are able to do the thinking when given feedback or are they
searching for quick answers?