Professional development for our educators is a valued aspect within our organization. Each year we focus on a topic or 'educational project' to guide us in discussions, research, and reflections. September is typically the beginning of our school year and the time we begin a new reflection. This year we are delving into a deeper understanding of the Inquiry Cycle and the development of a project and our roles as educators, seeing ourselves as researchers!
At our September staff meeting we reflected on how following the inquiry cycle connects to the development of projects, how to begin a project, sustain it, support and extend the learning, and conclude a project. We revisited past Schoolhouse projects which are documented in what we call project binders.
As the year progresses we will continue to study this process and connect it to our time with children.
Our future discussions will involve reflections on the 'teacher as researcher'. This article written by Carlina Rinaldi ("The Teacher as Researcher") is a thought provoking read and proposes an interesting perspective on research.