EDCT 5692 - Curious Minds: Create a Culture of Inquiry and Authentic Learning
Course Description
This course is designed to help you to create a classroom environment where students' natural curiosity is encouraged through a culture of inquiry and authentic learning. As you read and reflect on the text "Cultivating Curiosity in K-12 Classrooms: How to Promote and Sustain Deep Learning" by Wendy L. Ostroff you will examine your own classroom practice and apply new ideas for supporting and encouraging curiosity in a student-centered environment. At the end of this course you will have practical strategies and ideas for encouraging student creativity and increasing motivation and engagement through inquiry, questioning, and autonomy.
Grade levels: K - 12
Learner Outcomes
This course will support teachers in:
- How to Cultivate the Curiosity Classroom
- Promoting Exploration and Experimentation
- Allowing Autonomous and Effortless Learning
- Embracing Intrinsic Motivation
- Bolstering Imagination and Creativity
- Supporting Questioning
- Making Time
- Creating Curiosity Habitat
- Prioritizing the Processes of Learning.
- Creating an action plan for "Cultivating Curiosity"
Testimonials
“I really enjoyed this course. It has been my favorite continuing ed courses so far, a favorite course outside of continuing ed, as well. I appreciate the extent I have been able to self-reflect; being able to process where I am in life, where I have been, and developing where I am heading is of great value to me. I appreciate that the material covered is of invaluable importance currently in the field of education and a critical shift in our system, but also has a breadth of importance far beyond the classroom. It has inspired me in my parenting, how I engage with others across age span, and how I drive my own learning and thinking. I wish this course was required of all districts and people who engage with students.” —TINT Student“I did appreciate the structure and flexibility to try to push us into the same kind of curiosity use as we hope to instill in students. I have to say I really appreciated the core text as well as options for the readings. Ostroff does an exceptional job giving you the framework, ideas from varied curricula, and grounding it in research that is well sourced and cited.” —TINT Student
“I found this class incredibly useful. The content was perfect for my role as a STEM teacher, and I really appreciated the flexibility in assignments that allowed me to adapt my plans for the online classroom. This ties in perfectly with the PBL training I took in the Spring! The textbook is a great resource and I’m sure I’ll refer to it often. It was helpful to see that some of the things I’m already doing cultivate curiosity but it also gave me a lot of new ideas of things to try.” —TINT Student