Inquiry Hub

That may not sound like "grit" to some though.  An article by Jordan Shapiro suggests that "grit" may just be another buzzword in education.  He references the work of Avi Kaplan, teacher and researcher, and states, "Instead of celebrating the Grit, value the ability to figure out what to do after each failure." The Learning Partnership post also referred to the importance of resilience and emotional intelligence, It's becoming clear that resilience - the ability to bounce back from adversity or defeat and keep on going no matter what - and emotional intelligence (EQ) - the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways to communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict - are greater skills to possess in today's rough and tumble world.

I also feel it goes deeper than that. I feel I get a true opportunity to see my students persevere, problem solve and demonstrate their level of critical thinking. I am not hung up on the final results of an inquiry. I am enthralled with the process and where an inquiry will lead or fade out. I never fully know what will happen throughout an inquiry and that sometimes scares me but it also keeps me engaged and excited about the next pathways.

By combining engaging online instruction resources and solid offline learning experiences, educators can transform their classroom and put the old column-and-rows setting to shame! Because of this notion, blended learning environments provide today's students a distinct advantage.

I have developed a 21st Century Report Card that identifies 34 skills that students should develop over the course of the year in my 5th grade classroom. These 34 skills are then broken down into subsequent behaviors that are observable and assessable.  (Download it here as a PDF.)

1. Point of View What is the main point of the story and what is the perspective of the author? 2. A Dramatic Question A key question that keeps the viewer's attention and will be answered by the end of the story. 3. Emotional Content Serious issues that come alive in a personal and powerful way and connects the audience to the story. 4. The Gift of Your Voice A way to personalize the story to help the audience understand the context. 5. The Power of the Soundtrack Music or other sounds that support and embellish the story. 6. Economy Using just enough content to tell the story without overloading the viewer. 7. Pacing The rhythm of the story and how slowly or quickly it progresses.