Provoking Curiosity

It takes a while before the children think of putting paper into this old typewriter to make it do something…

They wonder if the flat disks beside it are the films for the old camera!

They’re exploring a mini museum of historical artefacts on display in the library.

In another room, students use Google images to discover and examine ancient maps of the world and compare them with current ones. Next door, there are all kinds of images from the past and present as a stimulus for discussion. In the last room, the students are engrossed in investigating historical headlines. Every twenty minutes they move, so as to experience all four activities by the end of the session.

The task is the same each time. What do you notice? What do you wonder?

This is a series of provocations to get the learners thinking about history. They will be inquiring into how we find out about the past and how changes through time have shaped the present.

By the time they get back to their classes to pull the different learning experiences together, they are immersed in their new unit of inquiry, making connections, asking questions and ready to inquire. No need for teachers to ‘front load’.

The learners are curious, ready to uncover and discover for themselves.

Are the teachers ready to let go?