
Fostering Wonder
Children are born with a sense of wonder, but how, as educators, can we foster their natural curiosity, and use it to create engaging learning environments? Through hands on activities, discussion, and examples, participants will practice using language that fosters inquiry, and explore how to structure learning experiences that follows and fosters children’s curiosity.
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“I loved the way they [the facilitators] remind us how we can bring the community to our school so budget or time doesn’t stop us.”
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“This was a great presentation. Ignited my curiosity of allowing more child-led exploration.”
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“This was so fantastic. It was so useful, interactive, and creative. Engaging from start to finish.”
Agenda
Wonder & Community
- Explore how community-based learning can amplify a child’s sense of wonder
Inquiry
- Create a shared definition of inquiry and discuss its importance in academics and lifelong learning.
Creating Questions
- Explore different types of questions and techniques that encourage inquiry and discovery.
Cultivating Conversations
- Explore what conversation looks like with young children looks like.
- Practice creating dialogue even with pre-verbal learners.
Emergent Curriculum
- Explore ways to use an emergent curriculum to encourage wonder and curiosity.
Culture of Inquiry
- Creating a culture of inquiry through practice and modeling.
- Using the classroom environment and documentation to support inquiry.