The last post - no, not the muscial tune!

Famous Brisbane ghost photo - When I started "Nexus", I didn't think there was a ghost of a chance I'd get this far without a mental breakdown.

It is with mixed feelings that this BLOG comes to an end. I've had a lot of fun going back to fix and improve the blog over the last week, but it has meant a week of late nights (usually to about midnight). So, I'm glad that this is over (I certainly won't miss the dark circles that have taken up residency under my eyes), though strangely I've grown attached to it. On the initial creation, I saw it as a bit of a chore - just some assignment that needed doing. It's only when I came back, that I really enjoyed "doing it", and realised its value as a tool for being creative while at the same time reinforcing learning.

I hope you've enjoyed reading the blog, and have an insight into my journey into the realm of Guided Inquiry. I'm leaving you with the final survey as part of the SLIM process.

    SURVEY 3      

1. Take some time to think about your topic. Now write down what you know about it.

    

Well, I know a lot more than at the start. Guided Inquiry learning, is part of a constructivist process of learning where the teacher/lecturer guides the learner in a unit of inquiry towards obtaining an outcome (the word "answer" is the wrong term here, as there may not be an answer or one correct "answer" as such). There is a social aspect to the learning, and learning is generally student-directed - though the teacher provides interventions of both the scheduled and non-scheduled varieties. Guided Inquiry process is tied to the Information Search Process, questioning, and a variety of models that explain the guided inquiry process. The SLIM process is one method that can be applied to show learning. The process of guided inquiry is able to be applied throughout the education sector, and although it is out of the comfort zone for many educators, it can be very rewarding.
 

2. How interested are you in this topic?  Circle the answer that best matches your interest.  

    
Not at all      not much     quite a bit   a great deal    
I have to say, that compared to the start I'm really interested now...

 

3. How much do you know about this topic?   Circle the answer that best matches how much you know.

Nothing      not much     quite a bit   a great deal     
I would love to write "a great deal", but the more I learn, the more I realise that there is more to know.

4.  Thinking back on your project, what did you find find easy to do? Please list as many things as you like.

Well, it's a little hard to comment on the project as it is still ongoing. So far, I haven't found any of it easy to do. I guess it's because I'm still inexperienced in Inquiry Learning, but experience comes with time. I guess, when I finally got on the correct track for the literature review, I found it quite easy to do once I saw the example of "Bernie's" assignment and thought "Wow, so that's the sort of thing Mandy has in mind...". As somebody who is very visual, once I have a model in hand, then I instantly know what to do....

5.   Thinking back on your project, what did you find most difficult to do? Please list as many things as you like.

I've found everything to do with the project difficult. When it comes down to it, the literature review was a major struggle to begin with, as it's a style of academic writing I've not encountered before. Also, working for modeled assignments that don't fit my context, it's hard trying to figure what's expected in a non-teaching context when the models are all teaching context. Trying to pull apart these assignments and then trying to translate the parts to my context has been a real struggle. 

 

6. What did you learn in doing this research project? Please list as many things as you like.

I've learnt so much. I've learnt how Guided Inquiry works, how to apply it, the models invovled, how it ties into the Information Search Process and questioning, I've learnt about constructivism, I've learnt how to put a proper blog together, I've learnt about how to do a literature review, I've learnt how to actually do a research project... I've learnt so many things that have been useful, and I'm looking to putting them to use in the real world.

---------------------

And so it comes to an end...I'm leaving you with this cool little face (below). It shows you how I felt when I started "Nexus", move your mouse over it to see how I feel now.




Cheers,
Stef

PS - If the ghost picture piques your interest in all things supernatural, please press here to link to Brisbane Ghost Tours - http://www.ghost-tours.com.au

The end is nigh...

Are you thinking what I'm thinking B2?

 

 

 

It's almost time to submit the BLOG, so I think it's time to reflect on what I've learnt.

I guess, I should rewind to the very beginning "Once upon a time there was this man who went to uni to study..." That's probably not the best place to start... Going back to 2008, I did enrol to study "Nexus" in my first year of the course, but due to the fact that my wife and I were having a baby it was too much to do two subjects (at that particular time), so I dropped "Nexus". I guess, this experience left me fearful of "Nexus", and I put it off as long as I could, making me think it was some scary thing - which it hasn't turned out to be!!! (Mandy, I'm sure you're glad to hear this)

Now that I'm 8 Week, I feel that my mind set has completely changed. I came in thinking "this is totally not relevant to me", and now find myself thinking "man, this stuff is really useful..." As somebody who is transitioning out of Education, I can see how the content we are learning is relevant to a variety of contexts, and I can see how we've actually been part of a Guided Learning experience through doing the "Nexus" course.

I've learnt a lot of stuff along the way, I've used "Wonder Wheel", I've had a go at Binary searches, I've learnt about the Internet Search Process, and about the importance of Interventions as part of the "Guided part" of the Guided-Inquiry process, and that's just the stuff I can think of now at 9:30pm at night with my wife looking over my shoulder waiting to get onto the computer to write an email. Oh, and I've learnt about the SLIM process, and put together my first proper BLOG! Yay!

Anyway, this may be my last entry.

Cheers
Stef