My inception into GID

Hi all!

I’m Rahila Mukaddam, the guest blogger for this week on GID. I teach PYP4 at The International School in Karachi. Previously I’ve taught Pre-K to Grade 4 at AIS Kuwait – an IB school. Being at an IB school has driven the inner me to be more of an inquirer and a risk-taker. It has pushed me to take up courses, activities and many other things which I would not have taken up had I not been exposed to the IB way of life. I strive to live it and model it for my students. Last year I worked on my Certificate of Educational Technology and Information Literacy and am now a COETAIL grad. It has opened up a whole new world to me. Plus now that my PLN has expanded and keeps on doing so, I have more avenues of learning new things. I love being a Learner more than being a teacher! Hence, my aim is always to give my students choice in their learning.

I came across Guided Inquiry Design through Twitter of course (my trusty PLN). I started reading up on all the resources I could find online (I still have to get my hands on the book itself). The more I read, the more connections I am making to the IB philosophy and pedagogy. GID and IB both stimulate the students thinking through a Constructivist approach. Both focus on inquiry-led learning and student agency. I have barely skimmed the surface of GID but it is intriguing and I want to dive in deeper. The most important reason for this intrigue is that it is central to student agency.

The other day, while looking for more information on GID, I came across this poster about the 6Cs. I think it blends all the ideals of GID and IB in concise manner. Students need to think outside the box to get the bigger ideas, they need to move from LOTS to HOTS, question, evaluate and reflect what they learn. Finally they have to collaborate and communicate outside the four walls of the classroom to gain a broader perspective. I see this happening with guided inquiry. For me it yet remains to be seen if I am successful in guiding my students in the right direction. The power of yet…

The Power of YET… – Shelia Tobias

Keep steady and Learn! That’s my motto.

Recently I tried using the GID process when my students designed their Math games for Math Night at school. As I mentioned earlier, student agency is the most important thing for me as a teacher. With this process I saw student voice and choice coming to the forth. But to read more about that, you will have to wait till the next post. Till then I would love to hear how PYP/Elementary teachers are using GID in their classrooms. Till then…

Rahila Mukaddam