Uncertainty is Worth the Pain

Uncertainty isn’t easy on any of us.  But it’s the challenge of digging deep that is part of why this kind of learning has a lasting impact on our students.

In this video the middle school librarian at Boston Latin School, Susan Harari empathizes with the struggle that the teachers went through, but recognizes the value that is named in the original ISP research.

In the unit, the students completed background research on their topic to build working knowledge of the topic so that they could create a science experiment to test some aspect of their interest.  The research that they did went into essays, after they had constructed some basic understanding from researching multiple sources.  This was the learning.  Synthesizing the information from a variety of sources in a coherent way was challenging for the students.  But you will see that the science experiments that came out of these interests, curiosities, and research were worth the effort by all.  The background knowledge they gained allowed them to extend their understandings into creative science experiments for lasting learning.

Leslie Maniotes, PhD

Author, Guided Inquiry Design

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