This week, Jeff Hopkins came and talked to our class about his school for inquiry learning (Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII)). Inquiry is something that I want to explore when I become a teacher, so I am grateful for the experience of hearing Jeff talk.

What I found especially interesting, was the tour of Jeff’s school:

I found this video interesting for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, it was filmed using a special camera that allows the viewers to get a 360 view of the space. This was really interesting since I rarely see videos filmed this way. It really elavated the tour and gave me a sense of the space they have, which I normally wouldn’t get unless I was in-person.

I also found the spaces really interesting. The lab in paritcular, was designed like a unicersity lab where the students can follow along with the instructor. I found this interesting since I was able to relate this to the GRR model of learning. Although the experience is guided, the student still has a lot of independance within the activities. As Trevor Mackenzie said a couple weeks ago, students cannot just be thrown into inquiry. Instead they need to be taught and guided so they know how the process works.

I also noticed within the tour, there were lots of spots for students to collaborate with each other. Although it was limited, due to COVID, they still had spaces where students could go and work together on an assignment or go on a zoom call together. Part of learning is learning with and from other people you are with, I love how much collaboration this school has so people can inquire and rely on each other.

Although I wish we got an in-person tour, I am glad that I still got to see this 360 tour of the school. Once COVID is over, I would love to go into the school and experience it in person if I am able to. I love the dynamic and how they are learning through inquiry, which is something other schools are just starting to incorporate.

As for the screencast video, in the past, I created a video for my PE class where I had to present my lesson plan, so I am fairly familiar with the process of recording. I typically record mine over zoom, but would love to try it your way as well.