{"id":1829,"date":"2020-07-25T07:38:40","date_gmt":"2020-07-25T11:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/waterinquiry\/?p=1829"},"modified":"2020-07-25T10:17:39","modified_gmt":"2020-07-25T14:17:39","slug":"remote-water-inquiry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/waterinquiry\/ducklings\/remote-water-inquiry\/","title":{"rendered":"Remote Water Inquiry"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThis is really going to work online\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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“How would you save those ducklings?” Eva<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI wanted to share with you how I decided to launch the water inquiry this year, under these strange circumstances.\u201d During the pandemic pivot, Eva Jaffe and her first grade students at Campus School piloted a remote version of Inquiry Inc and the Case of the Missing\u00a0 Ducklings. <\/a>Thank you Group J for sharing your innovative solutions to storm drain engineering and virtual inquiry!<\/p>\n

What does Water Inquiry look like online?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Testing a storm drain model<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eva posted videos of herself reading aloud the illustrated story of the Missing Ducklings <\/em>in four weekly sessions (see links below). With the help of her sidekick, a yellow rubber duck, Eva introduced inquiry challenges, synthesized student ideas, and showed breaking news<\/a>\u00a0<\/a>of a duckling rescue. Students used Seesaw<\/a> to post drawings, diagrams, audio clips, and videos. They shared adventures experimenting in kitchen sinks, building backyard storm drains, and documenting downpours. Cameo appearances included barking dogs, disappearing cats, encouraging parents, and sibling assistants: \u201cMy sister\u2019s going to see if the ducklings can fit through. Now I think that is a NO. Ducklings cannot fit through.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Creative and resourceful<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Eva responds to a student post: “That is such a cool idea!”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eva reflected on the remote version of Water Inquiry, \u201cI saw so much more creativity and individual thinking….Kids had to use whatever they had at home and form their own interpretation of what they had to do.\u201d Students improvised storm drain models with a wide range of materials including styrofoam with holes poked in it, cookie cooling racks, screens, pencils taped together, and chicken wire. After testing three materials, one student announced the results: “The one that won is the chicken wire because it\u2019s bigger, and bigger is faster, and faster is better, because it won\u2019t overfill the streets\u2026\u00a0 the ducks can\u2019t go through the chicken wire!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Individual Thinking<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Storm drain design with labels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Remote water inquiry highlighted the depth and divergence of individual thinking. Eva observed that, \u201ckids who might have been more shy in a group were really able to make their thinking clear.\u201d Students constructed working models and narrated lively explanations: “This is my storm drain and I\u2019m going to tell you a little about it.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 They investigated where water comes from and where water goes through stories, sketches, and videos of rain going: \u201cdown, down, down\u2026 all the way to this storm drain.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Following rain: “down, down, down.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Storm drain model. “This is the house…”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Water Inquiry team learned with and from first graders<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Emily Buxengaard introduces herself to Group J<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Water Inquiry researcher Emily Buxengaard (’22) collaborated with Group J to support their inquiry. She introduced herself in a video: \u201cI\u2019m Emily from the Water Inquiry team and I\u2019m really excited to look at some of your responses to the story of the Missing Ducklings.\u201d A student promptly responded: \u201cSounds terrific. Nice to meet you.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Emily enjoyed connecting with first graders and encouraged their idea development. “I responded to many posts by pointing out something I liked about their thinking and asking a question I thought would further understanding.”\u00a0 <\/span>Looking ahead to future iterations of remote Water Inquiry, Emily posed the question:\u00a0 \u201cAre there ways to better engage students who aren\u2019t interacting as much?\u201d<\/p>\n

How to build collaborative inquiry in a remote learning environment?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Water Inquiry Logo by Camille Butterfield ’21<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A lingering question from the Group J pilot is how to improve collaborative inquiry online.\u00a0 Remote learning worked well to deepen and showcase individual<\/em> thinking, but group collaboration<\/em> was more challenging. Eva spoke about missing the classroom’s “saturation in Water Inquiry all day every day… Without daily conversations, charting thinking, and seeing work on the walls, it was difficult to figure out a way for all the kids to have access to everybody\u2019s thinking and learning as a group.\u201d\u00a0 Thank you to Group J for including us in your remote inquiry. We’re inspired by your intrepid problem-solving, just like the story characters: “Got a problem that won’t go away? Inquiry, Inc. will save the day!”<\/p>\n

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Curious to explore remote Water Inquiry?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Stella Bowles, Scientist and Activist, Nova Scotia, Canada. Drawing by Abby Moon (MAT’20).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Check out the Water Inquiry<\/a> website for illustrated storybooks, <\/a>educator resources, and student work samples.<\/p>\n

Stay tuned for “Making Waves,”\u00a0 Water Inquiry’s project-in-the-works for\u00a0 middle school students featuring true stories of youth water activists from around the world.<\/p>\n

Water Inquiry welcomes questions, comments, or suggestions. Please contact Carol: cberner@smith.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

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Written by Carol Berner
\non behalf of the Water Inquiry team<\/p>\n

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Links to Eva Jaffe’s YouTube videos of Inquiry, Inc and the Case of the Missing Ducklings:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n