Provocations

In Reggio-based Early Learning Programs and IB programs, the term 'provocation' is often used which in essence means something that gets the students thinking, gets them asking questions and builds interest in a new unit of study. It can also provide them with an experience or context they can draw from over the course of the unit. What provocations, artifacts or stories could middle years and secondary teachers use to spark interest in a new unit?

For example, to launch a SC 8 unit about Fluids, the students were each given a handful of goop to play with and they were asked to generate questions about it. Was it a fluid? What are the qualities of a fluid? etc. The students enjoyed the experience of engaging with something tactile.

What interesting provocation could be used to launch a unit about rocks? About the Renaissance? About electricity? About regions across Canada? About the novel, The Giver? What big questions could students ask if you gave them currency from a variety of countries?

Variations of KWL

There are some modern variations of KWL that can be useful for getting students to reflect on what they know, want to learn, etc.

The See-Think-Wonder strategy from the book, Making Thinking Visible (2011), can be used with an image to get students to slow down and consider what they see, what it's making them think about and what wonderings (questions) they have.

The upgraded KWL Charts below provide a modernized approach with the addition of digital options for responding and reflecting and can be revisited throughout a unit or inquiry .