Stimulating Wonder

I love that visual metaphor that Buehl uses in the frontloading chapter of a filing cabinet. As Stephanie described, that filing cabinet is one in which we are "accommodating and assimilating information into its many files." Thanks to both Steph's blog post and the chapter reading, I've got a mind movie playing of two students. One student is rather skilled at making connections in reading, and his filing cabinet is organized neatly (labeled even!) with files of a variety of sizes, opening and closing constantly, yet the student is not working like a dog to get every single bit of information down on paper and into the files. The second student is stressed and the filing cabinet overflows with short stacks (small files) and there's no sense of order there because the student doesn't understand just where to place the file; it's so stuffed that I can see files falling out when the cabinet is opened and the files are lost forever. I'm sure you had a similar set of images going in your mind as you read. 

What's the difference between engaging and frontloading? 
I had these concepts mixed up for a long time as a student, believing they both fell under the category of a "hook." Allow me to share a strange way that I see that they are different.
We watch infomercials. Some of us watch them more than others, but I think we've all fallen prey to their tricks! All the infomercials are engaging; they capture us for a few moments or minutes of our day and we watch the commercial until we realize that the product is useless to us or too expensive for our wallets. Compare that to something cool the teacher does to hook students to pay attention and try to learn. Just because something is cool doesn't necessarily mean that the students will "buy" it or make the necessary connections that we hope they'll make. Back to infomercials, now think about a product advertised that you just have to have! Maybe it's because you never realized that you needed it or maybe it replaces something you have lost, but either way, you just have to have it! A few hundred dollars later, You might have just scored yourself a deal, but this comparison really isn't about the products we chose to purchase or not. It's about that evaluation that took place between the sorts of infomercials that caught our eye initially and those that advertised for products we felt we had to have in our hands. Glitter and glimmer and tricks are fabulous for capturing our students' attentions, but we want to ensure that student make proper matches in comprehension  of their reading. We've got to develop practices that help our students make connections between their existing prior knowledge and new information presented in texts. Otherwise, all that glitter is wasted!
How would you compare engagement and frontloading? Can you think of an example of how a teacher might use the two in science, perhaps the topic is simple machines?

As a student developing your own ideas of the inquiry model, I hope you saw how these strategies fit particularly well into an inquiry classroom. They wouldn't be successful any other way. These practices ensure the right balance of the prompted question and student discussion/prediction at a variety of checkpoints throughout a unit. I adopted a set as a Social Studies teacher and find they are just as useful in my Science and Language Art classes. Villano described letting the text guide but not become the curriculum (128) and that speaks to the fact that the best teaching practices allow students to build on what they already know. She described the enjoyment for all in the use of picture books, but also the wonder that these books stimulated. That wonder was the difference between the books just being great hooks--her students had to know more. If we can't sell them on the idea that this applies to them in some way, it's going in one ear and out the other. Also, we don't find a way to include them in this schema building, then it really isn't the construction based on their own previous knowledge. Those of you who described feeling like discussions or inquiry opportunities can spiral out of control should make sure to read the Nessel article this week; that will help you understand the sorts of questioning and predictions that you could use to ensure that class stays on track. 
How did these strategies fit into your definition of an inquiry-based learning environment? 

What strategies from this week's readings went straight to your toolbox? Why? Did you have a hard time visualizing the use of any particular one in a certain concept area or even a certain grade level? 

Glossary:

hidden knowledge	When information is not stated directly in the text, readers have to read between the lines.
frontloading instruction	Students are given the chance to get in touch with what they already know or do not know about concepts, preview vocabulary, and become interested in what will be presented in texts. These instructional practices fit easily into before the reading of text but also in the process of and the completion of reading. Front loading is one of the first steps teachers can take to meet and guide their students towards a gradual release of responsibility.
text to self	Personal connections that readers make to text: “Oh, I remember my grandmother telling me about this place!”
text to text	Readers make connections between previously read texts and the new text: “This reminds me so much of Dr. Suess’s writing style.”
text to world	General connections to larger connections are made here: “So that’s why the Battle of the Bulge is so important.”
discourse	The particular language used in a content area.
mismatches	The connections that our students make that hinder their learning and comprehension. Using frontloading strategies will help teachers determine weak or confused areas of learning. Identifying them will help connect the learning presented with what our students know.
schema	Organized patterns of thought or behavior