Blooming Curious

Blooming Curious

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Blooming Curious episodes

  • The Effect of Modelling When Teaching Children

    As educators we are constantly being watched and copied by the children we teach. Modelling is a powerful strategy that educators use to teach everything from explicit instruction, to being curious and showing grit and determination in the face of struggle. Our attitude towards learning and our enthusiasm for learning are all picked up by children through the power of modelling. Because children learn through observation, we educators and parents must ensure that our attitudes and outlook, mirror that which we would like to see in children.

    🔗 Links:

    Learn more: How to Stay Curious as an Educator

    The Power of Observation, A Guide for Teachers

    How to Nurture Keen Observational Skills in Kids to Help Them Learn

    🆓 Download the FREE e-guide How to Nurture Natural Curiosity HERE

    ✍️ Sign up to Get Curious, the inspirational weekly newsletter for curious parents and educators HERE

    💌Connect with Edwina:

    Email: [email protected]

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blooming_curious/

    Website: https://www.bloomingcurious.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomingcurious

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@edsbloomingcurious

    ☕️ If you like my work and want to encourage me to keep going you can do so by Buying me a Coffee. Any contribution will be gratefully received and will certainly give me the kick I need to keep going.☕️

    00:00 Introduction to Observational Learning

    00:18 The I Do, We Do, You Do Model

    01:01 Using Mini White Boards for Immediate Feedback

    02:12 Modeling Beyond Academics

    02:53 Teachers as Lifelong Learners

    03:33 Sharing Personal Learning Struggles

    05:03 Encouraging Curiosity in Children

    05:47 The Importance of Enthusiasm in Teaching

    06:19 The Power of Modeling in Education

    06:53 Conclusion and Call to Action

    10 min
  • Curating Real Life Opportunities for Exploration and Learning in K-2

    Teachers are facilitators of learning, and curators too. To make learning and the learning environment more exciting than an ipad, educators need to curate real life experiences for children that technology cannot hold a candle to. In this episode we unpack the strategies for curating indoor and outdoor spaces and learning experiences that spark curiosity and give children opportunities to explore real life learning.

    🔗Links:

    Learn more: How to Create an Inspiring Indoor Learning Environment

    Setting Up an Outdoor Learning Environment for Children

    Outdoor Learning - Bringing the Joy back to Learning

    Download this free checklist for setting up an inspiring indoor space HERE

    🆓 Download the FREE e-guide How to Nurture Natural Curiosity HERE

    ✍️ Sign up to Get Curious, the inspirational weekly newsletter for curious parents and educators HERE

    💌Connect with Edwina:

    Email: [email protected]

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blooming_curious/

    Website: https://www.bloomingcurious.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomingcurious

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@edsbloomingcurious

    ☕️ If you like my work and want to encourage me to keep going you can do so by Buying me a Coffee. Any contribution will be gratefully received and will certainly give me the kick I need to keep going.☕️

    00:00 Introduction: The Role of an Educator

    00:30 The Impact of Technology on Education

    02:19 The Importance of Real-Life Experiences

    03:10 Creating Engaging Learning Environments

    04:08 Curating Indoor and Outdoor Spaces

    07:06 Encouraging Inquiry and Exploration

    08:50 Conclusion and Call to Action

    12 min
  • How to Record and Document Children's Learning

    The Importance of Documenting the Learning Journey in Inquiry-Based Education. In this episode Edwina explores the various strategies for recoding and documenting students' learning. Key frameworks such as Kath Murdoch's inquiry cycle and the 5 E model are introduced, emphasizing the need for structured support for students. Edwina shares practical tools for making learning visible, including learning walls, mind maps, and floor books, and underscores the significance of reflective practice.

    🔗 Links:

    Download the Living Things Investigation Graphic Organiser HERE

    Download the Integrating Inquiry Planning Sheet HERE

    Download the Observation Record Keeping File HERE

    Download the Simple Guided Inquiry for Teachable Moments Graphic Organiser HERE

    🆓 Download the FREE e-guide How to Nurture Natural Curiosity HERE

    ✍️ Sign up to Get Curious, the inspirational weekly newsletter for curious parents and educators HERE

    💌Connect with Edwina:

    Email: [email protected]

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blooming_curious/

    Website: https://www.bloomingcurious.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomingcurious

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@edsbloomingcurious

    ☕️ If you like my work and want to encourage me to keep going you can do so by Buying me a Coffee. Any contribution will be gratefully received and will certainly give me the kick I need to keep going.☕️

    00:00 Introduction: Learning as a Journey

    01:07 Planning the Learning Journey

    01:35 Scaffolding and Support Materials

    02:25 Documenting the Learning Process

    03:22 Engaging Learners: The Inquiry Cycle

    06:31 Tools for Making Learning Visible

    07:00 Integrating Inquiry Across Curriculum

    09:13 Final Thoughts and Resources

    13 min
  • Children's Questions that Lead to Curiosity and Knowledge

    In this episode we explore the questions that get children thinking and curious. The questions that parents and educators need to ask to encourage curiosity and thinking, and even those questions that take learning further and deeper. Children ask a lot of questions! They ask questions because they have an innate desire for knowledge. But, sadly as children progress through school and eventually adulthood, the questions become fewer until eventually as adults we may not be questioning at all. Questions are the gateway to knowledge, but not all questions are equal. This episode unpacks the questions that keep children curious and interested in learning and the world around them.

    🔗 Links:

    Learn more here: How Questions Lead to Curiosity and Knowledge

    Download your free list of Open Ended Questions HERE

    🆓 Download the FREE e-guide How to Nurture Natural Curiosity HERE

    ✍️ Sign up to Get Curious, the inspirational weekly newsletter for curious parents and educators HERE

    💌Connect with Edwina:

    Email: [email protected]

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blooming_curious/

    Website: https://www.bloomingcurious.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomingcurious

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@edsbloomingcurious

    ☕️ If you like my work and want to encourage me to keep going you can do so by Buying me a Coffee. Any contribution will be gratefully received and will certainly give me the kick I need to keep going.☕️

    00:00 The Power of Questions in Learning

    00:49 The Role of Questions in Education

    02:06 Inquiry-Based Learning and Its Impact

    02:31 Deep Questions vs. Simple Questions

    03:25 Strategies for Encouraging Inquiry

    05:42 The Inquiry Cycle and Continuous Learning

    06:46 Real-Life Example of Inquiry-Based Learning

    07:59 Challenge for Educators and Final Thoughts

    12 min
  • Jessica Vance on Inquiry, Curiosity and Learning walls

    Jessica Vance, inquiry educator, thought leader, consultant and author of Leading with a Lens of Inquiry, talks about the role of leadership in cultivating a culture of inquiry and the strategies and practices that promote curiosity and an inquiry mindset in students, teachers and leaders.

    🔗 Links:

    Connect with Jessica at https://leadingwithinquiry.com/

    Connect with Jessica on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jess_vanceedu/

    Watch on on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2QVTyUpJq5aZ62ZyoOwpCg

    Publications mentioned : Leading with a Lens of Inquiry By Jessica Vance

    Ron Ritchhart: Project Zero

    Adam Grant: Hidden Potential

    🆓 Download the FREE e-guide How to Nurture Natural Curiosity HERE

    ✍️ Sign up to Get Curious, the inspirational weekly newsletter for curious parents and educators HERE

    💌Connect with Edwina:

    Email: [email protected]

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blooming_curious/

    Website: https://www.bloomingcurious.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomingcurious

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@edsbloomingcurious

    ☕️ If you like my work and want to encourage me to keep going you can do so by Buying me a Coffee. Any contribution will be gratefully received and will certainly give me the kick I need to keep going.☕️

    00:00 Introduction to Jessica Vance

    01:56 Jessica's Journey into Inquiry-Based Learning

    04:30 The Concept of Learning Walls

    08:06 Implementing Learning Walls in Education

    14:04 The Role of Inquiry in Leadership

    23:07 The Importance of Asking Questions

    25:50 Advice for Educators and Leaders

    33:25 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

    38:51 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview

    41 min
  • Open Ended Play with Marcus Veerman of Nudel Kart

    Marcus Veerman is a playground designer, founder and CEO of a charity called Playground Ideas and designer and founder of the Nudel Kart, Nudel Pod and Nudel Rover, innovative open ended toys based on loose parts. These multilayered innovations allow children's creativity, problem solving, critical thinking and language skills not only to develop, but flourish. In this episode Marcus shares his amazing journey from providing children from impoverished backgrounds incredible opportunities for play and exploration to his latest development the Nudel Kart, which allows multifaceted skill development all neatly packaged in a highly sustainable loose part package making play, creativity, problem solving and language development easily accessible to children everywhere, and simultaneously meeting curriculum outcomes.

    Purchase Nudel products at https://nudel.shop/

    Find out all about the Nudel Kart at https://www.nudelkart.com/

    🆓 Download the FREE e-guide How to Nurture Natural Curiosity HERE

    ✍️ Sign up to Get Curious, the inspirational weekly newsletter for curious parents and educators HERE

    💌Connect with Edwina:

    Email: [email protected]

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blooming_curious/

    Website: https://www.bloomingcurious.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomingcurious

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@edsbloomingcurious

    ☕️ If you like my work and want to encourage me to keep going you can do so by Buying me a Coffee. Any contribution will be gratefully received and will certainly give me the kick I need to keep going.☕️

    1 hr 13 min
  • Dr Claire Warden on The Meaning of Nature Pedagogy in Practice

    Dr Claire Warden, Nature Pedagogist, author, education consultant, entrepreneurial leader and founder of Auchlone, a multi award winning nature kindergarten in Scotland, unpacks what nature pedagogy is, and how educators can include it in their settings and teaching practice. We discuss the benefits of risk, and the importance of curiosity and fascination when it comes to sparking a love for learning in children.In addition Claire discusses the importance of observation and documentation when working with children and gives ideas on how to implement floor books for planning, guiding the line of inquiry, and documenting children's learning.

    🔗Links: Dr Warden's website: Mindstretchers Academy

    To read how you can implement nature pedagogy in an urban environment go to https://bloomingcurious.com/the-meaning-of-n…gogy-in-practice/

    🆓 Download the FREE e-guide How to Nurture Natural Curiosity HERE

    ✍️ Sign up to Get Curious, the inspirational weekly newsletter for curious parents and educators HERE

    💌Connect with Edwina:

    Email: [email protected]

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blooming_curious/

    Website: https://www.bloomingcurious.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomingcurious

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@edsbloomingcurious

    ☕️ If you like my work and want to encourage me to keep going you can do so by Buying me a Coffee. Any contribution will be gratefully received and will certainly give me the kick I need to keep going.☕️

    42 min
  • How to plan for and integrate inquiry into your existing teaching

    So you're inspired to integrate inquiry-based learning into your existing lessons, but you 're struggling to know how to go about it. This episode will walk you through the process and give you some ideas of how you can integrate inquiry into your planning and everyday lessons.

    🔗 Links mentioned:

    Download the planning sheet HERE

    Step-by-step Integrated inquiry teaching guide HERE

    The most effective strategies for student learning HERE

    Jessica Vance at https://www.instagram.com/jess_vanceedu/

    🆓 Download the FREE e-guide How to Nurture Natural Curiosity HERE

    ✍️ Sign up to Get Curious, the inspirational weekly newsletter for curious parents and educators HERE

    💌Connect with Edwina:

    Email: [email protected]

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blooming_curious/

    Website: https://www.bloomingcurious.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomingcurious

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@edsbloomingcurious

    ☕️ If you like my work and want to encourage me to keep going you can do so by Buying me a Coffee. Any contribution will be gratefully received and will certainly give me the kick I need to keep going.☕️

    16 min
  • What's the Most Effective Strategy for Student Learning?

    What is the most effective strategy for student learning? According to the latest Australian news reports, Australian children are performing terribly and the real culprit is the fact that teachers are not teaching using an explicit instruction model. In today's episode I explore very subtly (can you guess what it is?) what the issue might be, and exactly what it is we're trying to achieve if we are not using a whole repertoire of strategies.

    🔗 Links mentioned:

    The most effective strategies for student learning

    https://explicitinstruction.org/download/sample-chapter.pdf an excerpt by Anita L Archer and Charles A Hughes from the publication Explicit Instruction and Efficient Teaching

    https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1188027.pdf Teachers Taking up Explicit Instruction: The Impact of a Professional Development and Directive Instructional Coaching Model

    🆓 Download the FREE e-guide How to Nurture Natural Curiosity HERE

    ✍️ Sign up to Get Curious, the inspirational weekly newsletter for curious parents and educators HERE

    💌Connect with Edwina:

    Email: [email protected]

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blooming_curious/

    Website: https://www.bloomingcurious.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomingcurious

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@edsbloomingcurious

    ☕️ If you like my work and want to encourage me to keep going you can do so by Buying me a Coffee. Any contribution will be gratefully received and will certainly give me the kick I need to keep going.☕️

    13 min
  • How to Integrate Inquiry and Nurture Curiosity

    You cannot expect children to be curious, if you yourself are not curious. In this episode Edwina gives you the tips and strategies you need to nurture your own curiosity so that you are better able to spot opportunities for nurturing it in the children you teach. Curiosity naturally leads to inquiry. Edwina demonstrates how the inquiry process is closely aligned to the strategies for nurturing your own curiosity and takes you through the step-by-step process for nurturing that natural curiosity in children and reawakening it in ourselves.

    🔗 Links mentioned:

    🆓 Download the FREE e-guide How to Nurture Natural Curiosity HERE

    ✍️ Sign up to Get Curious, the inspirational weekly newsletter for curious parents and educators HERE

    💌Connect with Edwina:

    Email: [email protected]

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blooming_curious/

    Website: https://www.bloomingcurious.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomingcurious

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@edsbloomingcurious

    ☕️ If you like my work and want to encourage me to keep going you can do so by Buying me a Coffee. Any contribution will be gratefully received and will certainly give me the kick I need to keep going.☕️

    18 min

About Blooming Curious

From the publisher's feed

Blooming Curious is for K-2 teachers and homeschool parents who want children to genuinely love learning. Hosted by early childhood educator Edwina Cottino, each episode shares practical,…