1. Respectful Classrooms using the Community of Inquiry Approach
a presentation by
Lorelei Siegloff
B.A. (Hons), B.VA. (Hons) M.Teach.
The South Australian Philosophy in Education Association

2. Activity: Community of Inquiry
Ensure you have your name tag on!
Sit in your group
Say hi 

3. “What changed in Australian law after Sep 11 and was it reasonable or unreasonable?”

4. Part 1: Groups Each group has a few ‘changes’ to evaluate together
In groups decide by negotiating a consensus (everyone agrees)
If the change that occurred was reasonable or not
How reasonable – more or less on the spectrum
And why – your group’s justification

5. Group Rules Kind Patient Inclusive Respectful
Only one speaker at a time
Inclusive
Listening
Reflecting
Respectful
Gentle voices
Consensus – Everyone must agree

6. Part 2: Reporting Back to Class
The class sits in a large circle facilitated by the teacher with the spectrum on floor in middle
Each group in turn will place their ‘changes’ on a spectrum of reasonableness and explain their reasoning for each placement “changes’ can’t co-exist on the spectrum

7. No-one else may speak whilst they set out the ‘changes’ (maybe use a talking stick/ball etc.)
After each group has finished an open discussion can occur about whether or not others agree with the placement and why
Only one person speaks at a time
The whole class must negotiate to arrive at a new consensus or the issue stays where it is

8. Adding complexity...
Rework the spectrum from different perspectives; i.e.
Political (Pragmatic)
Historical (not invested?)
Ethical (civil rights/community vs individual)
Legal principles (Right/wrong)

9. Part 3: Review
Reflect on the process of negotiating a consensus with the class
Students can spend a few minutes writing a personal reflection of their thoughts about the ‘changes’ that occurred

10. Philosophical Pedagogy: Matthew Lipman
Building on Dewey
Classroom learning is a social activity in which “questioning, reasoning, connecting, deliberating, challenging, and developing problem-solving techniques” can occur
The classroom as “gestalt” (intersubjective knowledge)
Community of Inquiry is reflective, democratic, and rigorous
It is based in dialogue

11. Thinking about a unit of SACE work
Establishing group norms at the outset
How do you do this?
Set up class groups that are used in most lessons
Teacher established (non-negotiable)
Build Community of Inquiry skills across the unit
Interweave with AC outcomes & Skills +Blooms Taxonomy + SACE Capabilities/Performance Standards ...

12. Arc of Skills Development
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Resources
PPT
Websites
Videos
Texts
Artefacts
Skills
Negotiation
Note taking
Reading effectively
Knowledge
Comprehension
Evaluation
Critical Analysis
Online research
Sequencing
Application
Comparison
Values & Ethics
Inquiry
Understanding
Perspectives
Investigation
Synthesis
Formative
Activity
Intro group activity: reading together
More note taking
Developing group models
Shared timeline
Community of Inquiry Activity
Group presentations
Modelling note taking from video
Source analysis of video
Classification of notes against a model
Shared research time using timeline focus
Developing Inquiry questions
Assessments
Source Analysis
Group projects drawn from timelines
Textual Inquiry Assessment

13. Activity: Classification of Notes Against a Model
Do you have a model you’re using? (e.g. aspects of a totalitarian state, the intelligence cycle)
Have the groups/students developed one?
Have they identified it through their reading?
Home work reading with note taking
A series of white boards/poster papers set out around the room with a heading from each stage in the model
Groups work through their notes to find examples of each parts of the model.
They then write up the note (with a page ref) on the boards
The class has a fixed time to get the notes up into their categories
When complete a review process lead by teacher or a student to remove duplicate notes and discuss if they are in the right place in the model.

14. The Model A lens through which data can be analysed
Source analysis model
A subject specific model
A series of themes

15. Activity: Developing Inquiry Questions
Students discuss possible issues to investigate further drawn from the Community of Inquiry activity
Students identify an inquiry action
Why, How etc..
Students discuss applying a perspective to their investigation
Reasonableness, ethical, just et.
How can they measure this perspective?

16. In Summary It’s all about developing a classroom culture that is;
Respectful
Inquisitive (with Wonder, per Socrates)
Thoughtful
And excited about learning as a community.
Thanks for your brilliant participation!

17. Further Resources
The SA Philosophy in Education Association sapea.weebly.com fapsa.org.au

18. References
Cam, P. 2013, Philosophy Park: A beginner’s guide to great philosophers and their ideas, Acer Pub.
Cam, P. 2006, Twenty Thinking Tools, Acer Pub.
Davey Chesters S. 2012, The Socratic Classroom: Reflective Thinking through Collaborative Inquiry, Sense Publishers
Lipman, M. 1980, Philosophy in the Classroom, Temple Uni Press
Lipman, M. 2003, Thinking in Education (2nd ed.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.