INQUIRY LEARNING AT MANOR LAKES P-12

COLLEGE

As learners, we all have experiences from which we draw when facing new challenges.

Inquiry is the process by which a learner uses their background knowledge to approach new situations, and

asks questions to fi nd out more.

Students can make connections by: Bringing in objects/art ifacts

Describing experiences Reading l iterature that

encourages their own stories Creating works of art that

refl ect thoughts Role playing situations

Writing or sketching responses Conduct surveys.. . and many

more!

INQUIRY LEARNING IS ABOUT MAKING CONNECTIONS

‘WHY AM I LEARNING THIS?’

Would I be engaged?

Would I see the point?

Would I be building on my prior knowledge?

Would I be inspired?

Would I enjoy being in my classroom space?

IF I WAS THE STUDENT…..

‘TRADITIONAL’ TEACHING VS INQUIRY

Makes the process obvious to students – Learning intentions clearSay to the chi ldren we are tuning in… we are gathering data… we are sort ing

out. . Talk about and display BIG UNDERSTANDINGS (related to your learning

outcomes) l ink activit ies to these understandings. Big understandings should not be answered in one session Instead of a tit le for your unit why not use a question?

What is the role of technology in theatre? Year 5 and 6 prop making for a school production

How can we create a healthy garden? Big understandings: diff erent types of gardens, diff erent conditions needed to grow, diff erent roles and responsibi l i t ies in the group…

How can I be the best that I can be? Commonwealth games/Gold medal -Olympic games

What, why and how do we buy? Leading up to a school market day. How could/can we create a fi tness circuit at school?What makes things move?New Zealand- how has it changed and why?

INQUIRY…..

YOU MIGHT NOTICE…

Students feel very challenged! Especially at the beginning! Improved learning confi dence Improved ability to make links between concepts and real l ife

(Taking Action/Going Further) It helps children take responsibility for their learning Provides for new learning – extends on prior – helps to fi nd new Students evaluate their learning and each others Detailed approach – working through the sequence of activities Allows students to use a variety of great thinking tools Caters for a range of learning styles – multiple intelligences Allows for deeper understanding – students make connections Gives students a real purpose for learning Allows success for all – collaborative learning Students see teacher as a learner also Students own it! – their work their ideas. High engagement – ownership, authenticity, relevance Deeper independent learning skil ls Vehicle for integration of the curriculum Fosters connected learning – a sense of journey Taps into student’s CURIOSITY

Time constraintsNot reaching the

full potential of each stage of inquiry

Teacher anxietyStudent anxiety

‘MANAGING’ AN INQUIRY UNIT

TEACHERS TALKING ABOUT INQUIRY

THE INQUIRY MODEL

Jenni Wilson/Kath Murdoch model

TuningFinding Out/Sorting OutGoing FurtherTaking Action/Reflection

THE INQUIRY PROCESS

TUNING IN

1 week

MOTIVATION & ENGAGEMENT

5 weeks

1 week

Global Competence: Teaching Young Learners to Take Action

http://www.edutopia.org/stw-global-competence-classroom-tips-video

3 weeks

STUDENTS TALKING ABOUT INQUIRY

Classrooms where teachers emphasize inquiry-based learning have the following characteristics (Drayton & Falk, 2001):

  Inquiry is in the form of authentic (real- l i fe) problems within the context of the curriculum and/or community.  The inquiry capital izes on student curiosity .  Data and information are actively used , interpreted, refi ned, digested and discussed.  Teachers and students col laborate.  Community and society are connected with the inquiry.  The teacher models the behaviours of inquirer.  The teacher uses the language of inquiry on an ongoing basis.  Students take ownership of their learning.  The teacher faci l i tates the process of gathering and presenting information.  The teacher and students use technology to advance inquiry.  The teacher embraces inquiry as both content and pedagogy.  The teacher and students interact more frequently and more actively than during tradit ional teaching.  There is an identifi able t ime for inquiry-based learning.

IN A NUT SHELL……

ROLES

The Role of the Teacher in an Inquiry

Classroom

Listening

Participating

Coaching

Articulating children’s implied connections

Inviting children to elaborate

Scaffolding

Provoking

Recording

Guiding

Negotiating power

Inquiry is NOT ALWAYS...

Expressed as a question

Clearly or perfectly articulated

And another perspective on roles of the

teacher...

1. Motivator

2. Diagnostician 3. Guide

4. Innovator

5. Experimenter

6. Researcher 7. Modeller

8. Mentor

9. Collaborator 10. Learner

(Crawford, 2000, in Focus on Inquiry, Alberta Education, pg.

37)

Have a look at the samples providedShare what you have used with your group Jot down at least one tool you can use in the next

inquiry unit

TOOLS/RESOURCES FOR ‘MANAGING’

Contracts & Portfolios – Jeni Wilson ‘Little Books’Timelines

SOME IDEAS

How do we ensure we are covering AusVELS? How do we ensure students are developing the skils and knowledge required?

Pressure to cover content? Who benefi ts most from the way the content is delivered?

1. Curriculum Maps-provide us with the ‘what’2. Key Understandings- break down the AusVELS/Curriculum Map

content into ‘bite-size’ pieces3. Decide ‘how’ this knowledge and skil ls will be assessed

**Eff ective Assessment Practices-provide a range of opportunities for students to demonstrate skills and knowledge developed, they include for, as and of opportunities, may be developed in negotiation with students and allow them to demonstrate new knowledge and skil ls that may not be on the curriculum map

4. Taking Action- The use of rubrics

ASSESSMENT

When planning the unit of inquiry you wil l plan: The content knowledge (key understandings/curriculum map) which wil l be assessedANDThe skil ls which students wil l develop (which wil l also be assessed)

As a team you wil l need to make sure you are all clear of what is EXPECTED of students You will then need to decide HOW to assess these Consider….-The types of assessment which wil l suit this unit of inquiry-The types of assessment students have already completed in the past-How students can be involved in negotiating the assessment-How to ensure students can demonstrate beyond the level or knowledge/skil ls which they fi nd link to the unit-How to spread assessment across the inquiry process-How to cater for a range of learners-How to allow for diff erent progress rates

ASSESSMENT

ASSESSMENT

Kathy chose the ocean because it was a high-interest topic for fi rst graders and she had many appropriate books and materials to use as resources. At the beginning of the year, she made a list of the units to be studied that year and decided what would be taught. The ocean was scheduled for January because she thought it might enliven the Indiana winter. In teaching this unit, she read books to the students, pulled together thematic sets of books for browsing in the classroom, and engaged students in activit ies, such as science experiments with salt water and art activit ies with watercolor washes and a large mural of sea creatures. She arranged to show movies on the ocean, brought in her own collection of seashells and specimens, and planned learning experiences where students categorized seashells and wrote in fi sh shaped books. To conclude the unit, Kathy asked students each to choose one sea creature for research and then to write a short informational book with many pictures. At the end of the unit, Kathy gathered up and returned the library books and packed up her materials until the next January.

SCENARIO 1

Kathleen’s class inquiry, or focus, on the ocean began when several chi ldren went to San Diego over spring break and returned to the classroom with stories about a huge body of water and sea animals that seemed improbable to chi ldren who had spent their l ives in the desert. The chi ldren’s questions and interest led to a class decision to study the ocean. Kathleen gathered fi ction, nonfi ction, and poetry on the ocean from the l ibrary as wel l as a col lection of seashel ls, photographs, art prints, and music. Chi ldren who had been to the ocean added their own seashel l col lections, pictures and books. Over the course of a week, chi ldren had t ime to tel l their stories, browse the materials, and gather each day to share their observations and questions, which were l isted on a large sheet of paper. The class then used this l ist to create a web of questions that were most s ignifi cant to them. The web became a sign-up sheet for the research groups on why oceans have waves, the diff erence between mol luscs and jel lyfi sh, the teeth and jaw structures of sharks, and how to keep the ocean water clean. Kathleen and the students pul led together resource sets for each group, and students met in their groups to pursue their research. As they worked, they real ised that they needed tools for keeping track of what they were fi nding, so each group developed some kind of chart, web, graph, or diagram to record their data. Students shared their research through presentations that ranged from murals to written books to dramas. After the class focus ended, many of the books remained in a corner of the classroom, and some chi ldren continued their exploration of the ocean throughout the rest of the school year. As they explored the ocean, many students became interested in environmental issues. So the class decided that this topic would be their next class focus.

SCENARIO 2