The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. What is Inquiry-based learning?
In inquiry-based learning, students use their questions to uncover curriculum. This approach is in contrast to learning a subject only through a textbook or having a teacher tell students the questions they have to go answer. Ideally, this alternative process of posing questions, finding information, interpreting the information and sharing the information harnesses or re-sparks a student's own curiosity to find out answers.
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Why use Inquiry-based learning?
There are many reasons why inquriy-based learning should be a learning approach incorporated into a classroom. Here are some of them:
In the big picture of education, if a student can be engaged in school and become a life longer learners who thinks critically, that student has the skills and inclinations necessary to become an active citizen in a democracy. Incidentally, they would also have many of the seven survival skills that Dr. Tony Wagner, writer of the The Global Achievement Gap, that students will need to be successful in the future economy. . |
In this video, Dr. Tony Wagner presents 7 survival skills that students will need in the future economy. Can you make the connection between how these skills are encouraged through inquiry-based learning?
http://www.tonywagner.com/7-survival-skills |
In March and April 2013, the FFP class worked on a inquiry-based project exploring the theme Chasing Home, inspired by the TedX Waterloo event of the same name. The students are being guided through this project as a way of learning what inquiry-based learning is and how it can work. Below is an evolving document of this process.
1. CONTEXT
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Explanation of Step
Before being able to think of interesting questions, you often need some context to an idea or issue. Often a teacher provides context but this is a step in the process that you need to think about as you become more of an independent learning.
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What we did in class:
To build context we:
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2. POSE QUESTIONS
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Explanation of Step
Coming up with great questions is a skill to master but it usually comes as a result of a good process.
Here are some of things we tried to help create great questions: 1. Brainstorming Rules
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I was away for a day and prepared this video as a way of recapping where we are.
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3. FIND RESOURCES
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Explanation of Step
Finding resources is a step that takes tenacity, determination and continued curiosity. Easy answers don't exist or if they seem to, need to be investigated deeply. Here some skills we will work on:
a. Using your Library b. Understanding the differences between primary, secondary sources and opinion sources. c. Academic vs. Non Academic d. Evaluating whether the resource is useful |
4. INTERPRET INFORMATION
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Coming soon...
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5. REPORT FINDINGS
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Research
"Alberta Education - Teachers." Alberta Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.learning.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/focusoninquiry.pdf>.
Banchi, H, and R Bell. " The Many Levels of Inquiry. ." Science and Children 46.2 (0): 26-29. www.nsta.org. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
"Inquiry-based learning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquiry-based_learning>.
Banchi, H, and R Bell. " The Many Levels of Inquiry. ." Science and Children 46.2 (0): 26-29. www.nsta.org. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
"Inquiry-based learning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquiry-based_learning>.