Inquiry learning

What is inquiry based learning?

Brain based and constructivist learning is a huge area to learn about but basically it’s the theory behind inquiry learning. Brain based learning put simply means using what scientists know about the brain to understand how students learn best. Constructivist learning is the means by which we construct learning. It is based on students participating in constructing their own learning and the teacher facilitating this rather than teaching it to students as in the traditional chalk and talk model.

Inquiry based learning takes a bit of getting used to and every new topic always has challenges. Students quickly learn to see relevance for learning through various hands on activities, reading, being able to work in groups and independently on topics. They love discovering new things and letting their teachers and parents / caregivers know. Teachers can also learn much from them in their investigations whether it’s through assisting in reading information or sharing research at the end of a topic. It’s all about continued learning.

If you would like more information these links will help. Jamie McKenzie’s website is helpful http://questioning.org/rcycle.html. It includes information about the research cycle, questioning & planning, how to do web searches, sorting & sifting information, synthesizing, evaluating & reporting. Includes links to other sites & diagrams. The basics around the Inquiry model in the section below are based his model.

Kath Murdoch also has an article called - What makes a good inquiry unit

http://www.eqa.edu.au/site/whatmakesagoodinquiry.html

If you have never used inquiry learning one of the best links is the Concept to Classroom site. It outlines the process in lesson format with videos from teachers, text and pictures. This site also has links to constructivist theory and multiple intelligences.

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index.html

You could also look at 10 tips for inquiry based learning at

http://www.worksheetlibrary.com/teachingtips/inquirybasedlearningtips.html

For a further definition of inquiry try The Inquiry Page website http://inquiry.illinois.edu/inquiry/definition.php3

For more Inquiry websites or information on constructivism and brain based learning click here

If you work in an IB/ PYP school the inquiry model will be familiar as units of work are set up in a similar way, although sifting and sorting is not covered in the PYP teacher planner. It is included on each of the teacher notes pages because it is important that students learn to sort and classify their key questions into groups and categories with the teacher before starting research as it provides information and a visual reference for the teacher, students and parents in what is being learnt.

                           The basics around the inquiry model

This is an outline of the inquiry process used in this site on all the teacher notes pages under each topic. To see examples go to the topic /themes tab at the top of this page. Click on one of the themes, then go to the teacher notes section. Click here for teacher tips on using this method.

To begin an inquiry the teacher may choose or negotiate with students a topic, theme or unit of work or start with a guiding statement or broad open ended question. From this some key questions which are again broad are usually developed prior to beginning work with students by the teacher. Teachers usually have considered how long the topic is likely to run for, starting points for the topic, theme or unit of work and how to introduce it to students in the planning stage. They consider resources that will be used and check that they have enough from a variety of places. This is important as students will ask a diverse range of questions. Teachers may organise an excursion or local visit and any other activities related to the topic. Teachers also need to think about the likely key questions students will ask as well as how to sort information, presentation of work, self evaluation, peer evaluation and assessment.

After introducing the topic, guiding statement / question the teacher asks the key questions and records student’s responses or asks students do this. The next step is usually sorting and sifting their responses into groups or categories. This can be teacher or student initiated and groups / categories decided together or by the teacher. It is a good idea for the teacher to make a chart with the groups or categories as headings. Then record student responses.

The next stage may be to read or look at resources related to student responses or sometimes teachers may go straight to students initiating their own key question(s). This will depend on how much the teacher thinks students know already and if they are ready to start asking their own questions.

Sometimes it might be necessary to give students some information before going further or they may participate in a range of activities that build up to asking questions. An excursion or trip is often pre-planned at this point to encourage excitement for learning. This makes it much more interesting, gives something for students to relate to and covers some basic information before introducing key questions. Some teachers call this front loading because it gives students a basis from which to start, in other words loading the brain with some information.

Key questions from students are then developed. A way to assist students can be to ask ‘I wonder…’ questions. Key question starters such as who, what, where, when, why, and how are great for defining the scope of the inquiry.Teachers and can refer to the chart made from sifting and sorting the initial information from the teacher’s key questions.

When all student key questions are asked sift and sort into categories as before. A quick way to sort the information with students is to ask them to write their questions on post-it notes. These can be quickly added to a chart under headings for everyone to see. For students who cannot write yet - teachers, parents or buddies could scribe for them.It is important that students learn to sort and classify their key questions into groups and categories with the teacher before starting research as it provides information and a visual reference for the teacher, students and parents in what is being learnt.

Students then choose to find out about one of these to start. After students have found out the answer to their question, they can investigate further and research other aspects of the topic. It is up to the teacher to decide how many questions they want students to find out about and which categories or groups should be covered depending on the topic and guiding statement / question. Ensure students keep their information or notes in whatever format you decide on. Information should be researched and collected first before starting presentation activities so that you can check students are not just copying slabs of information but recording it in their own words.The kidcyber site has information and tips on conducting research with students. http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/researchelp1.htm

Students try to find answers using a range of resources, and choose to present their findings in a variety of ways. The teacher acts as a facilitator rather than teaching the topic. Inquiry based learning assists students to go beyond just collecting facts and pictures and lower level learning. The intention of Inquiry based learning is for students to continue learning from their initial question and go further to ask more questions and see the bigger picture. It is also intended that students learn from their inquiries the importance of taking risks, making mistakes, and problem solving. One of the most crucial aspects is not only what has been learnt from the inquiry but what could be improved upon next time. They should be encouraged to think and record the problems and how they might do things differently next time.

Learning activities and presentation formats allow students to apply what they have found out and present it in an interesting way for themselves and others. There are various ways students could demonstrate their learning after collecting information about their question and anything else they find out about, within the broader topic. Ensure students choose different ways of presenting work for each new inquiry topic, so that a range of approaches are covered across the different multiple intelligences. This allows students to also experience a range of learning activities and presentation styles. You might decide to ask all students to present information in a set format (e.g. making a diorama). Or you might allow a choice of a few presentation formats. Free reign to allow students to choose any activity / format style really depends on the resources available to you and management. If you choose the latter some activities may take longer than others to complete. Often this is the case with art, craft or technology based activities. See the multiple intelligence page for ideas.

Students should be encouraged to present and share their findings and work to the class as not all students will have worked on the same or similar questions. This is a great way for all students to see and hear what has been learnt and how others present their work. Teachers should encourage students to also include any problems they faced how they might do things differently next time.

Learning about thinking or metacognition is the ultimate aim of any inquiry. Self evaluation is higher level skill and requires a deeper level of learning than just presenting facts. It is an important aspect of inquiry learning, so make sure you leave plenty of time for students to do this at the end of the topic. Spread presentations out over a few days as they can be time consuming.

Sharing group and individual work with the whole class has a 2 fold purpose.

1. It allows children to share their learning with others and reflect on their experience

2. It is allows teachers to gather information about their learning and ask questions

Did they find out what they wanted to know?
Did they find out anything else?
What would they do differently next time?
What were the challenges?
What else would they like to learn about on the topic?

Peer evaluation allows students to give positive comments about others work and how they could improve. This could be in verbal or written format.

Presenting work to parents or the school is another powerful way to report and show case learning. Most students really enjoy this and feel a sense of pride in their learning.

Teacher evaluation of students’ work

If you only evaluate the end product of what students have learnt then you miss the process they have worked through to get there. Rubrics can be developed by the teacher at the beginning of the unit of work and shared or developed with the class. Rubrics developed with the class before students start the research section means they know exactly what is required and how they will be assessed as they work through the topic. Student Rubric examples can be seen in the teacher notes for themes / topics on this site. They are more specific than the generic example below.

• 4 columns are used so that students can see the range of difference between improvement needed and excellence in work

• You could also modify the rubric and use only 3 columns with headings to simplify it further

(such as emerging, developing, consolidated)

• Having only a few major tasks to assess makes it easier for young students to understand

• Pick or negotiate the most important aspects of what you would like students to know,understand and be able to do.*

Example of a generic rubric that could be changed / negotiated with students

TASKS

IMPROVEMENT NEEDED

FAIR

GOOD

EXCELLENT

Involvement in developing student key questions and sifting/sorting ideas



Limited involvement. Needed help.(Work was done mainly by others for you)

Involvement with some cooperation. Some help was needed

Active cooperative Involvement

Active, interested, cooperative Involvement. Leadership shown.

Final product(based on 1 of the multiple intelligences)

You have shown a basic use of materials or creative elements

You have shown some good use of materials or creative elements

You have shown good use of materials or creative elements

You have shown excellent use of materials or creative elements

Written facts and information

You were able to find and record few facts (1-2) and information

You were able to find and record some facts (3-4)and information



You were able to find and record 5-6 good facts /information

You were able to find and record 7 or more excellent facts /information

Presenting your work to others

You found it difficult to tell others about what you had learnt and the problems you faced.Needed lots of help.

You needed some help with explaining to others what you had learnt and the problems you faced.

You could explain quite well what you had learnt and the problems you faced.

A great explanation of what you had learnt and the problems you faced

*Other tasks can be added in this column

For more help in designing your own rubrics try http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php This is a good site for making pre-designed rubrics or create your own from their ideas.

Teacher evaluation of the topic / theme /unit of work or guiding statement / question is important at the end of the unit so that you know how it went. It is useful to record this

under headings such as those below so that you know what worked well and anything that might be changed for next time.

o guiding statement / question

o teacher key questions

o sorting and sifting what students already know, and understand

o introduction to the theme

o student’s key questions

o sorting and sifting student key questions

o resources

o students - gathering information from resources to answer their questions

o student presentations

o self evaluations

o peer evaluations