Over the past 7 weeks I have been learning everything I need to know about Inquiry Learning so that I can successfully implement it into my own classroom.
I created an inquiry lesson/unit that compasses many aspects of inquiry learning. I welcome any feedback and encourage you to take a look!
How I sum up my thoughts on Inquiry learning:
- Inquiry learning begins with posing questions, problems, and sometimes scenarios- rather than facts/concepts.
- Unfortunately, many school systems work AGAINST inquiry learning. This is, in part, do to all of the requirements teachers are faced with- and, dare I say it, demands set forth from the PDE and PSSA's/ Keystone exams.
- Rote memorization is not so much an important skill in the 21st century of learning. Teachers need to become advocates of inquiry learning in the classroom!
I created an inquiry lesson/unit that compasses many aspects of inquiry learning. I welcome any feedback and encourage you to take a look!
How I sum up my thoughts on Inquiry learning:
- Inquiry learning begins with posing questions, problems, and sometimes scenarios- rather than facts/concepts.
- Unfortunately, many school systems work AGAINST inquiry learning. This is, in part, do to all of the requirements teachers are faced with- and, dare I say it, demands set forth from the PDE and PSSA's/ Keystone exams.
- Rote memorization is not so much an important skill in the 21st century of learning. Teachers need to become advocates of inquiry learning in the classroom!
According to Concept to Classroom (thirteen.org):
"Educators must understand that schools need to go beyond data and information accumulation and move toward the generation of useful and applicable knowledge . . . a process supported by inquiry learning. In the past, our country's success depended on our supply of natural resources. Today, it depends upon a workforce that "works smarter."
"Through the process of inquiry, individuals construct much of their understanding of the natural and human-designed worlds. Inquiry implies a "need or want to know" premise. Inquiry is not so much seeking the right answer -- because often there is none -- but rather seeking appropriate resolutions to questions and issues. For educators, inquiry implies emphasis on the development of inquiry skills and the nurturing of inquiring attitudes or habits of mind that will enable individuals to continue the quest for knowledge throughout life."
How I will implement Inquiry Learning into MY OWN classroom:
- Literature Circles
- Author studies
- Book Clubs
- Web 2.0 tools
- Discovery Education
- Discovery Education techbooks
- Investigatable Questions
- NI Questions
- Higher-level thinking skills
- Backwards Design (UBD)
- Implement Inquiry skills step by step
- Formative Assessment/ Summative Assessment
- Collecting/ Analyzing Data
- Plickers (web 2.0 tool for surveying/ questioning/ assessing student mastery
Still desire to learn more about Inquiry Learning?
Check out these great resources:
Concept to Classroom
Inquiry Learning in the Classroom
Inquiry-based Learning
No burning questions or misconceptions here- I feel like an inquiry expert! I can't wait to take what I learned throughout the past seven weeks and transfer it to my own classroom in just a few short weeks! I feel like a beginning teacher in a way (almost bursting with so many new things I can't wait to try)!
Inquiry Based Learning in Reading:
What are YOUR thoughts on implementing inquiry learning into a reading classroom?
Inquiry Based Learning in Reading:
What are YOUR thoughts on implementing inquiry learning into a reading classroom?