Vision Blog #1- Inquiry Based Learning Within the Classroom

Vision Blog #1- Inquiry Based Learning Within the Classroom

Design Considerations

This blog will outline your early ideas, goals, and potential designs. It is early in the brainstorming process, so these early ideas can change and evolve. 

For my future vision project, I would like to focus on examining how to incorporate inquiry based learning within the classroom. Some of the topics I wish to explore includes the following.

1.     Benefits to inquiry based learning

2.     Collaboration and inquiry based learning

3.     How to create learning spaces that support inquiry based learning

4.     How to tweak previous lessons to be more aligned with inquiry based learning

5.     Models of inquiry based learning

6.     How to incorporate inquiry based learning into a unit plan

Some Early Ideas From Research

Benefits/Goal of Inquiry

As educators often, times we are so focused on meeting the demands of the curriculum  and teaching content and facts that we often forget to teach students how to become life-long learners. One of my goals of incorporating inquiry-based learning within my classroom

is to work beyond superficial fact-gathering towards developing and solving complex questions, such as those our students will actually encounter in the real world (Donham, 2011). I want for my students to be asking questions, and making meaning (Donham, 2011). Additionally, my goal is to apply inquiry in a way that permits students to utilize it in a real-world application (Donham, 2011). In other words, learning will be meaningful to the student’s world and be insightful for them (Donham, 2011). The intellectual exploration that comes with inquiry is also rewarding as it prompts students to develop new skills such as asking good questions (Donham, 2011). Students can engage in figuring out what type of question to ask meaning-oriented, relational, value-oriented, and solution oriented (Donham, 2011).

Learning Spaces and Inquiry

The most important element that can be incorporated in a school library learning commons to optimally enhance inquiry-based learning are collaborative breakout spaces (Lippman, 2013). There are four different options for breakout spaces (Lippman, 2013). The first is the breakout niche which is open spaces, such as hallways and intersections, where a small waiting area is present for students to use their laptops, tablets, and handheld devices in (Lippman, 2013). The second is breakout hollows, which are more private and semi-enclosed instructional space to support one to three learners (Lippman, 2013). They may contain movable chairs, and stools, and be an area in which students may work on their laptops, tablets, or hand-held devices (Lippman, 2013). The third option would be to incorporate breakout rooms, in which a private closed setting for one to six people can collaborate using hard-wired computers, interactive projectors, or LCD screens (Lippman, 2013). Breakout nodes promote independent, small group, or large group interactions, and could include sunken floors (Lippman, 2013).

Model of Inquiry Based Learning

Barbara Stripling- Process of Inquiry All information taken from (Stripling, 2004)

Connection Phase 1.     Connect to what they know and ideas from others. Connect via “text-to-self,” “text-to-text,” and “text- to- world.” 2.     Build background knowledge to reveal interest. 3.     Provide context for learning via vocab.

Wonder Phase 1.     Ask questions directed by teacher that tie to curriculum and prompt investigation. 2.     Asks to make predictions based on questions.

Investigation Phase 1.     Comprehending text and making meaning. Respond to the text by taking notes in a variety of formats, compose reading responses, create patterns of organization, monitor own comprehension, generate new questions and predictions.

Construct Phase 1.     Think about ideas and build new understanding of previous knowledge. 2.     Verbalize what they understand about topic after investigation.

Express Phase 1.     Students will express themselves based on audience.

Reflect Phase 1.     Think about their own product and phase.

Other models to explore will include the following.

-       Carol Kuthlthau’s Guided Inquiry: The Information Search Process (ISP)

·      Six Stages

o   Initiation

o   Selection

o   Exploration

o   Formulation

o   Collection

o   Presentation

-       Eisenberg and Berkowitz’s Big6 model

o   Task Definition

o   Information Seeking Strategies

o   Location and Access

o   Use of Information

o   Synthesis

o   Evaluation

Work Cited

Donham, J. (2011). Assignments worth doing. School Library Monthly. 28(2): 5-7.

Lippman, P. C. (2013). Collaborative spaces. T H E Journal 40(1): 32-37.

Stripling, B. K. (2004). Using inquiry to explode myths about learning and libraries. CSLA Journal, 28(1), 15–17.