Vision Post #2- The Audience

Why Inquiry?

With the changes that have occurred over the last few years in the curriculum, teachers have started to redefine what and how they teach their students. According to Loris Lanning and Lynn Erickson today’s educators are realizing that curriculum and instruction must move beyond knowledge and skills to include deeper understanding at the conceptual level of thinking (LLED 469 Module 2 Notes). One way of doing so would be to utilize concept based teaching which separates what a student should know factually, and understand conceptually while using the correct strategies and skills (LLED 469 Module 2 Notes). This aligns nicely with the BC curriculum model of KUD (know, understand, do), and ensures that students are moving away from covering facts to understanding concepts and developing conceptual understanding (LLED 469 Module 2 Notes). By tying in the new movement of the BC curriculum with inquiry provides a strong stance and justification for why inquiry should be used. One article that builds and supports this rationale is that of Jean Donham’s “Deep Learning through Concept-based Inquiry.” In this reading it was noted that students needed to engage in a conceptual lens (2010). Concepts would have attributes such as, being broad and abstract, universal in application, timeless, and be represented by different examples that share common attributes (Donham, 2010). By implementing and utilizing the concept- based method students would yield a different kind of thinking and questioning than the traditional method (Donham, 2010). This level of complexity would go beyond knowing or understanding towards analyzing and comparison (Donham, 2010). The amazing thing about the concept-based model is that although complex it can be developed among young children (Donham, 2010). With that being said teachers need to move beyond the traditional method towards more of a concept-based inquiry method.

Who is Vision For & Why?

This vision is for educators because despite being the moving force of inquiry education many are still stuck in the traditional method of teaching. As Kristin Fontichiaro stated in her article, “Building Inquiry Understanding with Classroom Colleagues,” teachers may have little to no preparation in research pedagogy (2015). In fact, many K-12 teachers have not learned how to teach strategies for research, and therefore are too afraid to ask what inquiry is or apply it (Fontichiaro, 2015). In other instances, teachers implement inquiry, but they do so on the basis of inquiry based teaching and not inquiry based learning (Stripling, 2012). This is to say teachers take part in the inquiry line of questions and conclusions, but they do not pay attention to developing inquiry skills in students so that they can conduct inquiry on their own (Stripling, 2012). Therefore, as a TL based on the mini-inquiry bursts, and strong teacher control, my goal would be to insert inquiry without creating disruption. One method would be to an embedded librarian that goes to the class to teach the inquiry process, co-teach the skills of inquiry, offer scaffolds for phases of inquiry that are not emphasized by teacher (Stripling, 2012). The second would be to create this vision project that informs teachers of what inquiry is, how to use it within the classroom, and how to learn more about it. So, in short the vision is for teachers because they are at the forefront of teaching inquiry and the reason for the project is to educate and inform them because some simply do not know while others are utilizing a method that could be more effective. 

Work Cited

Donham, J. (2010). Deep learning through concept-based inquiry. School Library Monthly 27(1): 8-11.

Fontichiaro, K. (2015c). Building inquiry understanding with colleagues. School Library Monthly 31(5): 49-51.

Stripling, B. K. (2012a). Inquiry through the eyes of classroom teachers. School Library Monthly, 28(8), 18–20.