Transcript Inquiry-Based Learning

Inquiry-Based Learning
MAT Project
Veronica Robinson
Initial thoughts…
Create an inquiry-based lesson.
Write a compare/contrast paper on
Discovery Learning versus Inquiry-Based
Learning.
Can inquiry happen in math?
Considerations
Will I have time to plan meaningful inquiry
experiences?
Will I be able to cover the curriculum that
has to be taught?
Will I be willing to let go of the control I
now have in my class?
Define “inquiry”:
“Inquiry implies involvement that leads to
understanding. Furthermore, involvement
in learning implies possessing skills and
attitudes that permit you to seek
resolutions to questions and issues while
you construct new knowledge.”
Inquiry is a constructivist concept.
Jean Piaget viewed constructivism as a way
of explaining how people come to know
the world around them.
Discovery learning is an inquiry-based
constructivist learning theory.
Jerome Bruner stated that discovery
learning takes place in problem solving
situations where the learner draws on his
or her own past experience and existing
knowledge to discover facts and
relationships and new truths to be learned.
Other references to inquiry
learning:
Discovery learning
Guided discovery
Problem-based learning
Simulation-based learning
Case-based learning
Incidental learning
Inquiry is not so much about
seeking the “right” answer.
It’s about seeking appropriate
resolutions to questions and
issues.
A LOOK AT SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS
Traditional Classrooms
Curriculum is presented part to
whole, with emphasis on basic
skills.
Constructivist Classrooms
Curriculum is presented whole to part
with emphasis on big concepts.
Strict adherence to fixed curriculum
is highly valued.
Pursuit of student questions is highly
valued.
Curricular activities rely heavily on
textbooks and workbooks.
Curricular activities rely heavily on
primary sources of data and
manipulative materials.
Students are viewed as “blank slates”
onto which information is etched
by the teacher.
Students are viewed as thinkers with
emerging theories about the
world.
Teachers generally behave in a
didactic manner, disseminating
information to students.
Teachers generally behave in an
interactive manner, mediating
the environment for students.
Teachers seek the correct answer to
validate student learning.
Teachers seek the students’ points
of view in order to understand
students’ present conceptions
for use in subsequent lessons.
Assessment of student learning is
viewed as separate from
teaching and occurs almost
entirely through testing.
Assessment of student learning is
interwoven with teaching and
occurs through teacher
observations of students at
work and through student
exhibitions and portfolios.
Students primarily work alone.
Students primarily work in groups.
“For educators, inquiry implies
emphasis on the development
of inquiry skills and the nurturing
of inquiring attitudes or habits or
mind that will enable individuals
to continue the quest for
knowledge throughout life.”
Four “myths” about inquiry:
Inquiry-based instruction subordinates the
curriculum to the interests of the child.
All subject matter should be taught
through inquiry.
Student engagement in hands-on activities
guarantees that inquiry teaching and
learning are taking place.
All inquiry-based lessons are open-ended.
Features of Classroom Inquiry:
Students are engaged with a question.
Students give priority to evidence.
Students develop explanations based on
their evidence.
Students evaluate their explanations in
light of alternative explanations.
Students communicate and justify their
proposed explanations.
Inquiry is a continuum!
One end is “teacher
guided;” he/she…
Provides question
Provides data and
method of analysis
Provides evidence
Tells the connections
Provides steps &
procedures for
communication.
Other end is “learner selfdirected;” learner…
Poses question
Determines what
constitutes evidence &
collects it
Summarizes evidence &
forms explanation
Independently forms
connections
Communicates & justifies
explanations.
“The 5 E’s Learning Cycle
Instructional Model”
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Engage
Activities mentally engage students by
asking a question, defining a problem, or
showing a discrepant event.
Activities capture the learners’ interest and
helps them make connections with what
they know and can do.
Explore
Students encounter specifically designed
exploration activities allowing them to have
common, concrete experiences that begin
building concepts.
Experiences are provided that a teacher
can use later to formally introduce a
concept, process, or skill.
Explain
Students and the teacher are provided with
common terms relative to the learning task.
The teacher directs student attention to specific
aspects of the engagement and exploration
experiences.
Students give their explanations; then the
teacher introduces [mathematical] explanations
based on what the students shared.
The teacher connects the explanations to
experiences in the engagement and exploration
phases.
Elaborate
Further activities help students elaborate
on their understanding of the concepts.
Interaction between students is essential;
it allows students to construct a deeper
understanding of the concepts.
Evaluate
The teacher evaluates students’ understanding
of concepts and their proficiency with various
skills.
Students should receive feedback on the
adequacy of their explorations.
The teacher can use a variety of formal and
informal procedures for evaluation.
Students should do more than recite isolated bits
of information and vocabulary words.
Working on this project has been
an inquiry-based activity!
I became engaged with a question.
I explored the question.
Writing the paper involved explaining and
elaborating.
The advisors will evaluate this, but I also
have evaluated my own progress and
knowledge.