INVOLVING OUR STUDENTS IN INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING
“Tell
me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand”
Last time I spoke about growth mindset and its advantages for both
learners and educators in the classroom. To summarize, the growth mindset flips
the script on what it means to be successful. No longer in the education system
should the definition of success be a grade, but rather a comparison of where you have come from where you began. Through perseverance and grit, learners battle through failures
and achievements in order to build upon their knowledge, no matter where they start.
I mentioned that as long as you are on the staircase, no matter which step, and
willing to work your way up, you are on the path to success.
The
growth mindset allows learners to be creative as it welcomes failure, so long
as learners are willing to learn from it. One way, which allows learners to use
creativity while they formulate quality questions and gather authentic,
real-world problems, is inquiry-based learning. Inquiry-based learning is a student-centred
approach, which asks learners to be active participants in their own learning,
while investigating real-world problems, allowing students to extend their
knowledge beyond the four walls of their classroom (Drake, 2014). Below is a video of how to implement
inquiry-based learning into your classroom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLjVOlnUoXU
By
involving students in active
exploration of real world problems, the hope is to create a sense of meaning and empowerment. Lay Leng and Polytechnic (2015) study shows that when students
find meaning in their education they are more likely to succeed both inside and
outside of the classroom. It shows that through problem-based learning settings,
students had enhanced engagement (active participation) and meaningful
learning. There is a plethora of research to backup the fact that students
engaging in the material in a problem or inquiry based manner, find greater
meaning and are more actively engaged.
So
how do we implement inquiry-based learning into our schools? Referring to the
adage at the beginning, it starts by involving
our learners in the classroom. Lecturing students on material out of a textbook
doesn’t give our learners a purpose, and therefore provides an education that lacks
meaning. By following the steps below, learners are able to ask questions, to
investigate, and to experiment, all while using and building critical thinking
skills.
I
had the opportunity to participate in a class where our entire structure was
case-based learning. We were given a case and divided up into different roles
so that as a group we were in contact with many professionals from the field,
research in the field, and opinions of those involved such as students and
parents. In this class, not only did I have the chance to personally connect
with the material, but also the cases allowed me to expand my knowledge outside
of our classroom at Brock University. The cases put the responsibility on us as
students to discover the different points of view and also gives motivation to
do the necessary work, as if you don’t you let your group down. While it was
most definitely a learning experience, I can say that I definitely found
meaning in taking control of my own learning and enjoyed learning through cases.
It
is said that failure is a necessary precursor to ultimate success. People say
that if you want to make it in the real world you must fail early, fail fast,
and fail often. I don’t buy into this. I think that through creative
investigation, group discussion, and personal reflection, all of which are a
piece to the inquiry-based learning pie, students have the chance to learn.
Replace each time it says failure with learning. I think that in order for learners
to be successful in the real world, the must learn early, learn fast, and learn
often. As educators we must involve our students in their own learning and one way
that we can do this is through inquiry-based learning.
Until next time,
Mr. Tiessen
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W.
(2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment:
Engaging the 21st Century Learner. Don
Mills, ON:Oxford University Press.
Lay Leng, C., & Polytechnic, T.
(2015). Enhanced Student Engagement and Meaningful Learning: A Curriculum
Redesign. International Journal Of Pedagogy & Curriculum, 22(2),
1-13.
Taylor, this was another great blog post. One of the things that I liked about this post was how you related your first post, with this second post. In your first post you talked about the growth mindset, and in this post you gave a practical example of how the growth mindset can be implemented within the classroom. Just a suggestion, but you should continue to talk about ways that the growth mindset can be implemented within the classrooms, to show that it is not just a theory, but that it is also very practical.
ReplyDeleteI also liked your concluding paragraph. I thought it was creative, how you switched 'fail' with 'learn' in that quote you used. This was cool, because once I finished reading your blog post, I began to reflect on that quote. As the writer of these blogs, I think that it is important that we write in such a way, that the reader reflects upon what they just read. In your blog, you were able to accomplish this.
To offer some constructive criticism, I said that I liked how you connected your blog posts together, however I think that you could have spent more time discussing the inquiry based learning model, and less time summarizing your previous post. Perhaps you could have summarized your previous post in one paragraph, and then spent the rest of the time talking about the inquiry based learning model. This may have given the reader a more thorough understanding of what the model is all about.
To leave you with a question, what grade should inquiry based learning be implemented in? Is it for younger, or older students?
Hi Taylor,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I appreciated the how you reminded your readers of your last topic and found a way to relate it to the post you wrote this week. It was a great leeway into the idea of Inquiry-based learning. Your definition of IBL is short and clear, which made it easy to understand.
Specifically, I liked how you made the point that students feel a sense of meaning and empowerment, which in turn leads them towards success. It's so true. When students are able to be involved and be participants in their own learning, they are more likely to be engaged and understand themselves and the material better.
I found I was really able to relate to this topic because I am learning so much about this style within my drama classes. Involvement is HUGE in learning and you expressed that very well. I aspire to use inquiry-based learning in my classroom.
For next time, I would agree that you may have spent a little too much time discussing your previous post. I think it would have been useful for you to shorten that section and maybe discuss the model more within your introduction.
Overall, I really enjoyed your blog this week and have seen some things that I would like to do in mine for next time, for example, how you provoked question. I enjoyed feeling involved as a reader in your post.
Great work :)
Hey Taylor! Your second blog clearly demonstrates your interest in examining the concept of inquiry-based learning, in which students are active participants in their own learning experiences. Your introduction paragraph, I personally liked as it states what you will be discussing and it catches the readers’ attention with the metaphor that you utilized from your first blog, ‘…As long as you are on the staircase, you are on the right path to success.’ You also emphasized the terms “involved” or “involving” that are bolded in order to let he readers know what you are clearly emphasizing and suggesting about inquiry-based learning. There are personal insights that are mentioned which definitely heightens your thoughts on this chosen topic; for example, the concept of case-based learning in which different points of perspectives or views of educational professionals, parents, students and research analyses can be conducted. In this way, you were able to be ‘involved’ in your education, in the learning experience.
ReplyDeleteI like how you chose the image of the inquiry-based learning cycle it outlines the necessary steps, and in order to move onto the next step, the previous step must be met first. In a way, the readers are able to get a visual glimpse and a clear understanding of the process of inquiry-based learning. The secondary resources are mentioned such as Lay Leng and Polytechnic, that when students find meaning in their education, they are more engaged and succeed both inside and outside of the classroom. I really enjoyed your concluding paragraph as it sums up the entire blog and in a way probes the readers to think about what it really means to be involved in the classroom. If there is any suggestion that I can give you is that in your secondary resource, Lay Leng and Polytechnic, you could have provided some examples as to how the students succeed inside and outside of the academic setting, so that the readers can be better educated and informed about the topic, probing them to reflect critically of how the concept be applied successful and to what circumstances it can reach. For example, does inquiry-based learning work for all the students? Does it enhance and suit the student's learning preference or needs in the classroom, at home? One question to leave you with is, “Do you think that inquiry-based learning can be managed with all subject areas or just specific ones?”
I enjoyed your blog and I can’t wait to read your final one! Continue the good effort.