Classroom Inquiry

Inquiry

A way of being in the classroom, as well as in the world.

3 Main Issues:

The character of genuine questions for inquiry

How inquiry can be adapted to meet the requirements of mandated curricula

Intellectual rigor as students grapple with real ideas in real ways

Examples

How is this possible? I didn't know this would happen!

Why can't we drink salt water?

WHY? HOW?

Knowledge-building space where ideas are at the center, and a collective/evolving understanding is the goal

Often a collective effort and understanding

Think about cross-curricular objectives. Ex. Robotics may cover science, math and social studies

Map onto a curriculum document

Ex. Why can't we drink salt water? GLO 5.7: Students will describe the properties of various household liquids and solids and interpret their interations.

An invitation to investigate further

When caught off guard by inquiry, STOP and ASSESS your situation. Think about your options

Keys for teaching

Remember that you're accountable to OUTCOMES, NOT METHODS. Tie in your inquiry with your curriculum

Don't shut down an inquiry you have little knowledge about. LEARN WITH YOUR STUDENTS

How was the understanding developed and held?

BROAD topics so that EVERYONE can make a meaningful contribution to the topic

Teachers must explore, interpret, and share these moments

Teachers must learn to recognize and interpret key moments in their classroom

Explore units outside the curriculum

Develop theories, experiments

Answer new questions discovered from the answering of initial questions

PUR wasn't actually a desalinating agent, but was in fact, a water purifier (bacteria/contaminants)

How does water initially become contaminated? How clean is clean enough? How is water purified in OUR city? etc etc

Set clear learning goals, but not clear outlines of how the inquiry course is to be run

Ecological

Organic

Imaginative

Emotional

Intellectual

Practical

Collective