EDIM 513 Blog

     My thought on inquiry based learning are always changing and developing as the weeks progress.  Two main ways that my thought about inquiry based learning have changed this week are, I have discovered the 5E's of inquiry, engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration and evaluation and how to incorporate web 2.0 tools into each of the 5E's.       When I thought about lesson planing I always think back to what I learned when I was  in school for my bachelors degree, anticipatory set,  lesson, assessment, and reflection.  The 5E's are similar but are focused on inquiry.  I think the difference between the 5E's and what I have learned previously, is that the 5E's are entirely student focused.  They all involve something that the students are doing.  I am discovering that inquiry is completely student focused.  If we want students to develop inquiry skills we must let them do the learning on their own, with the...

     When I reflect upon how my thoughts about inquiry based learning have changed over the past few weeks a few main components come to mind. The first is that there is a difference between facts and concepts and both are important when developing an inquiry based learning lesson. The second is that one is able to change non-investigable questions to investigable questions. And the last is that there are many web 2.0 and technology tools that can be used to enhance students engagement in inquiry based learning lessons.       Facts are isolated pieces of information that are detailed. Concepts are broad connects between two pieces of information. In order for students to fully grasp the understanding of concepts to its full extent, students must first understand that facts.         When creating an inquiry based learning environment it is important to keep in mind that facts are the basis of all concepts. It is important that as...

     When I first considered inquiry in the beginning of this class, I had only thought of it on a superficial level. I thought that inquiry was asking questions. I did not dig any deeper than that. Through the first three weeks of class, I was able to develop a deeper and more well rounded understanding and appreciation of inquiry.       I have come to realize the importance of creating a classroom community. Without a safe and structured learning environment, students will not feel comfortable taking risks and asking questions. Before any type of inquiry learning can take place, students must feel as though they are able to ask and answer questions without being judged.       There are different type of inquiry. Student based, teacher-student shared and student based. When I reflect on the types of inquiry, I realize that in my classroom, I use teacher based inquiry the most often. I ask the questions that are based on a unit that...

     When I first thought about inquiry based learning I had one main misconception. This misconception was that to foster inquiry based learning in the classroom all that was needed was to encourage students to ask questions and to be curious about the world around them. I did not think about the theory that surrounded inquiry based learning and why inquiry based learning was beneficial to the young learners. Through the first week of this course I was able to gather a better understanding of the benefits of inquiry based learning and learned ways to foster inquiry based learning in my classroom.        I was able to learn of the variety of ways that I can foster inquiry based learning in my classroom. Being a 6th grade science teacher, I am able to create a learning environment and curriculum centered around inquiry based learning. Inquiry based learning can be weaved into class discussions, labs can be centered around a question ...