Skip to main content

Blog post 2

     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 we are learning. And I use those questions to lead students through investigations, research and experiments in order to answer them. I hope to begin to make a change and start having more student based inquiry into my classroom.
      I am also realizing the different abilities and understandings of inquiry. Many of the abilities and understanding that students need for inquiry can be taught in the classroom. For example “Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.” We can help show students hot to use rulers, graduated cylinders, calculate volume and density. It is important that, especially in the younger grades teachers help to guide students and give them the foundations they need to have the abilities and understandings of inquiry.
      The only question I have for the upcoming week is how we as teachers can incorporate the use of technology into the inquiry based learning environment. My school has 1:1 iPads. How can I best utilize these devices to help to enrich my students inquiry based learning experience? Victoria Lewandowski

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Blog Post 7

    This course has helped me  develop a new way of thinking about inquiry based learning.  At the start of the course I had the idea that inquiry based learning was just asking questions.  Through each unit of the course I came to realize that inquiry based learning was so much more.  There are abilities and  skills associated with inquiry, which each have an important place in a students education.       I began to understand that there are different types of questions, investigable and non- investigable questions.  It is important that we teach our students the difference.  And also teach them how to change non-investigable questions into investable ones.  This way students are able to work on their ability to answer their own questions through research and experimentation.      I have explored the many ways to utilize web 2.0 tools to foster inquiry.  Sites like Kahoot, Quizizz and Poll every...

Inquiry Based Learning 1

     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 ...

Blog Post Week 6

     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...