I am a teacher-librarian at an International Baccalaureate school that teaches the Primary Years Programme (PYP) using inquiry learning pedagogy. While I have training and experience planning for and implementing inquiry-based learning, the very nature of inquiry learning means I continue to learn more about inquiry. The purpose of this blog is to record my growing knowledge and understanding of inquiry learning pedagogy. An initial search using the term 'inquiry learning' in the Google Search Engine netted 181 million results. Obviously I didn't check all the results, but as I scanned the first ten pages many key words (and names) were familiar, which confirmed my understanding of inquiry learning. These words are depicted below in a word cloud, along with words describing the stages of several inquiry models that surfaced during the search. My first experience with inquiry learning was in a Queensland State School that adopted 'Rich Tasks' in an integrated curriculum approach. When I moved to an International Baccalaureate School, and taught the Primary Years Programme (PYP) curriculum, I realised that the Rich Tasks were in fact heavily teacher-directed research projects, rather than inquiries. "The PYP is committed to structured, purposeful inquiry that engages students actively in their own learning. The programme supports students’ efforts to construct meaning from the world around them by:
The IB doesn't mandate or promote any particular inquiry model. I have facilitated guided inquiry using a variety of inquiry models including Kath Murdoch's Inquiry Cycle with six stages 'Tuning in, Finding out, Sorting out, Making Conclusions, Going Further, Reflecting & Taking Action'; The 5Es 'Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate' and John Dewey's Inquiry Model 'Ask, Investigate, Create, Discuss, Reflect'. What I have learned is that while the models may use different terminology they generally follow the same path, a path that reflects the natural inquiry process people employ when conducting purposeful, quest-oriented research, such as when planning a holiday, and the end goal is the construction of understanding by the inquirer. The key message from the International Baccalaureate is that learners are constructing meaning at the heart of the PYP curriculum. Although, I have some knowledge about inquiry learning, there is much to learn. The more I learn, through readings and lectures, the more questions I have. For example, Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari (2007) wrote about the information explosion and the reality that there is too much information to learn. The overcrowded curriculum has long been the stuff of staff room complaints and many teachers look hopefully to inquiry learning pedagogy as a solution. As Kuhlthau et al., (2007), identified a "focus on broad themes and big ideas" as one of the fundamentals in Guided Inquiry, and potentially an antidote to an overcrowded curriculum, it has me wondering: How can broad themes and big ideas be incorporated in the design of inquiry learning? In the LCN616 Week 1 lecture Mandy Lupton (2015) explained that there is an emphasis on collaboration in inquiry learning pedagogy, which prompted this question: What are the benefits of collaboration in inquiry learning? Kuhlthau (2010) discusses the pros and cons of the use of emerging technologies in the education. I am an enthusiastic integrator of tech tools in the classroom, but haven't necessarily considered the pedagogical implications, hence my final questions: What are the pedagogical affordances of using information communication technology in inquiry learning? References:
IBO. (2009). Making the PYP happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education. [image] UK: International Baccalaureate. IBO. (2015). Taught Curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.ibo.org/en/ Kuhlthau, Carol. (2010). Guided inquiry : school libraries in the 21st century School Libraries Worldwide, 16 (1), 1-12. Kuhlthau, C. C. Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari. A. K. (2007). Guided inquiry: Learning in the 21st century. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. Lupton, M. (2015). LCN616 Introduction to Inquiry Learning [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8ESFvEaSB0
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