EDIM 513 Inquiry-Based Learning Week 3

      When I first came into this course a few short weeks ago, I thought of inquiry-based learning as 

part of project-based learning.  I thought of it as simply learning through solving a problem, finding a 

solution,  or answering a question.  After reading the course material and discussion posts, I have a 

much clearer and wider picture of what inquiry-based learning really is. 

     The most important thing that I realized is it is not about the outcome. It is about the process.  All of the “things” that go into finding a solution. The components to taking part in an investigation.  What students do with their mind, the habits of the mind, the unteachable skills, thinking skills, and the desire to learn are all important components of inquiry-based environments. In addition to those aspects, the environment around the students must be suitable for the students to learn in.  They must have access to tools to learn with and feel comfortable in the space.  They should feel at ease with making mistakes, asking questions, and taking risks.

     I have learned that there are skills that are necessary to have to do inquiry such as identifying questions that can be answered through investigations, designing and conducting investigations, developing explanations, thinking critically, make relationships between evidence and explanations, and communicating procedures and explanations (Wilkes University EDIM, Unit 3, Topic A, n.d.).

       There are also understandings that are necessary about inquiry as well.  For example, when you have a variety of questions, you will have a variety of investigations.  Students must use current knowledge as well as gain new knowledge.  They should understand that technology can be used to compile data and then they can analyze and quantify the results of their investigations. Also, the readings taught me that they should understand that “explanations emphasize evidence, have logically consistent arguments, and use principles, models, and theories” (Wilkes University EDIM, Unit 3, Topic A, n.d.).  Students should expect that sometimes when they start of in one direction,  what they find during an investigation can cause them to turn down a totally different path of investigation. 

   And last, I learned that teachers can ensure that they are guiding the students in the right direction during an inquiry-based lesson by making sure the questions they ask can be investigated, the student is paying attention to finding evidence to support their answers to questions, that the student makes connections from their answers to their knowledge, and they are able to communicate and justify their findings (Wilkes University EDIM, Unit 3, Topic B, n.d.).

     I definitely do not have as many “burning questions” now about inquiry-based learning as I did before the course started, but I am excited to continue to learn about ways to incorporate techniques into my own classroom and hear from fellow teachers in the course.

References

Wilkes University EDIM 513. (n.d.) Unit 3, Topic A. Retrieved March 16, 2023 from

             https://live.wilkes.edu/d2l/le/content/310611/viewContent/3754104/View

Wilkes University EDIM 513. (n.d.) Unit 3, Topic B. Retrieved March 16, 2023

 from https://live.wilkes.edu/d2l/le/content/310611/viewContent/3754105/View

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