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MODULE OVERVIEW ~
UNDERSTANDING INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING ~
Adults as well as children make sense of the world through the inquiry process. In this program, questions and concerns arising from your educational work provide the stimuli for investigating topics of interest. At first, your investigations may take the form of brief mini-inquiries guided by the instructional team. You will soon learn to develop more complex focused inquiries arising from your own curiosities. Later, you will design and implement field studies—major learning projects in which you explore significant questions related to your educational practice. Learning through inquiry is grounded in everyday experience. Much of your learning will happen “on the job”—through hands-on experiences in your workplace. Think of your educational setting as a laboratory in which you, your students and colleagues are a team of investigators. As the “chief investigator” it is your responsibility to orchestrate focused inquiries and field studies that could lead to worthwhile discoveries about teaching and learning. You may already have experienced this kind of inquiry-based learning by participating in an action research group—a powerful approach to professional development in which educators investigate questions of interest together. Since the term “research” is sometimes misunderstood, we prefer to talk about learning through inquiry. You will have many opportunities to construct shared understandings about teaching and learning through dialogues with colleagues, mentors and resource persons. We encourage you to connect with others having common interests and similar questions, and to undertake joint learning projects. REFLECTING ON THE PRINCIPLES OF INQUIRY ~ If you keep the following principles in mind, you will understand your role in the inquiry-based learning process more clearly.
You can probably describe examples of this process in your own learning history. This learning tool invites you to recall what you already know from personal experience. Recalling stories of learning [PDF] DRAWING ON PAST EXPERIENCE ~ The inquiry process also involves making connections between what we think we know already and what we want to figure out. As we activate prior knowledge, we become aware of gaps and uncertainties that stimulate our curiosity. Here is a simple tool that educators often use for this purpose. It can be used again and again throughout the program. I know/I wonder [PDF] SHAPING YOUR QUESTIONS ~ The shaping of thoughtful questions is a recurring activity in inquiry-based learning. Early in your program you will be asked to identify some questions you hope to explore during your learning journey. Your colleagues will suggest others that pique your curiosity. You will quickly realize there are many possible questions to investigate. People often begin with questions about factors beyond their control: limited resources, unrealistic demands, troubled children, or discrepancies between educational ideals and the realities of school life. Fruitful questions often come disguised as complaints or concerns about things we cannot change—lack of time, for example. They need to be reshaped so they invite us to consider possibilities for positive action. It takes time to shape questions that beckon to you and “make your heart sing.” When you come to such a question, you will know it’s the right one for you. Here is a learning tool you can use with your colleagues to shape some questions for inquiry in an area of interest. Shaping questions for inquiry [PDF] USING RESOURCES TO INFORM YOUR INQUIRIES ~
The purpose of inquiry-based learning is not to re-invent the wheel, but to understand your work more deeply “from the inside out.” This includes making connections between what you are learning from practice and what others are studying, thinking, talking and writing about. The instructional team will help you find resources you need to make these connections. As you design and conduct your focused inquiries and field studies, you will be asked to discuss how your learning relates to the larger landscape of education. You might refer to sources such journal articles, professional books, research reports, videos and Internet resources. In a Graduate Diploma program, sharing of information and resources is strongly encouraged. LINKING INQUIRY AND REFLECTION ~ Ongoing reflection is a process common to all forms of inquiry. Reflection is triggered when a situation we experience puzzles or surprises us. As we try to understand and explain what we have noticed in relationship to what we think we know, we create an hypothesis. The hypothesis or “best guess” becomes the basis for further inquiry. The process of thinking things through—examining what has happened, creating explanations, and making plans for further action—is the reflective side of the inquiry process. Reflection triggers action. For example, we may try an intervention in the situation to test our hypothesis and observe what happens next. We might also turn to others, including “expert” resources, for possible explanations or suggestions about how to proceed. Reflection and action are linked as ongoing elements of the inquiry process. In this program, your reflective journal is an important resource for tracking the changes in thinking that happen as you reflect on situations you experience in practice. Learning Module 7 suggests some ways to use a reflective journal and includes links to many tools for reflection. BECOMING A THOUGHTFUL INQUIRER ~
Learning through inquiry is often associated with the development of critical thinking. For example, critical thinkers make careful observations, test assumptions, and check the logic of their explanations against evidence from their investigations. They communicate their explanations, listen to others’ ideas, and ask skeptical questions. They think of knowledge as tentative, checking their understandings against new information that may challenge their assumptions. They are open to rethinking their beliefs when discrepancies arise. Thoughtful inquirers are also risk-takers who dare to venture into the unknown. They exhibit perseverance, patience, open-mindedness, flexibility and a sense of vision as they “mess about” in the realm of uncertainty. Here are seven process skills needed for thoughtful inquiry: observing, questioning, hypothesizing, predicting, investigating, interpreting, and communicating. As you move through this program, take note of your growth in these process skills. COPING WITH THE MESSINESS OF INQUIRY ~
Learning through inquiry involves messing about—trying different approaches without being sure they will work. This kind of learning is uncomfortable for educators who want the best for their students and don’t like to make mistakes. If you prefer structure and predictability in your work, you may feel impatient and frustrated during your first few cycles of inquiry-based learning. You may think that asking questions and trying to figure out the lessons of experience are a waste of time. It takes perseverance through times of confusion to reach an“Aha!” Nevertheless, if you persist through these struggles, the insights you gain will renew both your energy and confidence for further learning. INTEGRATING SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING AND INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING ~ Learning Module 1 discussed the importance of being a self-directed learner. Self-directed learning is complementary to learning through inquiry, and both are important to your development in this program. As a self-directed learner you will set goals, make learning plans and track what happens as you implement your activities. As an inquirer you will open your heart and mind to learning as you go. Goals and plans impart a sense of structure to learning. They provide a system for organizing and sequencing activities. They help us feel more in control, with a sense of direction and something to strive for. Questions invite us to notice the new and unexpected, and to think critically about the how and why of what we choose to do. Learning through inquiry may challenge our beliefs and values, causing us to change our plans and our actions as our understanding evolves. Finding your way through this program involves a balance of purposeful action and exploration, of determination and flexibility. You will improvise your own dance of learning, letting the situations you create teach you how to move forward along your learning path. REFERENCES ~ Ash, D. (2000). The process skills of inquiry. In Inquiry: Thoughts, views and strategies for the K-5 classroom. Foundations, Volume 2, pp. 51-62. Dewey, J. (1909/1933). How we think. New York: Heath and Company. Mackinnon, A., & Erickson, G. (1992). The roles of reflective practice and foundational disciplines in teacher education. In T. Russell & H. Munby, Teachers and teaching: From classroom to reflection. London: The Falmer Press, pp. 192-210. National Science Foundation (2000). An introduction to inquiry. In Inquiry: Thoughts, views and strategies for the K-5 classroom. Foundations, Volume 2, Preface and Introduction. Rankin, L. (2000). Lessons learned: Addressing common misconceptions about inquiry. In Inquiry: Thoughts, views and strategies for the K-5 classroom. Foundations, Volume 2, Chapter 5.
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