What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning?

Linking librarians, inquiry learning, and information literacy - kappanonline.org To thrive, schoolwide inquiry learning programs need support from librarians. The particulars of inquiry learning may vary from school to school, but the underlying principle is the same: Students choose a topic of interest to them, study it at depth, and share what they’ve learned. While teachers offer guidance and support, students “form their own questions through experiences, reflection, conversation, and writing [and] gain a sense of ownership and accomplishment in the work they are producing that gradually leads to competence, independence, and expertise” (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, & Caspari, 2015, p. 5). The process is iterative, engaging them in “posing questions, finding answers, and developing critical-thinking and communication skills through information exploration” (American Association of School Librarians, 2018, p. 54). Today, inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning are well-integrated into curriculum standards in science, social studies, math, and language arts.

Backward Planning – How Assessment Impacts Teaching and Learning - IDRA • by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., and Kristin Grayson, Ph.D. • IDRA Newsletter • August 2017 • Assessments are a critical step in the education process as they determine whether the learning objectives of a lesson have been met. By showing students’ understanding of concepts taught, assessments enable teachers to see if their teaching has been effective. The art of inquiry: 10 practices for the inquiry teacher — Kath Murdoch Of all the blog posts I have written, the one that has been read, reposted and mentioned most often- is “How do inquiry teachers teach?” That was back in 2014. In the intervening years, more and more of my work has centred on the question of how.

Lesson Planning Using The Four Critical Questions - Edunators If your school operates as a Professional Learning Community, chances are you’re very familiar with the Four Critical Questions originally developed by Rick DuFour. They’re essential whenever first starting a collaborative team in a school and well worth reviewing from time to time as you carry on your work. However, what if we re-imagined these questions through the eyes of our students? What sort of impact would this have on the way we lesson plan? Bringing Inquiry-Based Learning Into Your Class In the shallow end of the Types of Student Inquiry pool, Structured Inquiry gives the teacher control of the essential question, the starting point—for example, “What defines a culture?” or “What is the importance of the scientific method?” These questions are not answered in a single lesson and do not have a single answer, and, in fact, our understanding of an essential question may change over time as we research it. In Structured Inquiry, the teacher also controls specific learning activities, the resources students will use to create understanding, and the summative assessment learners will complete to demonstrate their understanding. In Controlled Inquiry, the teacher provides several essential questions. Learners unpack several resources predetermined by the teacher to provide valuable context and rich meaning relative to the essential questions.

Three Easy Ways To Differentiate Instruction - Edunators Differentiated Instruction is a popular buzzword in many education circles, and while some teachers pass it off as “chaotic” or “too much work” the true Edunators amongst us have learned how to embrace this as one of the essential Weapons of Mass Education. While many teachers use Differentiated Instruction to provide more targeted instruction where kids need it most, usually after some bit of formative assessment, it can also be used as means of delivering initial instruction. There are essentially three ways in which teachers can easily differentiate instruction, give them a once over and see if there’s anyway you can tailor your instruction to meet the needs of the individual a bit more in your classroom. 1) Differentiate how students learn necessary course material. Whether it’s by taking notes during a class lecture, playing a game, reading a textbook, or watching a video at home, there are a variety of ways students can come to “know” course material.

Using Project-Based Learning To Flip Bloom’s Taxonomy For Deeper Learning Using Project-Based Learning To Flip Bloom’s Taxonomy For Deeper Learning by Drew Perkins, Director of TeachThought PD One of the central features of high quality project-based learning is the pedagogical relationship between the Driving Question and the “Need to Knows” that stem from it. In the video below I use the Explain Everything app to show how teachers and schools, using a process of rich inquiry, can leverage great thinking and learning by flipping how you approach the concepts behind Bloom’s Taxonomy. Instead of starting at the bottom and focusing on the teaching and learning of content prior to moving up, consider flipping that approach by starting at the top and asking students to create an authentic product with a strong Driving Question. Doing this can help the teacher facilitate deeper learning of the content and skills we find at the lower level as students identify and pursue what they need to know, remember, and understand to create and meet the challenge of the project.

7. Differentiation Techniques for Special Needs Students - Differentiation & LR Information for SAS Teachers Students with special needs may need to have their work differentiated in a specific way to meet their IEP goals. Below are some suggestions that can be integrated into lesson plans. Assessments - While students with special needs may become proficient readers and writers, they should not be limited to this to show what they know. Posters, models, performances, and drawings can show what they have learned in a way that reflects their personal strengths. When it comes to tests, there are other ways to show mastery than a multiple choice test.

4 Things All Project-Based Learning Teachers Should Do 4 Things All Project-Based Learning Teachers Should Do by Lauren Ayer, M.Ed. Gone are the days when students were expected to sit passively at desks while teachers lectured endlessly, expecting children to soak up the information being thrown at them. In today’s educational environment, students are expected to collaborate, think critically, and work together to develop innovative projects and answers to complex questions.