Approaches to Information Inquiry

Models and Process for Information Inquiry Many educators and librarians have designed models to illustrate how teachers and learners act in information inquiry situations. Other models have been developed for processes such as instructional design, thinking, and writing. During the 1980s educators and librarians experienced a surge of interest in information skills. At the peak of the HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) movement, educators were finding that a process approach to information inquiry could be found across the curriculum. In 1985, Ann Irving discussed this idea of cross-curriculum connections in a book titled Study and Information Skills Across the Curriculum. Irving stressed a resource-based learning approach that emphasized addressing individual differences in teachng and learning style. Nine Step Information Skills Model by Ann Irving Although many other models came after Ann Irving, her Nine Step Information Skills Model continues to be used in schools. Personal Models

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The Difference Between Projects And Project-Based Learning The Difference Between Projects And Project-Based Learning by TeachThought Staff Projects in the classroom are as old as the classroom itself. “Projects” can represent a range of tasks that can be done at home or in the classroom, by parents or groups of students, quickly or over time. What Inquiry is NOT "Science class should make students think: Our students aren't being allowed to discover the joys of experimenting, and learning on their own." hits the nail on the head, and is the reason I'm such a huge supporter of students conducting their own independent research projects. (See STEM Student Research Handbook.) Ironically enough however, if I had read this article while I was still a full-time classroom teacher, I would have defended myself saying that I worked tirelessly to help students enjoy science. And I would have been right. But that was the problem.

Project-Based Learning Through a Maker's Lens The rise of the Maker has been one of the most exciting educational trends of the past few years. A Maker is an individual who communicates, collaborates, tinkers, fixes, breaks, rebuilds, and constructs projects for the world around him or her. A Maker, re-cast into a classroom, has a name that we all love: a learner. A Maker, just like a true learner, values the process of making as much as the product. In the classroom, the act of Making is an avenue for a teacher to unlock the learning potential of her or his students in a way that represents many of the best practices of educational pedagogy.

What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning? Inquiry-based learning is more than asking a student what he or she wants to know. It’s about triggering curiosity. And activating a student’s curiosity is, I would argue, a far more important and complex goal than mere information delivery. Despite its complexity, inquiry-based learning can be easier on teachers, partly because it transfers some responsibilities from teachers to students, but mostly because releasing authority engages students. Teachers who use inquiry-based learning combat the “dunno”—a chronic problem in student engagement. Maker Ed's Resource Library » Become a Sponsor Disclaimer: Maker Ed’s online Resource Library contains links to third-party organizations, companies, and commercial products. By including these resources, Maker Ed intends to highlight their potential value to the maker education community, rather than to provide an endorsement. The library is independently managed by Maker Ed staff, who adhere to a set of guidelines to ensure that all third-party resources are primarily informational, rather than promotional, in nature. This resource curation process is free from the influence or control of any party outside of Maker Ed.

Inquiry-based Learning: Explanation What is inquiry-based learning? An old adage states: "Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand." The last part of this statement is the essence of inquiry-based learning, says our workshop author Joe Exline 1. Inquiry implies involvement that leads to understanding. Furthermore, involvement in learning implies possessing skills and attitudes that permit you to seek resolutions to questions and issues while you construct new knowledge. "Inquiry" is defined as "a seeking for truth, information, or knowledge -- seeking information by questioning."

Designing a School Makerspace Makerspaces, STEAM labs and fab labs are popping up in schools across the country. Makerspaces provide hands-on, creative ways to encourage students to design, experiment, build and invent as they deeply engage in science, engineering and tinkering. A makerspace is not solely a science lab, woodshop, computer lab or art room, but it may contain elements found in all of these familiar spaces. Therefore, it must be designed to accommodate a wide range of activities, tools and materials. Diversity and cross-pollination of activities are critical to the design, making and exploration process, and they are what set makerspaces and STEAM labs apart from single-use spaces. A possible range of activities might include:

Guided Inquiry Process The guided inquiry process puts the emphasis on scientist in “student-scientist.” The primary objective of guided inquiry is to promote learning through student investigation. This material is designed to assist teachers in targeting higher-level thinking and science process skills for their students. (Rethinking) Makerspaces Kids have always made in my library. We encouraged digital and visual and dramatic and rhetorical creativity before, during, and after school. But for a while, I’ve questioned the value of using already heavily used real estate to randomly carve out space for a 3D printer, electronics stations and sewing machines. I had my doubts about the makerspace movement in school libraries. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to chat with Amos Blanton, project manager of the Scratch online community, and a member of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT Media Lab.

Don’t do inquiry No, I’m not trying reverse psychology here. I really don’t want you to do inquiry in your classroom. Seriously. 10. Inquiry is too loud and too messy Makerspaces: On Scanning the Road & Gently Easing the Brakes As school librarians, we are driven by our mission and our vision, by our national standards, by the needs and interests of our communities, and to some degree, by our own talents, passions and dispositions. We are all about inspiring learners to think, create, share and grow. We are all about becoming empowered leaders who transform teaching and learning. But, there is NOT just one right way to do library. And there is not one right way to inspire creative culture. And, while there are so many wonderful ways to inspire authentic, hands-on learning by doing, some of us feel a very strong pressure to radically transform already effective programs and spaces for a prescribed and limited vision of making.

Phases of inquiry-based learning: Definitions and the inquiry cycle The review of the 32 articles allowed us to generate an initial overview of the common phases across the articles and was the basis for proposing a comprehensive inquiry-based learning framework. It was decided that this synthesis would be limited to the articles found by the systematic search in order to avoid unsystematic collection of articles that would decrease the reliability of the study. First, we describe how we merged the variety of terms that were used to describe inquiry phases in the articles analyzed in this study.