1	Organizing Learning Around Student Inquiry Craig A. Cunningham, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Technology in Education Program, National Louis University and Sharon L. Comstock, M.A., M.L.S., Ph.D. candidate Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
2	These slides are ONLINE!
3	Conversation points: What is inquiry-based learning? How does inquiry-based learning fit with learning standards? What role should technology play in supporting inquiry-based learning? What are some illustrative examples of inquiry-based learning?
4	What is your definition of inquiry? We invite everyone to write down your own definition of inquiry on an index card, with perhaps a short example of what we might call inquiry from our own experience. We’ll be getting to these in a few moments!
5	What is inquiry? Our interpretation of John Dewey’s theory of inquiry: Thinking arises from experience Any experience which involves contact with a new situation or material proceeds initially through trial and error Trial and error requires some interaction of the person’s energy with the materials By seeing how materials respond to this interaction, the person begins to learn about the materials and begins to plan more fruitful interactions in new situations
6	What fosters inquiry? Situations must be sufficiently new to demand more than routine, but not so new as to give the learner no leverage for building on prior experiences or knowledge Effective situations for inquiry are those that arouse the learner’s interest and engage his or her participation A community of inquiry extends the experience: presenting fresh materials, situations, and even more experiences For learning activities to be inquiry-based, learners need something to do and something to learn The activity called for should be the kind that requires thinking: the “intentional noting of connections” beyond the immediate situation Reflection is inspired throughout the process
7	What makes a topic a good candidate for inquiry? Again, thanks to John Dewey Is there anything more than just a “problem to be solved?” Does the question naturally suggest itself within some situation or personal experience and encourage the learner beyond the school room? Is it the student’s own line of questioning, emergent from new materials, situations, and experiences? Does the question lead to observation, experimentation, and (by definition) critical thinking? Does the student care about the question? Is there some investment? Does the question connect to the community in which the learner lives?
8	Some real-world definitions of inquiry: “…something that students do, not what is done to them,” National Science Standards “…practical inquiry tends to be concrete rather than abstract…. It strives as much for wisdom as for knowledge,” Mike Atkin, Professor of Education, Stanford University, Stanford CA “When my students come up with questions that anticipate, I know that’s ‘inquiry’,” Kathy Gabric, high school biology teacher
9	Thematic evidence that inquiry is happening Learner centered: Investigation of some question central. An ongoing problem is examined Problem-based, project-based, and inquiry-based often used interchangeably to describe learning activities Teacher shifts to being a facilitator and “co-learner” in the educational process. Discussion among peers is key. Activity, participation, and collaboration among learners occurs at increased and more significant levels. Every learning involves a “little inquiry”: Every teaching/learning partnership has some elements of inquiry imbedded
10	Why “do” inquiry? Critical thinking is key to life-long learning: The future is uncertain: young (and not so young!) need skills for solving future, not-yet-defined, problems The world is “messy”: People need practice navigating complex situations Making mature judgments requires inquiry, not just the application of predefined rules
11	What role should technology play in supporting inquiry-based learning? Inquiry Page: www.inquiry.uiuc.edu
12	Sample Inquiry “pages” What effect does salting the roads during the winter have on lawns? http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11044.xml History as inquiry: http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11768.xml http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11832.xml http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11847.xml Poetry as Play: Creative process as inquiry http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u10225.xml
13	General comments about relation of inquiry to standards Science and social science standards include explicit attention to inquiry as the process of (social) science But most content standards do NOT refer to inquiry but seem to imply a didactic approach to teaching; and Most standardized tests do not build in attention to inquiry Inquiry seems a messy way for students to learn content and skills We believe that successful curriculum development for inquiry will pay explicit attention to standards so that students aren’t just swimming around, but are attaining knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are widely valued in society; and Inquiry-based learning and standardized learning outcomes are entirely consistent!
14	How does inquiry-based learning fit with a focus on learning standards? (some examples) What is pH and how does it relate to the water molecule? http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u12635.xml How does an egg get to be a chick? http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11711.xml Poetry Exchange http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u13501.xml
15	Technology and inquiry… Technologies facilitate student participation in: communication, research, creativity, higher-order thinking (analysis, synthesis, evaluation) Examples: Digital libraries Civil War and primary sources http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u13717.xml Bioinformatics How do we use bioinformatics in biology classrooms? http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u12108.xml Hypertext: How is my May Project going? http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11824.xml Web authoring Web Institute for Teachers, University of Chicago
16	One final thought….
17	Remember, these slides are ONLINE!
18	References & Resources Bruce, B. & A. Bishop, (2002) "Using the Web to Support Inquiry-Based Literacy Development" JAAL. http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/JAAL/5-02_Column/ Bruce, B. & S.L. Comstock (2005) “Why Writing is Technology: Reflections in New Media” in Learning to Write, Writing to Learn, Theory and Research in Practice eds. R. Indrisano and J. Paratore. International Reading Assoc. (in press) CIRES (2005) Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards, http://cires.colorado.edu/education/k12/rescipe/collection/inquirystandards.html Cunningham, C. & M. Billingsley (2005) Curriculum Webs, Boston: Allyn and Bacon (http://www.curriculumwebs.com/) Comstock, S., B.C, Bruce, D. Harnisch, & B. Mehra (2002) "Fostering Inquiry-based Learning in Technology-rich Learning Environments: The Inquiry Page in the GK-12 Fellows Program," Proceedings of the AACE World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications, Denver, CO, (June 24-28). Dewey, John. (1963; 1938) Experience and Education. New York, Collier Books Kuhlthau, Carol (2001). “Rethinking Libraries for the Information Age School: Vital Roles in Inquiry Learning.” http://www.iasl-slo.org/keynote-kuhlthau2001.html
19	Contact us Craig A. Cunningham craig.cunningham@nl.edu http://craigcunningham.com Sharon L. Comstock scomstoc@uiuc.edu