“Teachers would do well to have a clear idea of their student learning needs, so they are able to use a checklist approach to ensure the outcomes which need to be covered. Think about curriculum areas as well as individual needs such as fine motor skills, communication, interpersonal skills, body language, self expression etc. in creating content for students.”

– Anne Vize

This article looks at IBL in relation to Special Education, which was a specific topic that I had wanted to explore during my inquiry project – how do we get varied learners engaged with IBL. Anne Vize covers the advantages and disadvantages of IBL in relation to special education – as inquiry puts the onus on the students to create and implement a project, this allows them to work on their “softer skills” such as teamwork and cooperation, as well as planning, organization and creativity, all of which are skills that varied students often need to focus on and develop. It would be a challenge for the teacher. They would still be in a facilitator role, but their guidance and collaboration between home and school would be necessary, as if they were working with a students new to IBL. Vize repeats the point that IBL, with or without varied students, is more work for the teacher in that there is a lengthier marking process and that planning would have to be done far in advance, but the benefits of IBL outweigh the work, as long as a teacher is willing.

Vize, A. (2012, February). Inquiry Based Learning in Special Education [Web Log Comment]. Retrieved from http://www.brighthubeducation.com/special-ed-inclusion-strategies/17827-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-inquiry-based-learning

“[A]n educational disadvantage is an unfavourable condition or circumstance that is responsible for educational impairment. Such conditions can be conceived of as either a deficit suffered by the disadvantaged —such as poverty, parental neglect or lack of adequate educational provision — or else as a disparity between the background culture and values that characterize the student’s out-of-school life-world and those of the school.”

– Philip Cam

In this article, Philip Cam argues against Kirschner, Sweller and Clark’s belief against minimally guided education, insisting that the “Community of Inquiry”, which includes inquiry-based learning, can be beneficial in education – more specifically, for those who are disadvantaged (see quote above on the definition of ‘disadvantaged’). His main points cover student engagement (inquiry learning gives students a level of control over their education, hands some of the responsibility to them, which in turn should influences engagement), developing the capacity to think (in inquiry, we link learning with the students ‘real-life’ experiences, their background knowledge, and interests to their education, and in doing so, allow the students a chance to investigate what might be missing in their knowledge base, and expand on their interests – we teach them how to think more deeply on subjects where as before they would have left it at a surface level), and belonging (there is an emphasis on community and collaboration in inquiry, as well as a focus on personal development – for those that are disadvantaged in a way that could affect their ability to work in a team, accept others opinions or have low self-esteem, it’s an opportunity to grow and develop a healthy state of mind).

Cam, P. (2012, February). Educational Disadvantage and the Community of Inquiry. Retrieved from http://fapsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Phil-Cam-Educational-Disadvantage-and-the-Community-of-Inquiry.pdf

This is a blog made by a student studying Primary Education and the influence of inquiry learning. On her blog, she explores the what, why and how of inquiry. What attracted me to this site and has me bookmark it as a resource is that, not only does she cover the benefits and limitations of IBL, which many of my sources do, she also delves into the strategies that teachers can use in their classroom to support IBL, as well as collaboration and community within the classroom environment. Unfortunately, this site hasn’t been update in 5 years, and so it stands to reason that there are other blogs out there that will have more up-to-date information on IBL. I will keep it bookmarked, though, in case Christina does come back to update more.

Christina. (2011). Inquiry Learning in the 21st Century Classroom [Web Log Comment]. Retrieved from http://classroomil.blogspot.ca/

“it’s that quality of teaching in which teachers ask more questions than they give answers and students have to discover for themselves. And so it’s a very ancient form of learning, starting from Socrates and getting kids to wonder and to think for themselves and to become curious and to answer their own questions rather than transmitting that knowledge.”

– Arthur L. Costa

Arthur L. Costa is the codirector of the Institute for Intelligent Behaviour in Berkley, California. He was interviewed for a workshop held by Joe Exline to obtain a different view on IBL. Costa was asked 16 questions on the subject, from the origins of inquiry-based learning (which he states goes back all the way to Socrates) and what countries use it (Singapore has an interesting way of using IBL where the students and the teachers are all searching for the solution to a problem together) to the comparison of IBL And traditional school (he states that inquiry has students look at a problem longer than traditional schooling, which allows them to have a better understanding of the solution) and the difference between IBL and constructivism (he claims there isn’t so much a difference as IBL is the methodology of constructivism). He goes somewhat into depth about the teacher’s role in IBL – they are there to guide and ask questions to support the students discovery of their answer.

Interview with Arthur L. Costa [Transcripts]. Retrieved from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index_sub5.html

“Children spontaneously inquire, asking questions and exploring, to understand the world; it is an important key to their lifelong development that should be cultivated and nurtured […] technology enables inquiry learning that could not be otherwise accomplished by reducing some of the unnecessary, lower-level procedures involved in these tasks.”

– Wang, Kinzie, McGuire, & Pan

In this article, Wang, Kinzie, McGuire and Pan outline how the use of technology in early childhood education prepares students for IBL learning in later years. In their arguments, they give examples of various applications and programs that are age appropriate (like Learning with Nemo, Math Missions, Sammy’s Science House) and explain how they can help with the development of problem solving skills, cognitive and metacognitive processes and utilization of resources. It’s not asking that technology replace teacher facilitation, but to aid it instead. They emphasis that teachers are a critical feature in inquiry-based learning, since they provide the structure and guidance of inquiry throughout their schooling.

Wang, F., Kinzie, M.B., McGuire, P., and Pan, E. (2009, December). Applying Technology to Inquiry-Based Learning in Early Childhood Education. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37, p. 381-389. doi: 10.1007/s10643-009-0364-6

“The formal part of ECE is termed the Foundation Phase and represents the initial stage of schooling. This is where the ‘foundation for further learning is laid’. This is the phase when the learners’ love for science should start and be nurtured so that they may become critical thinkers and develop a curiosity about the world.”

– Stears, James & Beni

Stears, James and Beni give examples of inquiry based learning in early childhood education. Their work is based out of South Africa, where Early Childhood Education spans from birth until the age of nine. While the education system is different from ours on paper, it stands to reason that laying the foundation of inquiry based learning in early childhood education will allow for a more successful educational career in IBL schooling. And the topics in which the students learn in what they call “early childhood education” is similar to what our students learn in elementary school.

What they propose is that students learn a “Beginning Knowledge” that includes natural science and technology, which will better prepare students for their education and will hopefully garner more interest in the sciences. While Stears, James and Beni seem to believe that the educators in these situations should have a science background, I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary.

Stears, M., James, A., and Beni, B. (No Date). Inquiry-based teaching in early childhood education – a paradigm shift?. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/22252534/Inquiry-based_teaching_and_learning_in_early_childhood_teacher_education-_a_paradigm_shift

“If teachers are to be effective in supporting the development of the 21st century skills of their students, they must be well versed in these skills themselves […] Thus, as life-long learners, it should be evident that teachers can also benefit from participating in learning strategies that mirror those of the 21st century classroom. Reinforcing the notion that if it is good for students, it can be good for teachers.”

– Dr. Camille Rutherford

In this article, Dr. Camille Rutherford talks about how the 21st century learning is good for our students, it is something that us as teacher candidates and teachers should use as well in our own learning. With how diverse we are asked to be in our classroom by way of differentiated learning and IEPs, the “cookie-cutter nature of most teacher education programs, additional qualification courses and professional development (PD) sessions, [leaves] teachers with limited first-hand exposure to having their own learning experience differentiated or personalized” (Rutherford, 2015). Essentially what she is saying is that teachers and teacher candidates need to be a part of the classroom that 21st century learning is creating – we have to learn in an inquiry-based environment, with access to as much tech that we would have in our classroom (if not more so that we can be prepared for anything), and we must be well versed in the skills of creativity, communication, and creative/critical thinking (Rutherford, 2015).

Rutherford, C. (2015, March). 21st century learning: What’s good for students is good for teachers [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.cea-ace.ca/blog/dr-camille-rutherford/2015/03/1/21st-century-learning-what%E2%80%99s-good-students-good-teachers

“The impression that educators must choose between ‘back to basics’ and ‘inquiry or discovery learning’ often propels the educational policy pendulum to oversimplify and overact.”

– Roland Case

This article by Roland Case outlines the criticisms against and the arguments for inquiry-based learning. It’s the first piece that I have found that actually outlines the criticisms in depth, and they bring up some good concerns. The first critique is that many critics will say “that students can’t possibly discover everything we want them to learn” (Case, 2015), which is true but not what the IBL model is asking for. Instead, Case proposes that you offer students some possible formulae to consider, to investigate, and not just accept as the answers. The second criticism speaks to the idea that there are basics that students need to know through memorization, like consonants and vowels, or subtraction and addition. And while the need for basics is true, memorization isn’t the only way that the students can learn it. As Case (2015) says, “[t]he more we help students comprehend what we want them to remember, the less students need to learn by memorization” (2015). In other words, give the students an example of how something works, and then let them discover one that works better for them.

In support of inquiry, Case looks to the experience of himself and his colleagues of over 20 years, working with over 125,000 educators all over the world. Their work with critical inquiry learning concluded with positive outcomes in any school, no matter the socio-economic status of the school’s community.

As I stated before, this is the first article I found that really explored the other side of my questions.

Case, R. (2015, December). The “basics” and inquiry teaching [Web Log Comment]. Retrieved from http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada/article/%E2%80%9Cbasics%E2%80%9D-and-inquiry-teaching