It's hard to believe, but I was not introduced to inquiry based learning until my second to last semester of my undergrad. With this being such a powerful tool for student learning, I still marvel at how this could have been left out of my preparation and education for so long! Using inquiry based learning is an excellent way to connect students to the content they are exploring and making it meaningful for them! We know that, like ourselves, when learning is meaningful to us, we tend to explore, learn and discover way more than if we do not see the relevancy behind the content.
I love how the teachers from Finland, used as an example in Chapter 4, utilized the mobile phones that they knew statistically, their students would be carrying to access and record information readily. Using this meaningful technology to the students in a way that helped connect them to making learning important was an excellent way to infuse their learning into their everyday life. Inquiry based learning derives so much from what the students want to accomplish and how they plan to accomplish.
Additionally, I loved how the chapter cautioned teachers against arbitrarily selecting other peoples' project plans because they were easy to access and required less work. As teachers, we have to constantly check to ensure that our objectives, methods and strategies are aligned appropriately to make sure that students have a direct line to follow to their success. We really have to dig into the guts of what a lesson plan/unit is trying to get at and decide if it is relevant to our own goals and how it will connect with the students. If we do not think that there will be a strong connection for the students, modifications must be made.
It is most important that the students derive meaning from their work, because without establishing this meaning, their intentions and work only goes skin deep. Within our project, we ultimately want our students to become invested so that they can use this knowledge to further connect to other things in the future and grow their learning beyond what we can see. This inspiration starts with us, and framing this goal is vital to their success.
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ReplyDeleteI think that it’s a good point to bring up about how you weren’t introduced to this type of learning (inquiry based) until you were almost done with your undergrad education. It’s also important for teachers to constantly be checking objectives, methods, and strategies. Teachers need to have the appropriate criteria. I also agree with the fact that it is very important that students create meaning from their work. The knowledge that students learn should be used in the future. Therefore, they should be able to expand on that knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI like that you highlighted the examples and stories used in the book, they always prove a good point. I totally agree that it is super important that students get meaning out if their work, otherwise they will believe it is pointless. That is one of the ,out important points I have read.
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