I want to get better at inquiry-based learning. It's a hot topic around our district these days, as the majority of our schools are transitioning into a project-based learning model. The problem is- wait, that won't do: the problems are many. District-wide problems like teacher buy-in, efficacy of teaching Common Core standards, technology obstacles, engaging unmotivated students, a seemingly insurmountable teacher workload, are a few that come to mind. Personally, I made great strides last year to change the culture of my classroom into one that was student-driven and creative. But for every gain in culture and technology integration, there were losses in the simple efficiency of telling students, "Today we're going to learn x, so let's get our pencils and hop to it." I also really saw a need for balance between telling students, "Get interested! Go learn!" and providing scaffolds to help slower paced learners feel successful. Inquiry itself is a challenge, too; how can you direct students toward the standards they need to learn while encouraging them to chase their own curiosities? Fortunately for me, Beverly Falk articulated my concerns when she wrote:
"How can you maintain a balance between making sure your students acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to meet district and state standards, and finding time to support your students to follow their own intellectual puzzlements and interests?"
In other words, how can I promote authentic inquiry and at the same time ensure that all students are learning the standards that will prepare them for high school?
Based on the progress I made last year in PBL, I think a solution may be to be up-front with the students; don't "disguise" the standards in the clever language of a project. Instead, commit to a project that features student inquiry, but tell students at the beginning that as they work, I'll be giving them instruction in certain standards. Assess those standards before and after the project, but don't make the project be entirely about those assessments.
"How can you maintain a balance between making sure your students acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to meet district and state standards, and finding time to support your students to follow their own intellectual puzzlements and interests?"
In other words, how can I promote authentic inquiry and at the same time ensure that all students are learning the standards that will prepare them for high school?
Based on the progress I made last year in PBL, I think a solution may be to be up-front with the students; don't "disguise" the standards in the clever language of a project. Instead, commit to a project that features student inquiry, but tell students at the beginning that as they work, I'll be giving them instruction in certain standards. Assess those standards before and after the project, but don't make the project be entirely about those assessments.