221+Agenda+-+11.21.13

=Whadya Think?= Post questions, comments, ideas to discuss based on your professional engagement research on Inquiry-Based Instruction. (To post - 1) Sign in, 2) Click " edit ", 3) Type your entry, 4) Sign your post (three tildes ~), 5) Click "save"

I believe the best way to use inquiry-based instruction in a science classroom is with projects, big and small. One of the highlights of my middle school science classes were the projects we did. When things became hands on. For example: my sixth grade science teacher, Mr. MacDonald, started off the year with a crime scene lab. It was so much fun and I loved starting off the year that way. Another example, one more involved with the community would be my seventh grade science class with Mrs. Lommen. We had Project CAT. We learned all about the local cougars that lived in the woods in our area. She even brought in a piece of an elk carcass for us to look at. Also an elk skull. user:ElizabethB0

Inquiry-based instruction is a method that allows students to be the focus and engage themselves in discussion-based investigation of a real world question, problem, or topic. It puts a focus on student involvement and allows the teacher to be more of a guide than a direct helper. In order to have successful inquiry-based teaching, a teacher must include their students' own background and experience in the lesson. After this the teacher must clearly state their expectations for their students, and then introduce the broad general topic/question/problem that will be discussed. This greatly increases the students' critical thinking and analyzation ability. Students' questions/comments will lead to more questions/comments which will allow for a deeper understanding. The Teaching Channel video, where urban academy's teachers discuss the teacher's role in inquiry, brought up a great point that students will feel more valued and important, and also help students to respect one another and their ideas if inquiry-based instruction is implemented. This develops a culture of respect in the classroom, which is vital for academic learning. Lastly, the TED talk from the math teacher was very powerful to me. Two of his ideas really struck me. The first being that pure intuition puts every student on a level playing field. In most math classes students oftentimes feel inferior to others, but inquiry based learning can help to eliminate this. A difference of perspectives is encouraged. Another point he made was, "math makes sense of the world, it is the vocabulary of your own intuition", as a future math teacher it is my hope to get students to see math as more than formulas and see all of the real world application it truly has. This realization starts from combining their own personal life experiences with what is learned in the classroom. Inquiry-based instruction greatly encourages this. user:treuter2

After perusing the article entitled the Five E’s, my knowledge of Inquiry based teaching substantially grew. The Five E’s (engage, evaluate, explain, extend, and explore) are a fluid system that gives strength to any discussion used for it is through discussion that students learn. The article is quite right when it states “Students learn best by inquiry, not by listening to us”. The Five E’s give power to discussion because students will become engaged and willing to explore information rather than simply waiting for the teacher to tell them. They will be motivated to work towards the answer by deliberating with fellow peers, especially if the teacher provides discussion around something that students would love to explore. Through elaboration, students can apply the concepts they learn from their discussion to future lessons and assignments which shows that they indeed did learn from deliberation. Implementation of ongoing evaluation can help clean up any points of confusion along the way as well as creating the opportunity for self-assessment; a concept that teaches them a valuable skill needed for the professional world. user:awestby11

====Inquiry based instruction is a method of teaching in which students are forced to engage and think outside the box and come up with solutions to their own questions. Examples of inquiry based instruction could be labs, creative projects, writing prompts, digital story telling, web projects, etc. On scoopit.com, there was a really cool short video about an English teacher who taught Romeo and Juliet. Instead of having students read simply it, which isn't always engaging and lacks inquiry, he had his class read a manga version of Romeo and Juliet and then find Romeo and Juliet in other cultures and they talked about the differences. That seems like a good way to get students to reflect and ask themselves and others questions and get thinking. The role of a teacher in inquiry based instruction is to help student develop their own voice, to help kids think not just have them spit back answers and use evidence to help them support arguments and positions on what they think.I also read about the 5 E's: Engage, Evaluate, Explain, Extend and Explore. user:Christina_R1====

Inquiry based instruction is something I do not think you see in a lot of math classrooms. It is a method of teaching where students must engage, evaluate, explain, extend, and explore (The five E's). I think the five E's will bring meaning to a lesson for students because they must seek the answers and come up with them on their own rather than the teacher providing them for them. The TED talk with the math teacher was very interesting to me because it showed how you can change a math lesson into an inquiry based lesson that will be more beneficial for students. I can see myself applying some of the tools he talked about, like using real life pictures in examples and eliminating extra information from a question so that students must seek the answer and the steps to get the answer on their own. I can see where inquiry based instruction could break down in a classroom of students who are not used to this kind of instruction. Math classes are typically not structured for inquiry based instruction so having a math lesson that is inquiry based could be a struggle because students are not used to this type of learning in a math classroom and may not be engaged with the task because of this. I think that by implementing inquiry based instruction in more math lessons students would be able to better grasp math concepts outside of a worksheet where they just have to know the formula to solve the problems. Through inquiry based instruction I think students would be able to have retention of the math concepts and how to apply them that they learn in class. user:emilys932

I nquiry-Based instruction seems to encompass everything the common core standards try to represent, and it also seems like the best way to help your students reach a higher level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. I really liked what the article on the 5 E’s said “It doesn't mean just hands on; it means doing activities and presenting content in a way that promotes critical thinking skills.” Inquiry-Based Instruction gives students the opportunity to learn problem-solving and critical thinking skills, as well the disciplinary content. I think this is really great, because it not only gives students the knowledge of the content, but it gives them life skills that will benefit them in future careers that may not be related to the actual content of class. I found the description in context of science to be very interesting. I had never really thought about it, but most all science classes (especially in middle school) are inquiry based. It’s all student investigation, creating a hypothesis and thinking critically about how they will prove their hypothesis. I think that in the future Inquiry-based instruction will be a very common occurrence in my classroom.user:mheckman12

According to a description of Wilhelm's Model, Inquiry-Based Instruction is a student-centered and teacher guided approach that engages students in investigating real world questions that they choose within a broad thematic framework. This places the teacher very much into the role of being a facilitator trying to connect to student interests and trying to relate those interest to the content at hand. This obviously includes a great deal of differentiation, but is well worth it. Such teaching works exceptionally well in an interdisciplinary environment. Additionally, problem solving and critical thinking skills are practiced in such an activity. Also, one sees an emphasis on students taking the initiative with their own learning. Now, there are many different lesson plans and possible routes when it comes to Inquiry-Based Instruction. As someone who's content area is history, the philosophy of Mr. Barlowe from the Urban academy really speaks to me and inspires me. His goal as a social studies teacher is to use primary documents and help students unpack meaning out of the texts themselves through inquiry. From observing videos of his lessons I can tell he does an excellent job preparing and relating to real-world issues. Helpful teaching ingredients he uses and other teachers use when doing Inquiry-Based Instruction are the 5 E's: Engagement (Activate Prior Student Knowledge), Explore, Explain, Examples, and Evaluate. These are essential when practicing Inquiry-Based Instruction. Additionally, a teacher must state and model goals and desired outcomes and communicate clearly and effectively. At the end of these lessons, as with all lessons, there must be a proper conclusion and reflection. So, Inquiry-Based Instruction with the proper preparation on the instructor's part can certainly pay off at great lengths. There are a variety of projects/ discussions that can be conducted and as someone who is interested in interactive discussion like activities this appeals to me. I am happy to have spent the time learning about Inquiry-Based Instruction. user:rercoliRobert

Before investigating Inquiry-based Instruction, I was skeptical of it being used in math classrooms. Many math concepts are extremely hard to conceptualize. However, when I listened to Dan Meyer’s TED talk on inquiry learning in math, I experienced a change of heart. He asserted that in word problems in textbooks, students are given the exact information they need, and asked specific questions to get the right answers. This is the easiest, quickest way to gain answers, but it is least beneficial for students. This way teaches them to search for formulas. Also, in real-life problems, we are always presented with either a surplus of information or not enough information. We are not provided step-by-step directions, nor any formulas, to find real-life answers. Thus, Meyer suggested that we restructure word problems. Instead of giving students all of the information right away, we present them with the simple question of “how?” I understand that it is easier to apply inquiry-based instruction to certain mathematical concepts than others. However, teachers should spend a good amount of their time restructuring the questions they pose, so that students inquire more and understand better. user:julia1286

I really enjoyed reading about the 5 E's because it reminded me of how interconnected everything in teaching is. When we teach a lesson, we almost are never going to use one strategy and only that one strategy the entire time. Each E connected really well with some of the other strategies with have talked about, especially scaffolding, modeling, I think that Inquiry Based Instruction is really great in that it is a way to get students interested in the topic. Many students, myself included, connect much better with a topic when they have at least a sense of autonomy over what and how the are learning. Inquiry based instruction gives them some great opportunities for this. I think that Inquiry Based Instruction is definitely not one of the easiest strategies to use as a teacher, some topics more so than others. It is one that can go in either direction, as far as cooperation and engagement, if the teacher does not plan very well to his/her classroom environment. Nevertheless, the reward would be so worth it. user:jarmour500

I learned the most out of the 5 E’s article. The five E’s, engage, extend, evaluate, explore, and explain, are words to live by for inquiry based learning and learning in general. I feel the greatest way for get kids involved in the five E’s and inquiry based doing a large project, rather than just listening to us. This way students aren’t subjected to listening to teachers all the time and force fed information, with inquiry based learning the kids need to think on their own and come up with their own conclusions. From personal experience the classes I still remember the most are the classes where inquiry based learning was involved. It is what will stick with the kids the most. My favorite inquiry based project was in Spanish class senior year when we had 5 people run for “President.” We all made campaigns and had a debate in the end. Our motto was Vote For Pablo; I still have the campaign shirt. Inquiry based learning is fun and a very effective way for kids to think and gain knowledge on their own. user:pauljm12

Inquiry based learning is, in my opinion, one of the best methods of instruction. I think it really can give students a lot of much needed confidence. I definitely got this vibe from watching the example in the english and history class. The inquiry based methods used there, especially in the English Class, allow students to express their ideas about subjects without being "shut down" by their teachers, which can make them feel stupid in front of their peers and can therefore reduce student confidence. I think when students express their own opinions instead of memorizing facts, it allows the information to really stick in their minds-because they created those thoughts by themselves. They did not just absorb what a teacher told them. Inquiry based learning allows students to deeply engage in the material because they teach students to support their thoughts as well as to express their thoughts about the material, which makes the material more personal to them Inquiry based learning is especially good when student's opinions are challenged by the teacher or even other students-like the history teacher said, this teaches students to back up thier opinions with evidence and to make strong arguments. user:sdouglas15

8:00 - 8:15 - Welcome and Review (Jackie) Victoria Reviewed 11/14 8:15 - 8:45 - Differentiation Review 8:45 - 10:00 - Inquiry-Based Instruction Model **Objective:**
 * Notetaker: Miranda
 * Photographer: Alex
 * Reviewer: Tyler
 * Using iPads (or any electronic device) to differentiate by product, you could also use them for tearing to find different levels of the same content.
 * Choice boards give students the opportunity to choose what they're doing and get invested
 * Instructional Conversation
 * The whole idea is responding to student needs
 * Not making the kids behave, but finding what they need in order to learn
 * Misbehavior is almost always a consequence of an unmet need (learning needs)
 * clear learning goals
 * ongoing assessment and adjustment
 * flexible grouping
 * positive learning environment
 * respectful tasks
 * daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com
 * objectives should not predetermine outcomes
 * Student need to care about the question
 * 5 steps: ask, investigate, create, discuss, reflect
 * SWBAT discern arguments and supporting evidence from a variety of resources related to a vexing educational issue
 * SWBAT articulate a well-reasoned stance related to a challenging educational issue


 * **Ask** - Why do students fail in school? What can educators do? (Examples from Tyler
 * **Investigate**-
 * Divide up the resources. After reading your article, identify the key arguments in the article with evidence.
 * Discuss your findings as a group.
 * Find additional resources
 * Choose a position and support your position with evidence (facts/well-reasoned logic)


 * **Create** - A billboard advocating your position
 * **Discuss** - Share your positions
 * **Reflect** - On the project

**Link to research log:**

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aduBoe-KhMZVGhp8A6yO5xtfohY7l6RQbQM5lJQzQ80/edit?usp=sharing
 * You'll need to make a copy and rename!

**Resources to start with. . . (representing various positions)** [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []


 * A few research tips . . . **
 * For the most part, use only articles that are less than 3 years old (set these parameters when you google)
 * Recognize that this is a hot, complex topic; articles may be biased towards a certain position. Look for the bias.
 * Avoid websites that are inundated with ads.


 * Present billboards & reflect on the process **

10:00 - 10:20 - Discussion Reasons for Chronic failure 10:20 - 10:40 - Key Assessment
 * problems outside of school: food, family, friends, etc
 * fear of failure, results in failure
 * it's all about mindset "Whether you think you can, or you can't... you're right."
 * failure is part of the process
 * "I'm just dumb."
 * correlation between effort and success
 * Dec 5 - Inquiry Activity Guide
 * Teaching demos - Christine, Audrey, Liz
 * Dec 3 or 4 - Draft of EdTPA Task 1, Key Assessment Due
 * Context for Learning for your focal class
 * Two connected lesson plans (one is the plan you used for your observed lesson; the second is the plan for the lesson immediately before or after the observed lesson)
 * **Be sure at least one of your lessons directly links to the EdTPA focus question!**
 * Must represent at least two different teaching strategies
 * Task 1 Commentary questions 1, 2, 3, and 5 (found in EdTPA handbook on Blackboard) -- must have **at least** two questions answered for the draft
 * Email this assignment **in one file** since it requires several templates (lesson design plan and TPA commentary)
 * Assignment Description
 * [[file:221S Key Assessment_F13 (3).docx]]
 * Commentary Rubric
 * [[file:commentary rubric.docx]]


 * Don't forget to pick up your thank you gifts from Debbie!**