Learning Through Inquiry

 

        Students are often more engaged when concepts are related to their lives or have a purpose. They enjoy learning about things that are interesting to them and encourage creativity. Students often need to be presented with the opportunities to inquire about new topics and think deeply. Inquiry is a way to ensure that all students are engaged and using a variety of skills needed to be successful and career ready.

        The ability to ask questions is essential to learning, reading, understanding, and student development (Coiro, 2015). Teachers should aim to build a community of wonder in their classroom by using intentional and unplanned opportunities to capitalize on student curiosity. Inquiry based learning engages students as they become more positive, confident, and independent in their learning. As they work through their questions, they gain new knowledge and meaningful understandings (Coiro, et al., 2014). Through inquiry students are introduced to and learn about different perspectives and ways of communicating meaning. The inquiry process is not linear, but can follow a format to aid in student development and exploration.

        It is a great idea to begin framing inquiry instruction with an essential question or relating it to the current curriculum content being taught. Inquiry can help organize instruction around topics that students can bridge off of and according to Wilhelm and Wilhelm (2010), lead to the development of a studied knowledge. Asking essential questions can change the dynamic of the classroom, the questions can be teacher or student centered. Student generated questions, stemming from essential questions or topics, provide benefits of motivating both teachers and students to engage in exploration (Coiro, 2015). They also can aid in students knowing the purpose of their learning, assist them in finding their own connections, and can help highlight concepts and processes that may be useful (Wilhelm and Wilhelm, 2010). 

        The purpose of learning is an essential motivational tool for students. The digital tools and resources used, questions generated, and the process of inquiry should all be portrayed with a purpose to students. When students are able to place a purpose to their learning they become more engaged and motivated to continue developing their skills which can lead to an increase in student understanding (Corio et al., 2016). Engaging in inquiry-based learning without a purpose lowers student engagement and willingness to learn which can undermine and disenfranchise students from school (Wilhelm and Wilhelm, 2010). It is often that teachers can lose student engagement when activities, strategies, or processes do not have a reason and students do not want to learn or understand the content. 

        An additional way to encourage curiosity and learning through inquiry would be conducting a student survey or allowing students to ask additional questions on a curricular concept. When students are allowed to voice their own curiosities and questions it builds their confidence in realizing that their ideas and interest are important (Coiro et al., 2016). Currently in my classroom I am beginning to include an option for students to always list questions they have that pertain to the current concept. This provides me with more opportunities to learn about student interests, their current knowledge of concepts, and encourage curiosity in the classroom. When students begin to become more curious it is a great starting point for students to learn through inquiry. 

        Teachers can take time to show students how to build on their knowledge and search for new answers can encourage critical thinking skills as they create representations of their understanding. Modeling and scaffolding learning in a gradual release format that provides students with the support and independence they need. It is important to model and think aloud strategies that can help students generate interesting questions and access resources to answer the new questions they have (Coiro, 2015). When learning through inquiry students have to utilize a variety of literacy skills in knowing how to locate information, synthesize information they have learned in order to convey their new understanding. 

        Inquiry also provides teachers with the opportunity to include more student collaboration activities and strategies into the classroom. Students who are able to share and express their understanding with peers can learn from each other as they exchange questions and ideas. Coiro (2015) recommends inquiry buddies as a way to get students involved with searching through sources, materials, or generating new questions about related topics. From discussions and collaboration, they can continue to generate more ideas and utilize critical thinking skills to search for more knowledge. Students can then present information they have learned through a variety of projects that they create. 

        Projects can be assigned by the teachers, or student driven, and can easily tie into curriculum mandates or requirements. Consider watching the video below that provides more information on how student driven inquiry can be. To encourage student’s learning and consistent engagement in inquiry, it is important to provide students with a sense of choice and independence in their explorations and creation of products. Students who stake a personal claim or expression may create representations that require a deeper understanding of the material and may cause them to make connections to themselves and the world through their representation (Wilhelm and Wilhelm, 2010). Teachers can also structure tasks that scaffold students’ abilities to question, navigate, and negotiate the meaning of text online directly relating literacy skills into learning through inquiry (Coiro, et al., 2014). Providing students with particular projects that will allow them freedom of representation is a great way to model and scaffold understanding ensuring students utilize strategies and resources planned by the teacher.

Resource Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAYh4nWUkU0

References

Coiro, J. (2015). The Magic of Wondering. The Reading Teacher, 69(2), 189–193.                                  

https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1399

Coiro, J., Castek, J., & Quinn, D. J. (2016). Personal Inquiry and Online Research:                            

Connecting Learners in Ways that Matter. The Reading Teacher, 69(5),                                      

            483- 492. doi:10.1002/trtr.1450

Sekeres, D. C., Coiro, J., Castek, J., & Guzniczak, L. A. (2014). Wondering + Online                      

Inquiry = Learning. Phi Delta Kappa, 96(3), 44–48.                                     https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721714557452                                                        

Wilhelm, J. D., & Wilhelm, P. J. (2010). Inquiring Minds Learn to Read, Write, and                     

  Think: Reaching All Learners through Inquiry. Middle School Journal, 41(5),                             39-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2010.11461738