AUTHENTIC LEARNING IN STUDIES OF RELIGION THROUGH THE INQUIRY PROCESS

The QSA syllabus for the Studies of Religion guides us to use the inquiry process of learning and assessment. It is purported that this provides students for deep or authentic learning

What is Authentic Learning? learning which emphasizes “meaningful, worthwhile and significant activities that help the learner to construct understandings and develop skills relevant to problem solving learning activities that closely resemble the ways that students will be expected to use their knowledge and skills in the real world Wehlage Newmann and Secada (1996)

BCE Vision Statement If we examine conducting Ethnographic Investigations in line with the Brisbane Catholic Education Visions Statement for Catholic Education we can begin to see links to a variety of teacher practices including direct instruction and inquiry based learning.

TEACH

CHALLENGE

TRANSFORM We educate for a transformed world in communion, by nurturing the gifts and potential of each person, enacting shared leadership, and exercising a preferential option for the poor and the marginalised.

Focus on development of personal knowing / meaning / understanding through active engagement with information (sources, people, culture, religion) From collection and replication to engagement Students are creators, not replicators of knowledge Developing in students the will and the motivation to know through engagement with information sources and information technology 1. Authentic learning allows learners to construct their own meaning and direct their learning

Examining student Responses At this point can we work with a partner to examine the student response we have collected. Have we provided the students with a valid Inquiry Assessment tasks that meet the intent of the syllabus and provides students with authentic learning.

Criteria Knowledge and understanding Evaluative processes Research and communication Affective objectives

SYLABBUS ORGANISERS Framing Investigating Reasoning Judging Reflecting

2. Authentic learning is about social communication Linking information to knowledge Linking mind and environment Linking self and others Linking deliberation and action Linking actions and outcomes Development of information scaffolds Promoting an empowerment model towards knowledge construction, rather than a deficiency notion Gathering evidence on learning needs in relation to building knowledge

What is constructivist Learning? “Learning is a personal and social construction of meaning out of the bewildering array of sensations which have no order or stature besides the explanations which we fabricate for them” “Constructing meaning is learning. There is no other kind”.

3. Authentic learning is developmental, building on prior knowledge Cumulative process, building to greater richness, complexity and application; Knowledge growth is gradual: advancement, consolidation, reinforcement; Tracking student development of understanding, meaning and competence, and providing feedback.

4. Authentic learning requires real world situations and personal ownership Links to real world issues that matter Activities which enrich formal investigation: constructing the compelling question and the personal creative title Reporting of personal engagement with primary sources: interview, data gathering, simple experimentation, analysis of external documents, site visits. This is the students investigation Integration of information and data to construct personal position

Authentic Learning requires Intervention Formative to Summative Feedback  sustained learning; Practice  nourishing learning; Opportunities to use  meaningful learning Evidence-based feedback. Be specific during conversations or with written feedback. Evidence- based recursive process of needs analysis and improvement Encouragement and support for learning goals