Inquiry: A Framework for Learning Pam Berger Director, SWBOCES School Library System

Critical Questions  What is inquiry?  Why is inquiry essential to the new NYS Social Studies Framework?

How was Lawrence Exeter, Jr., a product of his social class?

Connect to self, previous knowledge Gain background and context Observe, experience Develop questions Make predictions, hypothesis Find & evaluate information to answer questions, test hypotheses Think about information to illuminate new questions Construct new understanding connected to previous knowledge Draw conclusions about questions and hypotheses Reflect on own learning Ask new questions Apply understanding to new content. New situations Express new ideas to share learning with others Stripling Inquiry Process

Connect to self, previous knowledge Gain background and context Observe, experience Develop questions Make predictions, hypothesis Find & evaluate information to answer questions, test hypotheses Think about information to illuminate new questions Construct new understanding connected to previous knowledge Draw conclusions about questions and hypotheses Reflect on own learning Ask new questions Apply understanding to new content. New situations Express new ideas to share learning with others Stripling Inquiry Process What skills are required at each phase of inquiry?

Connect to self, previous knowledge Gain background and context Observe, experience Develop questions Make predictions, hypothesis Find & evaluate information to answer questions, test hypotheses Think about information to illuminate new questions Construct new understanding connected to previous knowledge Draw conclusions about questions and hypotheses Reflect on own learning Ask new questions Apply understanding to new content. New situations Express new ideas to share learning with others Stripling Inquiry Process Make observations Activate previous knowledge Ask questions Predict Evaluate Take notes Categorize Find patterns Differentiate Draw conclusions Synthesize Design Communicate Deconstruct Critique

Constructivism  Learners construct own meaning  Learners build new understanding on prior knowledge  Learning is social and formed through social interaction  Most meaningful learning emerges from authentic tasks

Characteristics of Inquiry Learning Intellectually active Question-based Personalized Authentic Open-ended Divergent and convergent Transformative Barbara Stripling, “Inquiry in the Digital Age.” Inquiry and the Common Core, Libraries Unlimited, CO, 2014

Inquiry Learning  Intellectually active – Students are making conscious and deliberative decisions and engaging with ideas and text using a critical eye.  Question-based – Good questions lead to explorations of the unknown, where the answers cannot be copied from one source.  Personalized – Inquiry depends on an individual pursuing ideas that connect to his own interests or his own prior knowledge  Authentic – The result of an inquiry exploration should be the application of the learning to a new situation or a connection to the real world. Barbara Stripling, “Inquiry in the Digital Age.” Inquiry and the Common Core, Libraries Unlimited, CO, 2014

Compelling Questions 1. Intellectually Meaty  Reflects an enduring issue, concern, or debate in the field.  Demands the use of multiple disciplinary lenses and perspectives. 2. Kid Friendly  Reflects a quality or condition that we know children care about.  Honors and respects children’s intellectual efforts.

Compelling…or not so compelling?  Where are we?  What were the causes of the Industrial Revolution?  Why is Albany the capital of New York?  Can Canada and the US be friends forever?  Who won the Cold War?  Who are our community helpers?  What’s the deal with hair?

Inquiry Learning  Intellectually active – Students are making conscious and deliberative decisions and engaging with ideas and text using a critical eye.  Question-based – Good questions lead to explorations of the unknown, where the answers cannot be copied from one source.  Personalized – Inquiry depends on an individual pursuing ideas that connect to his own interests or his own prior knowledge  Authentic – The result of an inquiry exploration should be the application of the learning to a new situation or a connection to the real world. Barbara Stripling, “Inquiry in the Digital Age.” Inquiry and the Common Core, Libraries Unlimited, CO, 2014

Inquiry Learning  Open-ended – The answers or solutions are discovered and formed by the inquirer during his investigation. It is not a process of the inquirer’s looking for the one right answer that the teacher already knows.  Divergent and convergent – Inquiry investigations push against the accepted frames by asking why, what else, why not. They also bring together disparate points of view to lead to new ideas and understandings.  Transformative – During inquiry, mental models are brought to the surface, examined, compared to new evidence, and rejected or revised based on new understandings. Barbara Stripling, “Inquiry in the Digital Age.” Inquiry and the Common Core, Libraries Unlimited, CO, 2014

“a set of interlocking and mutually reinforcing ideas that feature the four Dimensions of informed inquiry in social studies:  Developing questions and planning inquiries  Applying disciplinary concepts and tools  Evaluating sources and using evidence  Communicating conclusions and taking informed action” Inquiry Arc

Instructional Shift #1: Focus on Conceptual Understanding Transfer and Connections Facts Breadth of Topics Depth within Topics From Recall Concepts and Content Knowledge To

Connect to self, previous knowledge Gain background and context Observe, experience Develop questions Make predictions, hypothesis Find & evaluate information to answer questions, test hypotheses Think about information to illuminate new questions Construct new understanding connected to previous knowledge Draw conclusions about questions and hypotheses Reflect on own learning Ask new questions Apply understanding to new content. New situations Express new ideas to share learning with others Stripling Inquiry Process

Questions?

What are the thinking skills required at each phase of inquiry?