Enquiry Based Learning

QCA’s description of independent enquirers Young people who process and evaluate information in their investigations, planning what to do and how to go about it.

To engage fully in enquiry based learning students need to engage in the following processes: Questioning Planning Revising Imagining Reasoning Making Links Communicating

Discuss Gains for students Gains for teachers Possible pitfalls

Cognitive conflict and challenge Metacognition Bridging and Transfer TEACHING HIGHER ORDER THINKING

TASC THINKING ACTIVELY IN A SOCIAL CONTEXT

T ASC THINKING: - can be improved - can cope with complexity - a range of thinking strategies can be developed

T A SC ACTIVELY: - ownership of learning - part of decision-making - empowered - aware of long-term goals - motivated

TA S C SOCIAL: - interaction - sharing - cooperation

TAS C CONTEXT: - relevant -linked with real life -culturally meaningful

Some possible contexts: - Design and technology -Planning a teddy bear’s picnic -A summer production -A school council research project -A science investigation

What do I know about this? Assemble from memory Note links and ideas Extend through questions Baseline for learning

What is the task? Clarify purpose of task Establish criteria for success Examples of excellence

Suggest ideas and methods Collect a variety of evidence See different perspectives Find a new way How many ideas can I think of?

TASC TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE THINKING How many ideas can we think of? What is the opposite view? What will happen if? What are all the factors? Which is the most important? What do other people think? How do the ideas link? What are we trying to do?

Plan the task Give reasons for choices Select key ideas Plan presentation medium Prioritise Which is the best idea?

Carry through a plan Monitor progress Change direction See the next steps Let’s do It!

Evaluate against criteria See ways to improve Carry out improvements Reflect on the task Opportunities for change How well did I do?

Real audience Explain and share Celebrate the process of learning Present in different styles Let’s tell Someone!

Reflect on performance Transfer skills Retain new knowledge Articulate new skills What have I learned?

Comments made by teachers at the end of a whole school TASC research project ‘The children researched and worked with such enthusiasm’ ‘We became aware that some children needed more structure and guidance at first because they were not used to working in such an open ended way. We needed to assess the degree of structure necessary and the withdraw the support as they became more confident’. ‘The TASC wheel gives the children a structure for the different stages of their thinking. It is flexible, sometimes we use the whole wheel, sometimes one part when there is a need’.

TASC is just one tool that can support schools to develop enquiry based learning. Philosophical Enquiry BLP’s ‘building the habits of…’ guides ???????Share

TASC Websites NACE Webquest EEL/Wheel.htm