Students’ participation in inquiry activities EdPsy 490 CL Collaborative Learning December 10, 2002 Mihye Won

Current discourse about inquiry – inquiry vs. diversity Inquiry as a method Only works for fluent, able, middle-class kids Work harder to make inquiry possible Different methods for difficult students Pedagogy of poverty Political awareness Hybrid approach

Meaning of inquiry - inquiry for diversity Different learners Inquiry teaching & learning Different experiences The way of learning Respect students’ experience Link experiences into learning

Meanings of collaboration in inquiry To help students construct knowledge To introduce students to disciplinary language, values, and ways of knowing To develop sense of community and atmosphere of mutual respect

But… Assigning inquiry-oriented projects to students  collaborative environments? Dewey – deliberate, reflective teaching to build productive, democratic environments

Research questions How do the students participate in the inquiry- oriented collaborative activities? How do the students conceptualize the group activity and negotiate their roles?

Methods Settings  8 th grade middle school science class  Owl pellet activity One of hands-on, multi-session problem-solving activities  Focus students: Alex and Chris Data  Video tape of the group activity  Participant observation  Focus group interviews

Numbers (in 30 minute video) Chris stayed for 30 minutes, Alex 20, and the teacher 10.  Alex looking at the bones: 3’30”  Alex touching the bones: 3’30” (for the extra skull) Alex with Chris  participation attempts: 8 (rejected every time) Chris with the teacher  call for help: 8  ask questions: strategic 24, factual 10 Chris with Alex  complain of hard work: 3  call for Alex’s participation: 2  gives tasks to Alex: 2 (putting things away)  examines Alex’s work: 2  blaming Alex: loss 1, breakage 1

How students participate in the activity – no sharing of knowledge Exclusion/limited access to the resource (division of labor among students)  Emphasis on product over process  Lack of meta-cognition  Physical arrangement of class  Micro-engineering Reliance on the teacher’s knowledge  Trust on teacher’s expertise and intention  Ownership – teacher’s task

How students conceptualize the activity and negotiate their roles Alex: “get to know people better”  Sharing life stories  Interacting with Tasha, Kanishia, and Reggie  Self control (learned helplessness)  Interest / no-interest (challenging but not hard) Chris: “learn science”  Action, building  Better products  Teacher as the effective, caring, affectionate expert