1. Models of Inquiry Research Assignments: Designing The Inquiry

2. Today’s Agenda
9.25 am Guided Inquiry: Engaging learners in the information-to-knowledge experience.
Review; The Instructional Imperative; The Pedagogical Imperative; the Collaborative Imperative
10.30 am: Morning Tea
11.00 am: Designing Guided Inquiry Research Units: Models of meaningful research tasks
12.30 pm: Lunch
1.15 pm: Zones of Intervention and Instructional Strategies; instructional exemplars
2.45 pm: Afternoon Tea
3.00 pm: Guided Inquiry at Work: Planning Activity; Questions

3. Hall of Fame Research “Greatness”
Where/when born, died, lived
Education/Jobs/Career
Challenges overcome
Qualities that led to greatness
Awards/Commendations
Political offices held
Best remembered for what
Connection to NJ

4. Critical thinking and Deep Knowledge?
Walt Whitman (Camden) Considered by many to be the most influential poet in U.S. history

5. Ella Lonely, Nervous, Brave, Determined, Sassy
Daughter of parents who filled their house with music
Music must have filled her loneliness when her father died
Moved to New York for a better life.
Who loved the night magic of Harlem,
Who loved the celebrities and begging for autographs with her friends
Who really loved singing and scatting
Who loved her Aunt that took care of her as a child.
Who felt loss, when her mother died
Who felt anger when she was put in an orphanage
Who felt trapped in those walls but they couldn’t keep her down
because she felt the pull of her song
and the night magic of Harlem.
Who felt nervous and fear at auditions
Who feared not being able to sing because she had no one to care for her
Who feared dying from diabetes and possibly going blind,
Who feared whom she would pass her singing crown down to
Who wanted to see someone take over her singing crown
Who would have liked to have spent more time with her late parents
Who wanted to work with the best bands
Who changed the world of jazz and swing
Who was very proud of her awards and achievements
She was “The First Lady Of Song”;
she was “Sassy” and a Legend of Jazz
Born in Virginia, grew up in New York,
adopted by the world.
Ella was great
Fitzgerald
Ella

6. Research “Think Models”
Compare and Contrast Model
Concept Jigsaw Model
Sensemaking Model
Advice to Action Model
Problems / Possibilities Model
Pattern & Trends / Matrix Model
History and Mystery Model
Take a Position Model
The Re-Create Model
Reinventing a Better Way Model
Learn By Doing Model

7. Types of Questions

8. Bloom and Inquiry

9. Compare and Contrast Model (Years 2 – 5)
Identify purpose and items to be compared eg lives of children today compared to early Australian settlers
Build background knowledge
Brainstorm and select criteria for comparison
Use pertinent quality information sources to gather data
Sort data into meaningful categories
Analyze results
Draw conclusions
Evaluation: appropriate criteria set, adequate, accurate and relevant data, sorted similarities and differences accurately, balanced amount of data for both sides, comparisons fully explored, clarity of conclusion

10. Concept Jigsaw Model
Students become an expert about a topic, the combine expertise with others to form a big picture, develop deeper questions and gain deeper understanding (works very well in primary years)
Select curriculum strands that require detailed topical knowledge and critical thinking eg endangered animals
Build background knowledge, establish subtopics / dimensions of topics eg pick an animal
Establish focus questions of individual topics; research and create focused product (mini-experts)
Report / demonstrated knowledge of subtopic
Group analysis / mapping of topic: develop tough, challenging questions based on engagement with whole
Develop wider more synthesized understanding of topic
Example: How are animals the same? Events to themes of a novel; impact of immigration (country); why should we worry about prescribed drugs?

11. Sensemaking Model
Identifying issue and establishing real world relevance
Building background knowledge: just the facts
Essential questions for understanding the issue
Identifying stakeholders: A’s, B’s, C’s perspectives and rationale Should Australia Really Say Sorry?
Supporting arguments and evidences for each perspective
My perspective and rationale
Implications : so what, what next, who will benefit, who will lose out
Evaluation: use adequate, relevant & accurate data; logical sorting and classifying of ideas; clear, evidence-based perspectives; made connections to develop personal position, understands implications

12. Advice to Action Model
An engaging problem or issue needing expert advice and action
Role: provision of advice as experts
Build background knowledge of issue: generalist sources
Determine focus on essential dimensions of problem
Determine nature and sources of expert advice
Gather, sort, analyze expert advice (sources and people) / witnesses (detailed, specific authoritative sources)
Test ideas with others (reflect, react – feedback)
Decide on course of action (propose solution)
Eg How safe is drinking water in our community; preventing controlling bush fires; helping the homeless; healthy lifestyles; urban sprawl; drug issues
Evaluation: selected reliable, relevant and unbiased advice; identified and understood all relevant perspectives; understood and interpreted consequences of advice; collaborated to test advice

13. Problems / Possibilities Model
Exploration of an engaging problem in depth to understand the problem and to present feasible / creative solutions to the problem
Develop background knowledge of the problem; develop knowledge of act of problem solving eg steps experts take to conquer something seemingly impossible
Background knowledge of range of existing solutions
Group research to focus on one solution, its pros and cons, and steps, strategies, implications of solutions; seek input on workability of solution (gather test data); generate creative / feasible solutions
Group debate on diversity of solutions; developing community consensus and making recommendations

14. Pattern & Trends / Matrix Model
To enable students see various patterns and trends all around them, building from local / concrete to global.
Eg struggle of indigenous people all over the world to maintain their identify and flourish; strategies of dictators; explore trends over time; looking for patterns in fairy tales eg good characters, bad characters,
Build background / in-depth knowledge of one; establish key traits to examine in depth; establishing engaging focused questions; build knowledge of range of like cases
Build information matrix for each trait / question over multiple contexts: focus on gathering accurate data
Analysis of matrix to look for patterns
So what: what would happen if patterns changed, characteristics were removed

15. History and Mystery Model
Build a case for solving a history / mystery problem
Build background knowledge to determine specific questions needed to be asked and focus of evidence needed
Study pertinent primary / secondary evidence to gather best evidence
Compare evidence; deal with conflicting information – bias, popular explanations, misconceptions
Check evidence: accuracy and bias of sources
Construct arguments and counter arguments
Charting various conceptions back to sources and quality of evidence

16. History and Mystery Model
Topics:
Causes of war, changes in government, natural catastrophes, advances in technology, influence of artists
Examples:
Why do ships appear to disappear in the Bermuda triangle; Id the DaVinci Code accurate in its portrayal of the life of Christ; how are crop circles generated; various conspiracy theories
The Titanic was billed as the most luxurious and safest ship on the sea. Was the claim that it was “unsinkable” justified?

17. Take a Position Model
Learn to take positions on sound ideas, rather than making snap judgments; move beyond haphazard position-taking
Learn how to understand ideas much different than own; hear different voices on a topic
Develop critical analysis skills in face of mix of propaganda, bias, factual evidence
Build empathy for all positions, even as you take a stand
Topics: political issues, controversial science problems, moral issues, community problems, eg. Stem cell research, ban on use of pesticides and herbicides; global warming
Sample products: position paper, persuasive speech, debate, panel discussion; multi-faceted website

18. Take a Position Model

20. Take a Position Model Background reading of topic Identify issues
Engaging questions to focus on in-depth analysis of issue
Investigate possible positions through focused sources: understand affirmative, defensible, indefensible, prevalent, unique, conservative, liberal, negative etc positions
Analyze feasible positions: propaganda, bias, factual evidence
Cluster views, positions, authors; create a position line – views continuum
Form personal opinion, build evidence
Take a position
Prepare an argument
Present the position
So what? Understand impact of position

21. The Re-Create Model Select event, issue, time period
Explore event through pertinent research
Research multiple aspects to ensure authenticity
Use of primary sources; comparison with secondary sources; bias, propaganda
Decoding of information from video, photographs
Interpret, infer and predict
Present proposal / sketches / plans for recreation with justification - show engagement with multiple sources; show plans where conflict of data, viewpoint exist
Needs analysis for construction; undertake the construction
Presentation: drama, event, diary entry, newspaper, painting, story, newscast
What keeps the Prime Minister busy all day? Media coverage of PM’s day
How much influence does music play in cultural history? Create a music performance for the 1950s
The power of indigenous art recreate a museum display

22. Reinventing a Better Way Model: creativity
Reinventions usually consists of encountering a problem, examining various ways of solving that problem, and then creating a new, more efficient way to solve the problem. Everyday example: hybrid cars
Problem to be studied invites an analysis of a system; useful for both individual and group work: study various methods of solving the problem, compare and contrast findings, then challenged to be creative and reinvent a better way – efficiency, time, money, large impact, less work, easier to do, more culturally sensitive
Reflect on creation: may learn change for change sake is not productive; new way not necessarily superior

24. Reinventing a Better Way Model
Brainstorm, decide, select a system for study
Build background knowledge: system analysis
Focus questions: Investigate / research into current methods
Compare / contrast current methods, establish strengths and weaknesses
Reinvent: proposal plans timelines
Evaluate: test, try, reflect, market
Reflect
Examples: family surviving on $300 per month; health care plans; stinking swamp that council wants to pave over; Improving Townsville’s public transport system; making toys more safe; repackaging to reduce garbage

25. Learn By Doing Model
This model provides process pattern for taking students through preparing, processing and building understanding during real-time experiences
Authentic research model: engaging a student actively in a discipline’s way of discovering knowledge: Observation (field notes, photos, videos); Interviews (notes, tapes); focus groups; surveys; field experiments and data gathering; case studies; shadow studies; inventing, testing;
Might involve IT simulations, communication with stakeholders, leaders, experts; collaboration through interactive video conferencing, online projects, wikis, blogs, journals as record of progress
Focus on: engaging questions; design of data collection instruments, analysis and interpretation of raw data; collaboration and team work; critical thinking; oral communication, technology skills; community social skills

26. Learn by Doing Workshop Activity

27. To access online seminar materials join our online group