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The Thinking Classroom: How to Incorporate Inquiry and Project Based Learning
This session will provide teachers with the tools and knowledge to help students investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate ideas, and take action through project based
learning. Teachers will learn how to craft meaningful driving questions to promote rich inquiry in order to prepare students to be college, career, and civic ready. Specific examples, tools,
resources and suggestions will be shared.

2. Our Team
K-12 Social Studies Consultants
Ann Carlock
Justyn Knox
Michelle McLaughlin
Scott Garren
Section Chief K-12 Social Studies
Fay Gore
NC Character Education Coordinator
Program Assistant
Bernadette Cole

3. Objectives
Discuss implementation of inquiry-based learning in the classroom.
Understand effective guidelines of inquiry- based learning.
Understand how to create a culture of inquiry in your classroom by effective questions that promote inquiry
This session will present the essential elements of project-based learning in social studies classrooms to help teachers prepare their students to become college, career, and civic ready. Teachers will learn how to create a culture of inquiry in their classroom and the effective guidelines for project based learning within their social studies classrooms.

4. Essential Elements of Project Based Learning
Note that this is one approach to inquiry. There are also other approaches such as problem based learning.

5. Significant Content 21st Century Skills
Identify important content knowledge by specifying standards that will be taught through the project.
Every standard needs a measurable outcome.
Critical Thinking
Collaboration
Communication
Creativity and Innovation
Must think about your standards and your skills (significant to teachers and students.)
Need to be successful in the workplace
Modeled, practiced, assessed, feedback
It is recommended to choose 1-3 standards and choose st century learning skills for each project.

6. In Depth Inquiry Asking effective questions Making hypotheses
Supporting answers with research and evidence
Developing new questions as knowledge deepens
So if we think about what our classrooms should look like –it should involve these aspects if we are preparing our students to be college, career, and civic ready.
Not google
In-Depth inquiry and innovation is marked by students finding their own unique way of solving a problem
Element of Innovation---not just repackaging information

7. Connecting Inquiry to The K-12 Social Studies Concept-Based Framework
Questioning is the heart of inquiry learning.
Students must ask relevant questions and develop ways to search for answers and generate explanations.
Emphasis is placed upon the process of thinking as this applies to student interaction with concepts, big ideas, data, topics, issues, and problems.
Steve
Effective Questioning is the key to inquiry. This should be something that students CANNOT simply go to google and find the answer or ask SIRI on their iphone to find the right answer. Inquiry often times involves multiple perspectives support with evidence. It takes students on a journey and involves a unique way of solving problems.
Questioning in SS can often be connected to disciplinary literacy. Students can explore questions through the different lenses of the social sciences. How would a historian explore a question? An economist? A Geographer? Etc.
Michelle's Comments : As you know in our past webinars and professional development trainings we have stressed asking students 3 different types of question in Unit Development. They are “Factual, Provocative and Conceptual” We know that asking higher order factual questions are great for helping students understand content knowledge. However for the purposes of this webinar we are going to focus on why “Proactive” and “Conceptual questions” are better QUESTIONS to drive inquiry in social studies.
Resource for bullets (last bullet adapted for our CBCI information) -

8. Effective Questions Organizes Inquiry
Can arise from real-dilemmas that students find interesting
Goes to the heart of a discipline or topic
Organizes Inquiry
Captures the issues, problem, or challenge
Consistent with curricular standards and frameworks
Open-ended and provocative
Ann
MOST IMPORTANTLY , effective questions capture issues that are important to students. The planned daily lessons and activities, should be trying to help students answer the question. Whether it's a mini-lesson on small activity----the work needs to connect to the question. This is so that the day-to-day lessons and activities now have reason, relevancy and purpose. We also need to identify the issue or problem for which it posed within its historic context   (e.g. Did the flapper have to degrade herself in order to liberate herself?)
Effective questions must come from and be aligned to the essential standards so that it requires students to learn the necessary content
Effective questions should be proactive --They must challenge students to rethink big ideas. This will lead to genuine and relevant inquiry, not just easy answers. Questions should NOT be “googleable” but should have unique answers for each students -engaging them in an in-depth inquiry. Proactive questions may have multiple perspectives but should be supported by evidence.
4. Effective questions should be Real Dilemmas—Thus, they Are relevant in multiple settings whether it be in the history and science classroom, the evening news or a student’s personal life
This  creates an interest and a feeling of challenge so that even the most reluctant student thinks, "Hmmm, I guess that sounds kinda cool.
It helps student answer the question: "Why are we doing this?" This is the Golden Question that many administrators ask students when they are visiting. If your driving question is good, it can help connect that work so that students can articulate the reason behind daily lessons and activities
5. Effective questions spark meaningful connections to prior knowledge and experiences.
6. Effective questions organizes inquiry----and lead to more questions i
Adapted from The Buck Institute

9. Different Types of Questions
Philosophical: When is war justified?
Products: How can we plan an event that creates or celebrates the history of our community?
Problem Solving: Why do civilizations fail?
Real World/Scenario - What responsibilities, if any, does the government have in maintaining a middle class?
ANN
There are four different types of questions for inquiry
First, Philosophical questions that debate life’s big questions. An example of a philosophical question is: When is war justified?
Next, there are questions that
Next , there are questions that lead students to inventing or creating a products. An example of such a question would be: How can we plan an event that creates or celebrates the history of our community?
Problem Solving questions pose a challenge for students to solve through research. An example of this type of question would be: Why do civilizations fail?
Finally, by adding a real world role we are adding authenticity, rigor, and depth which enables them to build an understanding of their future roles and responsibilities. An example of this type of question may be: What responsibilities, if any, does the government have in maintaining a middle class?
Adapted from The Buck Institute

10. Google-able Teacher Language Too Standards Based General
Refining Questions
Google-able Teacher Language Too Standards Based General
Open Ended
Engaging for Students
Relevant
We are going to talk about how to refine each one of these problems that many teachers run into when crafting good driving questions.
Often times teachers make their questions to direct, not fully engaging to students and to general. We are going to look at some examples of how this occurs and practice with how to fix these mistakes.
Michelle comments ---should include conversation about the higher thinking that can come from making some of your questions conceptual or provocative?
Michelle's Question/Comment When should Essential Questions be asked?
Should “driving questions” sometimes be strategically placed in the instruction or does it matter? –It’s important to think about when you should ask your driving question. Sometimes you cannot introduce it until some pretty important content knowledge may have been covered. At other times students are discovering that content knowledge through the essential question.
Charge for Action

11. “Google-able” What are the major industries in our state?
What were the causes of the American Revolution?
What were the major forms of modern art?
So as we think about INQUIRY--_What are the problems with these questions
So do these questions encourage in depth inquiry? NO! They are google-able! --The problem we see with all of these questions is that they are very concrete. All students have to do is simply go to google and type them in and the answer will appear.
--Questions do not require multiple activities, synthesizing, and analyzing much information. We want to go beyond the knowledge here and go to a deeper meaning.
So let’s talk some about driving questions in this model.

12. Open Ended Why does our state produce the things it does?
Could England have avoided the revolt of the American colonies?
Does modern art reflect or inspire society?
Steve
Here is what we came up with. Rephrasing our questions in this manner help our students to use inquiry and research to answer the question. These types of questions are going to require multiple activities and the synthesis of different types of information before it can be answered.
Notice that these are all proactive questions (Some are conceptual proactive and some are conceptual factual)

13. What is justice? When is war justified? What is a hero? Concrete
Abstract
What is justice? When is war justified? What is a hero?
Concrete
Are amusement park rides safe? Is our water at our school safe to drink? Can DNA evidence be trusted?
Problem Solving
How can we improve traffic flow at our school?
Design Challenge
How could we create a school mural to express our diversity within our school?
History
What is the price of “progress”? Was the American Revolution justified? What effect does the Civil War still have on us today? How can we bring peace to the Middle East?
Social Studies
What is the American Dream and who has it? How do immigrants meet the challenges of coming to a new country? Do victors really benefits from winning wars? How should we respond to terrorism?
English
Why are books banned? How do we persuade others? How does literature reflect the time in which it was written?
Art
How does art reflect its time? Is art worth its price? Should art be censored?
Geography
How does the place we live in affect how we live? How can we use geography to interpret the past? How do human actions modify the physical environment?
Government
Do we have too much freedom? What is the best form of government? How should criminals be treated? Should the Bill of Rights be revised?
Science
How will the land we live on change over time? Can we predict the weather? How can we stop the spread of infectious diseases? Should we produce genetically engineered foods?
Math
Is it better to buy or lease a car? How can we use probability to assess the state lottery system? Can we predict the growth of a websites use?
Here are some broad examples of driving questions in the different disciplines.
However you will notice that many of these questions have interdisciplinary ties. For example if we look at the question in the History strand “What is the Price of Progress” would easily tie this in with Math, Science, ELA, to build interdisciplinary connections that align with several cross curricular standards. It’s important that we help students see that learning happens across multiple disciplines as they use inquiry?

14. Sounds too Much Like a Teacher
What did the ancient Greeks contribute to the development of Western Civilization?
Should there be more development in wilderness areas in North Carolina?
What were the causes of the Great Depression?
Choose one question---how would you make it more engaging to students? Type your answer on the padlet
While they are thinking:
-We don’t want our questions to sound too textbook. These questions are not going to motivate or excite students. They are not going to make the average student have a “Need to Know” them. We want our questions to be phrased so that students are still learning the content knowledge while gaining a deeper and more relevant meaning.

15. Engaging for Students
Did the ancient Greeks help make us who we are today? OR How Greek are we?
Should a new shopping center be built on the land by the river near our town?
Could the Great Depression happen again?
Here are some possible revisions.

16. Avoid Repeating the Standards
QUESTIONS
8.C&G.2.1
Evaluate the effectiveness of various approaches used to effect change in North Carolina and the United States (e.g. picketing, boycotts, sit-ins, voting, marches, holding elected office and lobbying).
How effective were various approaches such as boycotting, picketing, and sit- ins used to impact NC laws?
6.E.1.1
Explain how conflict, compromise, and negotiation over the availability of resources (natural, human and capital) impacted the economic development of various civilizations, societies and regions.
Is China a powerful country today of it’s conflict compromise and negotiation over natural resources?
Again…How would you change one of these questions to make in not sound so standards based and academic for students? Type your answer of the padlet page
While they are thinking:
Many teachers feel the need to plug the content in the question. But are students going to get all of that content to actually answer the question (YES) How are you going to create lessons and learning experiences for them to
Essential questions that sound like generalizations are not exciting and do not DRIVE the learning, which brings me to my next point.

17. Aligned to Standards without restating them
QUESTIONS
Is breaking the law ever justifiable?
Why is China a powerful nation?
Are we like China or not?

18. Too General What is a hero?
Which advertising techniques are most effective?
Why did the explorers journey to the Americas?
Two Options—This is our LAST one 
Change these general questions to a call to action for students or localize it to your own local community. (Write your question on the padlet)
While they are thinking?
While these are not bad driving questions we can still revise to them to make them much more relevant to students by adding a call to action factor or by bringing the question to the local community. I want you to think about

19. Who are the heroes in our community and how can we tell their stories?
How can we create a guide for other kids so they will know how advertisers try to get us to buy stuff?
How can we, as explorers, create a planning guide for leading an expedition?
Here are some possible suggestions for revision to reframe the questions for a call to action. In first question we made it local and made a call for action.
Michelle suggest another Title Here. Maybe we could think of one as a team.

20. Go LOCAL
How can we help a small local business improve their advertising?
Should the city of Raleigh allow street artist to help gentrify the downtown area?
How do we design an exhibit on the Iroquois nation for the NC Museum of Natural History
Here are some additional other questions to give you more examples of how to localize your essential questions to your community or school.
Going local will additionally assist in the availability of resources and letting the research lead the student in a local setting can be quite an exhilarating ride!

21. Need To Knows Work that MATTERS! Students are more motivated to learn
What is important to know in the project?
Who decides the answers to this question?
Revisited frequently as project progresses
What do you need to know in order to create a quality PBL unit?
Remember that the student is the main actor in this model. He or she has developed the driving question, so that student should also be the one coming up with the list of Need to Knows relating to the question. While you can guide students and facilitate their thinking here, this should be a list of KNOWS and NEED TO KNOWS that the STUDENT develops! Emphasize for the student that this is an iterative process and they will revisit this list again and again. These are not things the teacher decides. It is student focuses, triggered by an ‘entry event’ that gets students thinking.
Make a list of “Know, Need to Knows”
Audience
Not because it’s on the test, not to please teacher, not to please parents
ENTRY EVENT
Teaching to a test

22. Voice and Choice Student Ownership Independent Thinkers
Differentiated Instruction
Students learn to work independently and take responsibility when they are asked to make choices.

23. Revision and Reflection
Constant and ongoing
Variety in feedback is a key factor
Self reflection, peer to peer, teacher
You want to make sure that you have a process in place for providing feedback and opportunities for reflection and revision on the part of the student. It is necessary for students to recognize that they will NOT have a finished product at the first draft and in fact may have to start over. ITS OKAY TO STRUGGLE!
Let’s take a look at some feedback and reflection examples.

24. Teaching Student’ to give Descriptive Feedback
Teaching Student’ to give Descriptive Feedback. Point out that this can be done online.

25. Great Protocol for students giving descriptive feedback
Great Protocol for students giving descriptive feedback. Takes time and practice but works wonderfully once students understand the process.
Discuss with participants the critical friends approach. How many have used it? Strengths? Weaknesses?

26. Peer Feedback Video Writing Peer Review (Top 10 Mistakes)
Most students do not automatically know how to give effective descriptive feedback. This must be modeled, practiced, and continually refined.

27. Authentic Audiences A Younger Students
The community (Newspaper, local businesses, organizations)
A Scientist
A Historical Figure
Governmental Officials
School Leaders
Parents
Family Members
Friends
Ask them what would be an authentic audience USE THE PADLET

28. Authentic Purposes Take a stand
Persuade specific audience to commit to your perspective or cause
Alter a perspective
Take on a different perspective
Explain a process
Analyze an event, experimental results, statistics
Educate a group on a topic, procedure, or event
Relay scientific findings
Relay and opinion
USE THE PADLET
What are authentic purposes?

29. Real World Formats Letter Article Social Media Presentation Debates
Experiments
Role Play/Drama Narrative
Lab Reports
News Program
Talk show
Timeline
Maps, Charts, & Graphs
Data Displays
Diagrams
Diary Entry
What are real world formats?

30. Does The Inquiry? Focus on Significant Content
Develop 21st Century Skills
Engage Students in In-Depth Inquiry
Organize task around a Driving Questions
Establish a need to know
Encourage Voice and Choice
Incorporate Revisions and Reflection
Include a Public Audience

31. Resources Buck Institute Leading Project Based Learning
Birth of the Tubric
Project-Based Learning 4 All
Teach 21
Edutopia
The Inquiry Arc: Preparing Students to Be College, Career, and Civic Ready
Global Project Based Learning
Have the resources on a handout. Need to include research links as well!

32. Research The Evidence Base for Social Studies: Inquiry-Based Learning
Educational Leadership: What Research Says About Project Based Learning
Edutopia's Project Based Learning Research Review

33. What instructional or assessment practices will you adapt in your classroom after this session?
Share with me success, challenges, or questions
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