As I sit here writing
this blog many ideas are running through my mind as to what to think about
inquiry based learning (IBL). The
possibilities that it offers to students to motivate them and to kindle the
desire to learn are awesome. Yet, the
scope of the situation of setting up a lesson is also daunting. Despite this fear, I looked further into IBL
and have decided to adopt the motto of, “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you
stronger.” With that in mind I have found
out some pretty amazing bits of information that I would like to share with you
all here.
First, in a 1989 study it was shown that, “the
amount of student learning that occurs in a classroom is directly proportional
to the quality and quantity of student involvement in the educational program.” Taking
this as truth I wondered how I learned anything at all in school. I mean for as long as I can remember I sat in
a room and took notes from a lecture, this was especially true in college. Yet what this study is saying makes complete
sense. People learn by doing things, not
by listening to people describing how to do things. I have come to realize that with a structured
IBL lesson all of the educational goals are possible AND the students will even remember it, or at least more of it.
Second, the environment of your classroom is vital to
the success of any IBL lesson. This kind
of goes in the category of obviously but it still needs to be stated. If students do not feel comfortable in your
classroom then they will not be able to take the risks that are offered to them
in a IBL activity. There is comfort in
taking notes and answering questions on a worksheet, because that is what they
have always done. Asking students to do
something new is scary, for them and for you, and will not be successful unless
the environment is comfortable. So
teachers rethink that old mantra of “Mean till Halloween.”
Finally, my understanding of the usefulness and
academic relevance of IBL has changed during my research. I realize that in the world today sitting and
taking notes is a skill that you need, but should not be the only thing you are
evaluated on in school. In the real
world you need to create something, why should school be different? As long as the activities have a clear
academic relevance and they engage the student’s interests, IBL lessons are MORE beneficial than a traditional
lesson in which the teacher talks to the students.
Despite all of this I am still left wondering how
successful the IBL process is when it comes to differentiation. I can picture making the assignments and
activities more difficult for your higher achieving students, I just am left
wondering how to accommodate for those students who have pretty severe learning
disabilities and accommodations on their IEP’s.
References
(n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.neiu.edu/~middle/Modules/science mods/amazon
components/AmazonComponents2.html