260 likes | 414 Views
RE-SEED Training Inquiry Based Learning Workshop. About the Program. Christos Zahopoulos , Executive Director Claire Duggan, Director of Programs Daniel Sullivan, Program Coordinator. About the Program. Mary Howley , Administrative Officer Feby Kiragu , Administrative Officer.
E N D
About the Program • Christos Zahopoulos, Executive Director • Claire Duggan, Director of Programs • Daniel Sullivan, Program Coordinator
About the Program • Mary Howley, Administrative Officer • FebyKiragu, Administrative Officer
About the Program • Jillian Wudarczyk, Program Coordinator • Martha McMorran, Program Coordinator • Zack Shaw, Program Coordinator
About the Program • Where does RE-SEED currently stand? • Volunteer Numbers • Staff • Funding
Welcome to Week 2 • Schedule: • Review of Inquiry Based Learning • Techniques and Utilization • Resources for Exploring • Asking Questions – Strategies and Procedures • Whirlygigs: Try an Inquiry Activity • Lunch • Workshop: Adapt an Inquiry Activity • Build It Activity
Inquiry Based Learning • What is Inquiry • Preconceived Ideas, Assumptions • The Hands-On Approach • The Hook • Questioning, Predicting, Hypothesizing • Developing a Procedure • Testing and Evaluating
Benefits of Inquiry-Based Learning • Engaging, real-world applications • Integration of disciplines, subjects • Communication and writing become equally as important as the scientific comprehension • More social, team focused • Generates lifetime learners • Producers vs Consumers
Introducing Inquiry • Important to understand students’ prior content knowledge first. First step in any class is to assess the students’ incoming comprehension levels, and evaluate needs and plan for addressing content • Feedback and Evaluation are constant components of the Inquiry model – must always be gathering feedback both anecdotal and quantitative, when possible.
Levels of Inquiry (Scaffolding) • Confirmation A typical chemistry lab: known procedure, results • Guided (Structured) A chemistry lab where the results are unknown • Bounded Use student-driven design/experiment/procedure • Open (Free) Student identified problem, experiment, results
Levels of Inquiry - Example The Egg Drop Activity: Students must design and build an egg drop device that will protect their egg from cracking after being dropped from a height of X meters.
Levels of Inquiry - Example CONFIRMATION “INQUIRY”: • Drop the egg by itself • Drop the egg with lots of protection • Ask students for ‘observations’ • Generally a ‘Demonstration’ vs Engaging Activity
Levels of Inquiry - Example STRUCTURED INQUIRY: • Give the students the problem (protect the egg) • Give them a set of materials and procedure for designing a specific device • All students build the same model, or different variations • Defined reporting – handout or questions, drawings, etc.
Levels of Inquiry - Example BOUNDED INQUIRY: • Give the students the problem (protect the egg) • Instead of giving them all materials, give them a budget and option to buy different quantities • No set of guidelines for building device (perhaps some rules, but no procedure) • Some defined reporting procedure with student input
Levels of Inquiry - Example FREE (OPEN) INQUIRY: • Give the students the problem (protect the egg) • Allow students to use any materials • Any design, procedure • Any evaluation and reporting metrics
Inquiry Based Learning – How To • Takes more time and planning, organization • Must understand prior knowledge, ability to think critically • Mostly age-dependent – hard to do < 3rd grade • Cross-Disciplinary Integration • Easier to start with stories to introduce subjects, problems, literacy component. Start discussions early to get kids eased into the problem/scenario • Museum of Science – Engineering is Elementary
Inquiry Based Learning – How To • Inquiry = Art of questions • Students asking teacher, fellow students • Teachers asking students • Techniques of Inquiry • Questioning Strategies • Defining: Who, What, When, Where • Inquiring: Why, How • Language Use • “Who knows…” vs “Who thinks…”
Inquiry Based Learning – How To • Analyzing Data and Experiment • Reporting and Communicating Results • Feedback
WHIRLYGIG ACTIVITY • Objective: Each group should create a ‘whirlygig’ that will stay aloft the longest amount of time when dropped from 2 meters • In groups of 2, please work with your partner to follow the instructions provided to you • Varying ‘inquiry’ levels • Work only with your partner • You have 10 minutes to create and refine your whirlygig model • Test together at the end of 10 minute build
Whirlygigs – Feedback and Reflection • How clear were your directions? Template(s)? • What were your biggest challenges? • Was it easy? Difficult? Why? • How could your experience have been improved?
Adapting Inquiry Activities:Extending Kits and Labs • Many labs, experiments, and activities can be adapted and modified to include varying levels inquiry based learning and engineering. Sometimes, it can be difficult for a teacher to understand how they can integrate engineering concepts into their curriculum. Here are some examples:
Adapting Inquiry Activities:Extending Kits and Labs • Integrating Inquiry and Engineering: • Adding Costs, Budgets • Introducing Materials or limiting them • Quantifying Results, Data Analysis • Introducing Social, Environmental, Political, Economic concerns, consequences, etc. • Widening scope of problem, procedure • Extensions and investigations for further consideration • Try to assess interests, possible directions for futher investigation
Adapting Inquiry Activities:Extending Kits and Labs • Many teachers and schools/districts use kit-based activities (FOSS and STC) • Kits are predefined – procedures, solutions, etc. Most are ‘confirmation’ inquiry (i.e. not inquiry at all)
Adapting Inquiry Activities:Extending Kits and Labs • Revise the procedure – leave some parts open • Add investigations for further exploration (after completing the kit version) • Use the kit’s content to garner questions from students, confusing topics, etc. • Develop extension activities/investigations based on responses from students and evaluation of content learned (does it meet the goals? More work needed?) • Define new variables, or remove some • Add budgets, material costs • Integrate ethics questions • Include data collection, analysis, and reporting • Integrate real-world issues that connect to the topic
Investigating a FOSS Kit • With a partner, review the FOSS curriculum guide and activity. • After you understand the activity and learning goals, determine some ways in which you could adapt inquiry into the activity. • Consider ways to introduce the activity, frame it (to real-world applications), modify it, and any possible extensions.