fostering international students’ question skills through enquiry-based learning
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Fostering international students’ question skills through Enquiry-based learning. Learning & Teaching Conference June 2013 Sandra Strigel MA . Wer , wie , was? Wieso , weshalb , warum ? Wer nicht fragt bleibt dumm ! Who, how, what? Why, for what reason, how come? - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Fostering international students’ question skills
through Enquiry-based learning
Learning & Teaching Conference June 2013
Sandra Strigel MA
Wer, wie, was? Wieso, weshalb, warum?
Wer nicht fragt bleibt dumm!
Who, how, what?Why, for what reason, how come?
Those who don’t ask stay dumb!
Lack of questions…..• In class• In discussions• In academic projects
Lack of intellectual freedom
Confucianism
Transmission Didacticism
Aims• To provide a brief introduction to enquiry-based learning
(EBL)
• To provide an example of how an EBL project was implemented to develop students’ question skills
What is Enquiry-based learning (EBL)?• Enquiry = “the action of seeking”
– Problem-based learning, field work, research projects
Enquiry Question
Research
Evaluation
New questions
More Research
EvaluationCycle of discovery
• Active student engagement• Independent learning• Reflective learning
→ Graduate skills
→ “questioning approach”
The context• Social & Cultural Studies Module - Graduate Diploma (pre-MA)
• 16 Chinese Students – mixed ability
• Topic: “Media freedom”
Setting up a community of Enquiry• Community of Enquiry (Lipman, 1980):
– Environment of mutual trust and respect– Aim: to generate interest and stimulate questions
• Lecture: Introduction of key concepts and vocabulary
• Homework: Write down any question you have regarding the topic.
Selection of enquiry question• Homework: List of questions
• Choose 3 question that are most interesting and worth investigating
• Team up with a partner and discuss your questions. Choose one question that you think is the most interesting and worth investigating.
To what extent does the political system influence media freedom?
• Unit overviewLecture Seminar 1 Seminar 2
Week 1 Introduction to the Media topic and the EBL project
Establishing a community of enquiry
Planning the enquiry (group work)
Week 2 Working on the enquiry (Group work)
Reflecting on progress I: Group review
Placemat
Week 3 How to make a poster Working on the enquiry (Group work)
Reflecting on progress II: Peer review
Jigsaw Week 4
Reading week: Finishing the posters
Week 5 Poster presentations
Debate: Should the Media be
restricted?
Metacognition: Reflecting on Question Skills• Review sessions included metacognitive reflection on the question
types used
Lower order questions Higher order questionsKnowledge
(facts, definitions)Application
Comprehension Analysis
Evaluation
Results• Observations / recordings
• All students engaged in questioning- Increase of higher order questions as project progressed- Number of “unsuitable” questions decreased
• Improved critical debate– Evidence / resources– Issues
Results• Student survey
– 75% “more able to distinguish different question types”– 63% “more able to generate different question types”– 57% “confident to generate my own enquiry question”
– Other study skills that students felt they improved most:• Group work skills• Discussion skills• Presentation skills• Research skills
– 88% “very useful for postgraduate studies”
Limitations• Small-scale – context-dependent • Transfer of skills?
Any questions?
• Strigel, S. (2013) Fostering question skills through enquiry-based learning. InForm, 11, 14-15.
• Available from: http://www.reading.ac.uk/inform/inf-index.aspx
References• Hutchings, W. (2007). Enquiry-Based Learning: Definitions and Rationale [online]. Available at:
http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/ceebl/resources/papers/hutchings2007_ definingebl.pdf [Accessed 22nd July 2012].
• Kahn, P. and O’Rourke, K. (2004). Guide to Curriculum Design: Enquiry-based Learning [online]. Higher Education Academy. Available at: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/resource_ database/id359_guide_to_curriculum_design_ebl [Accessed 22nd July 2012].
• Kerry, T. (2002). Explaining and Questioning. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.• Lipman, M. (1980). Philosophy in the Classroom (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Temple University Press.• McMahon, P. (2011). Chinese voices: Chinese learners and their experiences of living and study-
ing in the United Kingdom. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 33(4), 401–414.• Strigel, S. (2013) Fostering question skills through enquiry-based learning. InForm, 11, 14-15.• Turner, Y. and Acker, A. (2002). Education in the New China –Shaping ideas at work. Aldershot:
Ashgate.• Walkington, H., Griffin, A.L., Keys-Matthews, L., Metoyer, S. K., Miller, W.E., Baker, R. and
France, D. (2011). Embedding Research-Based Learning Early in the Undergraduate Curriculum. Journal of Geography in Higher Education 35(3), 315–330.
• Watts, M. and Pedrosa, H. (2006). Enhancing University Teaching through Effective Use of Questioning. London: SEDA.