issues in teaching through inquiry rachel spronken-smith higher education development centre,...
TRANSCRIPT
Issues in Teaching Through InquiryRachel Spronken-Smith
Higher Education Development Centre, University of Otago, New Zealand
With input from INLT Team: Jo Bullard (Loughborough), Waverly Ray (MiraCosta), Carolyn Roberts (Gloucestershire), Artimus Keiffer (Wittenburg)
TMF Team*: Tom Angelo (VUW), Billy O’Steen (UC), Helen Matthews (CPIT) and Jane Robertson
*Funded by Ministry of Education
• To explore what is meant by inquiry-based learning and the nature of an inquiry curriculum
• To share examples of IBL and consider how progression can be made into an IBL curriculum
Outline
• What is inquiry-based learning, IBL?
• What are the theoretical underpinnings of IBL?
• Does IBL lead to better outcomes?
• What examples of IBL are there in higher education?
• What are the implications for teaching IBL?
• What can we surmise about IBL?
Aims of session
What is inquiry-based
learning?
I(enquiry) Guided-inquiry
Undergraduate research
Discovery learning
Research-based teaching
Inductive teaching
What does the term inquiry or inquiry-
based learning mean to you?
So how have we defined IBL?
IBL involves:
• Learning stimulated by inquiry i.e. driven by questions or research problems
• Learning based on a process of seeking new knowledge and understanding (but new to who?)
• An inductive approach to teaching• A student/learner/learning-centred
approach with the teacher as a facilitator
• A move to self-directed learning• An active approach to learning
Optional attributes of IBL:
• Collaborative/group learning• Community involvement• Field-based activity• Resource-based learning• Multi or inter-disciplinary focus
IBL is a pedagogy which best enables students to experience the processes of knowledge creation
Students engaged in IBL should develop:
• Critical thinking skills• The ability for independent inquiry• Responsibility for their own learning• Intellectual growth and maturity
(Lee et al., 2004)
Developing a question
Determining what needs to be known
Identifying resources, gathering data
Assessing data
Synthesising
Communicating newunderstandings
Evaluating success
Self-reflection &Self-evaluation
Model of the inquiry process (Justice et al., 2002:19)
Engaging a topic & developing basic knowledge
Taking responsibility for learning
The relations between inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning and active learning (Spronken-Smith et al., 2007)
What are the theoretical underpinnings of IBL?
• Constructivism• Motivating learners• Intellectual development & approaches to
learning• Strengthening teaching-research links
Research-tutoredCurriculum emphasizes learning focused on students writing and discussing papers or essays
Research-basedCurriculum emphasizes students undertaking inquiry-based learning
Research-led (or research- informed)Curriculum is structured around teaching subject content
Research-orientedCurriculum emphasizes teaching processes of knowledge construction in the subject
STUDENT-FOCUSEDSTUDENTS AS PARTICIPANTS
TEACHER-FOCUSEDSTUDENTS AS AUDIENCE
EMPHASIS ON RESEARCH CONTENT
EMPHASIS ON RESEARCH
PROCESSES & PROBLEMS
Healey (2005)
Lecture-based uni teaching
Future of uni teaching?
Students…
• Positive– Academic
achievement– Process skills – Analytic abilities– Critical thinking– Creativity– Enjoyment,
enthusiasm and engagement
• Negative– Perceived workload– Anxiety over need to
become self-directed learners
– Difficulties with group dynamics
Does IBL lead to better outcomes?
IBL outcomes for teachers
• Positive– Strengthening of
teaching-research links
– Pride in student achievements
– Enjoyment
• Negative– Anxiety over the lack
of structure– Anxiety over when to
intervene – Concern over
disparate tutor input
Need for more studies – particularly those that examine the teaching-research link
What are examples of IBL in HE?
• Communications (Oliver 2006)• History (Slatta 2004)• Literacy (Hutchings & O’Rourke,
2003)• Foreign languages (Luke, 2006;
Kennedy & Navey-Stokes, 2004; Malinowski, 2004)
• Music (Kramer & Arnold, 2004)• Social Science (Justice et al.,
2002)• Psychology (Muukkonen et al.,
2005; Pond, 2004)• Social work (Plowright & Watkins,
2004)• Design (Davis & Tesar, 2004)
• Medicine (Houlden et al., 2004)• Physics (Abell, 2005; Volkmann &
Zgagacz, 2004)• Meteorology (Yarger et al., 2000)• Chemistry (Ball et al., 2004; Barak
& Dori, 2005; Zoller, 1999)• Microbiology (Hyman & Luginbuhl,
2004)• Science (Rangachari, 2006; Oliver-
Hoyo & Beichner, 2004)• Food science (Turner & Daubert,
2004)• Engineering (Kirkman et al., 2004)• Forestry (Yin, 2006)
Plus numerous cases of problem-based learning (a subset of IBL)
Social science – a grammar for inquiry (Justice et al., 2002)
• Provide a ‘recipe’ that any discipline could use as a basis for an inquiry course (their recipe is for a first year course)
• Initiative aimed to develop a course that focused on the development of broad academic and intellectual skills in the context of student self-directed learning
– Outcome hoped for was that students would approach their studies more deeply and think critically and reflectively about the production of knowledge
Developing a question
Determining what needs to be known
Identifying resources, gathering data
Assessing data
Synthesising
Communicating newunderstandings
Evaluating success
Self-reflection &Self-evaluation
Model of the inquiry process (Justice et al., 2002:19)
Engaging a topic & developing basic knowledge
Taking responsibility for learning
Developing a question
Determining what needs to be known
Identifying resources, gathering data
Assessing data
Synthesising
Communicating newunderstandings
Evaluating success
Self-reflection &Self-evaluation
Model of the inquiry process (Justice et al., 2002:19)
Engaging a topic & developing basic knowledge
Taking responsibility for learning
Fostering use of inquiry – within class activities
• Lectures: using inquiry questions and getting students to work together to find possible answers
• Tutorials (face-to-face or online): discussion questions based on key readings or concepts
• Other examples?
Within-course activities
• Project work: individual or group research• Reports, posters, presentations, proposals
• Inquiry modules• Tutorials based around problem-solving or
considering issues
• Other examples?
Inquiry courses
• To take learners (students and teachers?) through the whole inquiry/research cycle
• First year advanced• Questions supplied or generated?
– If supplied – by whom?• External agencies• Teachers• Past students
• Checklist for inquiry course• Examples?
Stage 2Community and ecosystem research
Stage 3Ecology Field Course
- Undertake field work- Laboratory analysis- Data processing- Write a report
Ecology degree at Otago University
Stage 1Invertebrate biodiversity project
- Work in small groups on a guided research project- Choice of ecosystem- Produce a scientific poster- Produce a research proposal- Peer review proposals
- Field work to learn skills and develop inquiry questions- Three days of data gathering in field- Produce a presentation- Produce a report in journal style
What are the implications for teaching IBL?
• Which type of IBL and at what stage?– Prolonged exposure best– Many advantages of beginning at stage 1– Plan to have advanced students design and complete
a research project (collaboratively and/or independently)
Implications for teaching (cont.)
• How to manage the teaching team?– Involve team in
planning– Draw on research into
learning theory and IBL– Support teachers (ptc
new ones)• Develop a community of
practice• Have regular meetings
and share experiences of teaching in this mode
Implications for teaching (cont.)
• How to facilitate IBL?– Orient students to this type of learning environment
• Rationale• Group functioning
– Ask open-ended questions that provoke further discussion– Support students – value their ideas and contributions– Encourage students to reflect on their experiences (keep a
reflective diary; have assessment that requires reflection)– Monitor progress– Challenge student thinking– Develop an atmosphere of trust– Gain feedback on the course
What can we surmise about IBL?• IBL – contested term and relations between IBL and PBL are not well
understood
• Motivation for IBL is well grounded in educational theory
• There are clear benefits of using IBL for both students and teachers (but there are challenges too) BUT more studies are required
• IBL has been used sparsely in most discipline areas– Can be used for within-class activities projects courses
degree programmes
• Implications for teachers:– Consider what type of IBL to implement, and at which stage– Course coordinators need to carefully manage the teaching team– Students need to be oriented to this learning environment,
particularly if engaged in an inquiry course
Thanks to the Ministry of Education for funding this research