As I learn to define a term, analyze it, and eventually utilize it, the term begins to have life and meaning. This is essential and true about Inquiry Based Learning. Through my undergrad courses and even in my professional learning communities, I always thought learning through inquiry was unattainable to 'new' teachers. How could new teachers possibly generate student-lead lessons without leading to disasters, and do they posses enough 'magic' to instill curiosity and excitement into the normal routine of their classroom atmosphere?
My co-op, when I was student teaching, was always placing emphasis on 'mastery teaching' and the 'mastery teacher' that it has been my goal for over 6 years, but I realized one fault in my goal - I do not know how to measure it. In some instances, I thought that when I was a teacher that utilized inquiry in my classroom everyday with every lesson, I would be this established master teacher. Another fault with my goal is that I could not simply define inquiry. This week, I feel different about this goal of mine and even inquiry teaching - there is a new light and moment to this thing as I simply read a single word of the definition multiple times. That word was static. As I began to think about the word static and reflect how this relates and fits to my classroom, a new description of inquiry came to me. I feel as if the word dynamic means so much more to my classroom and my student when trying to personally seek and define Inquiry Based Learning. Dynamic to me is many working parts that continuously mold and change. Lessons are not about the plans, myself, or the students - it is about all of these things colliding in the learning process and under a pretty cool atmosphere. When I plan something or create a new resource, assignment, or lab for the classroom, I do not sit back and think, now, how can I make this an inquiry product - it just happens.
The process of redefining inquiry this week has allowed me to reflect on lessons and how that lesson fits the inquiry cycle shown to the left. Many of the labs that I have redesigned over and over utilize this type of model, and even lessons that are still in the works have this type of end in mind. To say that I do not have any burning questions about the inquiry process and my classroom would just be treason; that is not the community that I have established and does not go with inquiry. However, I do have curiosities of how to make inquiry lessons more effective; can inquiry lessons be compacted; and am I using the best assessment tool when wrapping up an inquiry lesson. I have to give myself a pat on the back, because as I became my own type of master teacher, I thought that I was giving up on my goal as an educator. It seems that one threaded itself into the other and became innate. It is just what great teachers do, I just had to see it and define it for myself.References:
The Inquiry Page. (n.d.). The Inquiry Page. Retrieved June 26, 2014, from http://www.cii.illinois.edu/InquiryPage/
Inquiry Based Learning. (n.d.). . Retrieved June 28, 2014, from http://www.neiu.edu/~middle/Modules/science%20mods/amazon%20components/AmazonComponents2.html#components
Image Credit:
http://www.cii.illinois.edu/InquiryPage/
