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