Participants will KNOW Inquiry-based learning

Participants will UNDERSTAND Inquiry-based instruction teaches children to

use their own minds and think.

Participants will BE ABLE TO Develop a list of curriculum topics for which

authentic questions could be encouraged.

“This book is about empowering students to find out.”

–Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels

Framing the school study around questions developed by kids as much as possible

Handing the brainwork of learning back to the kids

Focus on the development of kids’ thinking, first, foremost, and always.

1. Mini-Inquiries2. Curricular Inquiries3. Literature Circle Inquires4. Open Inquiries

Short term, small group research Lets students search for and find

information relatively quickly Teachers model their own curiosity Teachers demonstrate their own inquiry

process Kids ask questions, search for answers, and

share their new learning

Can be simply going online to answer a quick question

May mean spending several hours over the course of a week to investigate a concept

Kids often get more interested in a topic as they research it

Slow down, go deeper, and let kids think like a “disciplinarian.”

Determine which topics within the curriculum are interesting to kids and begin with those

Choose topics that are rich and complex Thoughtful learners can disagree and debate See more criteria for content selection on page

167

Beyond the traditional literature circles Focus more on inquiry circles; less on role

sheets or book projects Instead ask:

◦ “Has this book changed you in some way?”◦ “What do you want to find out as a result of

reading this book?”◦ “Do you have any lingering questions?”

Much like other inquiries, but the topics come, not from the curriculum unit or literature circle book, but from the curiosity, wonderings and concerns of the kids.

Please read:Ch. 13 Management Q & A- pgs 282-292

Ch. 12 Assessment and Evaluation- pgs 268-281

Consider:Which of the types of inquiry might you try with your class?What curriculum area might be the best place to start?