Visionqueries:Visions of Inquiry-based Learning

Points on the Qualitative Path

Sharon L. Comstock

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Inquiry is…

“…something that students do, not what is done to them,” (National Science Standards, p.2) .“…practical inquiry tends to be concrete rather than abstract…. It strives as much for wisdom as for knowledge,” (Mike Atkin, Professor of Education, Stanford University, Stanford CA http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/inquirydesc.html#mikea).

“When my students come up with questions that anticipate, I know that’s ‘inquiry’,” (Kathy Gabric, high school biology teacher, GK-12 Fellows Program).

Inquiry Realty: Location, Location, Location…

Graduate Fellows In K-12 Education(Funding agency: NSF) http://gk12.ncsa.uiuc.edu)

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (www.ucls.uchicago.edu)

Villa Park and Hinsdale Public Libraries

What is “GK-12?”Nation-wide, NSF initiativeAdvanced graduate students in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Technology (SMET) disciplinesSMET teachers in K-12 settingsTechnology-enriched classrooms, integrating computer-based modeling, visualization, and informatics Photo by S.L. Comstock

Computer scientists in pre-calculus and biologyMolecular biologist in honors biologyBiologists in advanced placement and regular biology Mathematicians in after-hours, vocational school math classes

So, Who are the GK-12?

Photo by S.L. Comstock

Methods in Qualitative Data Gathering

On-site observationStructured formative online surveys (http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Divisions/eot/gk12/evaluation.html)On-site Video and photographyArtifactsUnstructured interviews

Interpretative ArtCase study as “bounded” objectEthnographically informedThe holistic researcherResulting narrative and creating of meaningBalancing paradox: participant/observer; teacher/learner; scientist/storyteller

Photo by: S.L. Comstock

Evidence of Inquiry: Stories as “authentication”

Becoming mathematicians : inquiry, play, and the vocational student

The 18-foot rabbit: high school students taking next-steps in genetics

Teaching as a learning process: getting beyond the “dawn of time.”

Incorporating inquiry learning: influencing decision makers

Pages of InquiryHow do we use bioinformatics in biology classrooms? http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u12108.xml

What effect does salting the roads during the winter have on lawns? http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11044.xml

History as inquiry: http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11768.xmlhttp://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11832.xmlhttp://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11847.xml

How is my May Project going? http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u11824.xml

Poetry as Play: Creative process as inquiryhttp://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u10225.xml

Aspects of Inquiry-based Learning

Learner centered: Investigation of some question central. An ongoing problem is examined

Teacher shifts to being a facilitator and “co-learner” in the educational process. Discussion among peers is key.

Problem-based, project-based, and inquiry-based often used interchangeably to describe learning activities

A “little inquiry”: Every teaching/learning partnership has some elements of inquiry imbedded

Visions of Inquiry

Reaching beyond disciplinary boundaries: “If you partition a problem along discipline lines, your solution can be wrong,” Peggy Miller.

Our roles as collectors of inquiry

Selected References

Ceglowski, D. That’s a good story, but is it really research? Qualitative Inquiry; Thousand Oakes; June 1997; Vol. 3, Issue 2, pp 188-201

Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). Handbook of Qualitative Research, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Glesne, C. & Peshkin, A. (1992). Being there: Developing understanding through participant observation. Becoming Qualitative Researchers: An Introduction. White Plains, NY: Longman, 39-61.