Technology In The Classroom Series

Integrating Technology Into the Curriculum

Inquiry

• Inquiry-based education has its basis in the revolutionary educational theories of John Dewey (1859-1952), who spearheaded educational reform during the first half of the 20th century. Dewey was a founder of the philosophical school of pragmatism and was responsible for shaping the progressive education movement. His theoretical approach grew from education and psychology, and his classic works include Democracy and Education, The School and Society, and The Child and the Curriculum. For other articles and texts, see the Center for Dewey Studies at Southern Illinois University.

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Inquiry Units

• An Inquiry Unit is a way to represent the process of problem solving. Each unit starts with a guiding question and provides a space for activities of Investigation, Creation, Discussion, and Reflection. To create one, click on "Add a Unit" and fill out the form. Your Inquiry Unit can be marked as public or private and can easily be edited or deleted as you wish. You can also spin-off from another unit, creating a copy of it to adapt to your own needs. Inquiry Units can be lesson plans, individual or group investigations, research plans, student work, open questions, or pathfinders to information.

Inquiry Action

Scrap Box Wars

Bugscope

Top Speed

Water Quality

Assessment and Evaluation

With an inquiry activity, you (as the educator) have many opportunities to use multiple methods of gathering information on your students' learning.  You will observe, they will create and reflect, and everyone will discuss.  Often inquiry leads different learners in different directions concerning the same topic.  This is the main reason that allowing the students the opportunity to show what they know is very important.  Because inquiry learning is contextualized, the assessment method should be authentic, in other words, the task of the student should be related and relevant to their experience and ideally embedded within the curriculum (as opposed to an add-on test at the end of the unit).

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• Portfolios

• Profiles

• Performance Tasks

• Projects

• Demonstrations (or Exhibitions)

• Discourse Assessment

• Rubrics

• Anecdotal Notes (or Teacher-Kept Records)

• Student-Kept Records

More Resources

• Resources on Constructivism

• Resources for Teachers

• Resources for Parents

• Resources by Topic