Presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Literacy Association, New Orleans, LA 2019

1. Fostering Curiosity & Deep Learning
Through Personal Digital Inquiry
Julie Coiro, Ph.D.
University of Rhode Island, RI
jcoiro@uri.edu
Beth Dobler, Ph.D.
Emporia State University, KS
edobler@emporia.edu
Karen Pelekis
Scarsdale Public Schools, NY
kpelekis@yahoo.comCompanion Website:
Bit.ly/PDInquiry

2. Overview: Key Ideas
• Why Personal Digital Inquiry (PDI)?
• What is PDI? Four sets of core values, classroom
culture, and varied levels of supports
• PDI Planning Guide and Questioning Tool … to
inform development of inquiry plans
• PDI Reflection Tool … to promote goal setting and
teacher agency
• Ultimately, move from teaching with intent to
students learning with intent
• Think, Talk, & Share
Coiro, J, Dobler, E., & Pelekis, K. (2019). From Curiosity to Deep
Learning: Personal Digital Inquiry in Grades K-5. Stenhouse.

3. Gallup Poll (2012) - 500,000 US students, Gr. 5-12
Center for Education
Policy (2012)
The Challenge: Connecting Learners in Ways That Matter
Gallup Poll (2016) - 910,000 US students, Gr. 5-12

4. Gallup Poll (2016) – 910,000 US students, Gr. 5-
12
Percentage who strongly agreed with the statement: “The adults at my
school care about me, “ declined from 67% (Grade 5) to 23% (Grade 11)…
Many students don’t feel individually known or cared for at school.
THIS is the PERSONAL we need to focus on!

5. Why Personal Digital Inquiry?
Sense of Belonging – Do I fit in? Am I relevant? Do people care about me?
OECD PISA 2015 Students’ Well Being (April 2017)

6. PERSONAL emphasizes the significance of the
personal relationship between teachers and
students, and the roles that students have in
the learning process.
DIGITAL reflects the important role that
digital texts and tools have come to play
in both learning and teaching with inquiry.
INQUIRY lies at the core of PDI, because
learners grow and change with relevant and
authentic opportunities to identify problems
and generate solutions
What is Personal Digital Inquiry?

7. Learning is social
and part of a mutually
constructive process
that involves face-to-
face talking, listening,
and consensus building.
Creative learners make
personal connections
and take action to raise
awareness and/or foster
change. “I belong and I
can make a difference”
What might inquiry look and feel like in a
digital age? (Four sets of core values/practices)
Generating questions
and lived experiences
with real issues is
personally fulfilling;
Inquiry can happen
on several levels.
True inquiry involves
critical analysis,
reflection
& self-monitoring,
which leads to
more questions.

8. Garden
Inquiry
(Grade 1)

9. Why focus on culture as
part of inquiry?
• Teacher beliefs, social dynamics, and institutional
culture play a critical role in shaping how teachers
integrate technology into their classroom practices
(Windshitl & Sahl, 2002; Cuban, 2018)
• Valued qualities and dispositions (e.g., curiosity,
collaboration, creativity, critical and reflective
thinking) are learned through immersion in a culture
(Ritchart, 2015) that creates a “story of learning”

10. Adapted from Ritchhart (2015) 8 Cultural Forces to Transform Schools
What do we mean by culture?

11. Imagine one of these learning
environments…
• What does it look like or sound like?
• How does it make you feel?
• What is valued and how do you know?
• What are students doing and how do they
interact with peers and adults?
• What do students and visitors remember
most when they step out of this space into the
real world?

12. PDI Self-Reflection Tool (for Teachers)
bit.ly/PDIReflect
• Closely analyze the details of these
eight forces and how they interact in
your learning environment
• Reflect on your own values and actions
– Acknowledge your accomplishments
– Identity points of challenge
– Decide where to focus your energy next
and why
– What did you notice? Is this useful and
why/how/not?
– Next steps

13. Analyze & Reflect: What does the
culture of PDI look like in your learning
environment?
Proud of…
Not likely to be
noticed...
Focus on next…

14. Varied Levels of [Digital] Inquiry
• Modeled inquiry: Learners observe models of how
the leader asks questions and makes decisions.
• Structured Inquiry: Learners make choices which are
dependent upon guidelines and structure given
by the leader (may vary).
• Guided Inquiry: Learners make choices during inquiry
that lead to deeper understanding guided
by some structure given by the leader.
• Open Inquiry: Learners make all of the decisions. There
is little to no guidance.
Alberta Inquiry Model of Inquiry Based Learning (2004)

15. Purposeful and Flexible Decision Making About
When and How To Empower Learners to Engage in PDI

16. Designing Opportunities for Personal Digital
Inquiry with the PDI Planning Guide
Learning Outcomes Student-Centered Inquiry Practices
(modeled > prompted > guided > open)
Knowledge Outcomes: (subject-
specific or multidisciplinary)
Action Outcomes: (join partners,
start conversations, raise awareness,
take action, change minds)
Standards:
Digital Competencies:
Wonder & Discover:
Collaborate & Discuss:
Create & Take Action:
Analyze & Reflect:
[Digital] Experiences to Deepen Learning & Increase Engagement
Acquire
Knowledge
Build
Knowledge
Express
Knowledge
Reflect On
Knowledge
Act On
Knowledge
1 2>
3
>

17. Access
Knowledge
Build
Knowledge
Express
Knowledge
Reflect On
Knowledge
Act On
Knowledge
Learners
passively receive
[digital]
information
given or
modeled by
others
Learners [use
technology
to] connect
new
information
to prior
knowledge
Learners [use
technology
to] share
their new
knowledge
with others
Learners [use
technology
to] reflect on
and evaluate
their inquiry
processes and
products
Learners [use
technology to]
translate their
knowledge
into action for
real-world
purpose
Lower Order
Thinking
Higher Order
Thinking
Purposeful Technology Use
How can technology support or enhance learning?
…to enrich
Knowledge Building
(more teacher guided)
…to enrich
Knowledge Creation
(more learner guided)

18. Two Examples

19. Garden Inquiry (Grade 1)
Hey, why does
that radish
plant look
different?
Wonder
& Discover…
Collaborate
& Discuss

20. Analyze & Reflect; Create & Take Action (Gr. 1)
I belong to
this
community
by increasing
awareness

22. Knowledge Outcomes
Action Outcomes

23. Varied Purposes for Using Technology
to Support Personal Inquiry
Access
Knowledg
e
Build Knowledge Express
Knowledge
Reflect On
Knowledge
Act On
Knowledg
e
Teachers
shows
online
resources &
videos to
build
background
; teachers
and
students
take photos
in garden to
Students use
Pebble Go for
research to build
knowledge &
vocab; Research
about how to stop
insects from eating
garden plants;
students use online
resources and
decide what info. to
include in posters
Student pairs
create poster
on selected
plant topic
using
creativity
software
(Pixie)
Collaborative
pairs evaluate
content on
digital posters
(accuracy,
detail, layout,
clarity) and
make changes
as needed
Students
share digital
posters with
buddy
classes (K
and Gr. 5) to
teach others
and answers
questions
about plant
topics
Lower Order
Thinking
Higher Order
Thinking
Gr. 1 Garden Inquiry Project

24. Open Inquiry (Gr. 12)
Gr. 12: How
can I make a
difference?
Wonder
& Discover…
Collaborate
& Discuss
What global issue would
you like to advocate for
on a local level?

25. Blue Pride:
Collected 500
signatures to ban
plastic bags and
use reusable
shopping bags
Next Steps:
Class has ended but
on to legislators…
I belong to this community and
I can make a difference!
Inquiry Question:
What global issue would you like to advocate for on a local level?
Analyze & Reflect; Create & Take Action (Gr.
12)

26. Knowledge Outcomes
Action Outcomes

27. Access
Knowledge
Build
Knowledge
Express
Knowledge
Reflect On
Knowledge
Act On
Knowledge
Teachers
point learners
to specific
websites (UN,
CNN) and
these have
additional
links with
resources
Learners locate
online sources &
use Google Docs
to create source
analysis
documents; Use
email,
Hangouts,
Twitter to
contact experts
in fields related
to their topic.
Learners use
Google Slides
Presentations to
pitch initial
findings; present
from websites,
infographics,
Twitter, and
YouTube in
Community
Showcase
Technology
not used in
this capacity
in this project.
Learners use
technology to
communicate
suggested
action steps to
stakeholders
and raise
awareness for
the causes.
Lower Order
Thinking
Higher Order
Thinking
Gr. 12 Global Advocacy Project
Varied Purposes for Using Technology
to Support Personal Inquiry

28. PDI Planning Triangle
Three questions to guide efforts
to intentionally teach toward a
culture that values all four sets of
personal digital inquiry practices
while paving the way for
self-directed learners
of any age to have
voice, choice, and
agency in their
learning.

29. If you’d like to learn more...
Free Companion Website
and Study Guide
Bit.ly/PDInquiry
From Curiosity to Deep Learning:
Personal Digital Inquiry in
Grades K-5
Julie Coiro, Elizabeth Dobler,
& Karen Pelekis

31. Possibilities: Using Inquiry and Technology
to Enhance Wondering, Discussion,
Creation & Reflection in Kindergarten