Inquiry-based learning is an educational technique based on John Dewey's philosophy that learning begins with student curiosity. It focuses on developing problem-solving and information-processing skills. Lessons begin with an essential question to spark investigation and are student-driven, with teachers as facilitators. Students work cooperatively to research questions, engage with various resources, and create a final product to demonstrate their understanding. An example compares traditional and inquiry-based approaches to teaching about rock types.

1. Inquiry-Based Learning Janetta Garton Technology Curriculum Director Willard R-II School http://www.willard.k12.mo.us/co/tech/inquiry.htm Based on John Dewey's philosophy that education begins with the curiosity of the learner Works well with many educational techniques including multiple-intelligence, cooperative learning, and constructivism Can be implemented during any activity and with any subject or grade level Focuses on information-processing and problem-solving skills More emphasis on "how we come to know" and less on "what we know." Students learn how to continue learning.

2. Inquiry-Based Learning has 5 common components Questions Student Engagement Cooperative Interaction Performance Evaluation Variety of Resources

3. Lesson begins with a question Essential question The teacher asks an essential question Stimulates investigation and sparks curiosity Can be asked over and over, no one right answer Answer must be invented or constructed From the top of Bloom's Taxonomy Requires students to EVALUATE (make a thoughtful choice between options, with the choice based upon clearly stated criteria) Requires students to SYNTHESIZE (invent a new or different version) Requires students to ANALYZE (develop a thorough and complex understanding through skillful questioning) General in nature and lead to more questions Example Essential Questions Must a story have a moral? Were mathematical theorems invented or discovered? Subsidiary/Unit Questions Developed by students and teacher to find an answer to the essential question Topic orientated Specific Example Essential Question: Do we have to fight wars? Unit Question: What events lead to the Civil War? Questions

4. Teacher is facilitator Students carry out activities using materials, observing, evaluating, and recording information sort out information and decide what is important see detail detect sequences and events notice change detect differences and similarities are creating a unique product that shows their understanding Student Engagement

5. Students are asked to work in pairs or groups discussing ideas Not a competition. Answers come in all shapes and forms. Cooperative Interaction

6. Students create an end product to communicate their knowledge, slideshow graph poster song mural Scoring Guides students see SG prior to creating product Performance Evaluation

7. textbooks reference books magazines web sites videos podcasts posters experts Variety of Resources

8. Traditional Lesson Students will be taught the 3 types of rocks (sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic) using a textbook. Students will then create a flipbook of the three types of rocks that includes definitions and examples. The Inquiry-Based Learning Version Essential Question : What patterns exist under the earth's crust? Student Engagement : Students observe rock samples detecting differences and similarities, sorting and recording information Cooperative Learning : Students will work in research groups Performance Evaluation : Students will publish a multimedia slide to be shared with their classmates, scored with a scoring guide Variety of Resources : textbook, Internet, CD-ROMS, and rock samples. Example

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