Compelling Reasons Why You Need Inquiry Learning: Especially in an Online Environment
The last year has proved to be challenging; teachers have had to adapt, survive and thrive, in this new learning environment. throughout this year we know educators have struggled with online learning. Yes, we understand that training was non-existent, support was not available, and our students struggled with internet access. There are so many questions that are still unanswered when it comes to online learning. We are the biggest online experiment that ever existed in history and we want to know what does the data tell us about the transfer of knowledge over digital mediums? We also want to know how are we to plan and execute a strategy that will allow us to meet our expectations and help our students? Personally, I would love to learn, how can we help students continue their learning journey in a way that takes advantage of the best tools available while avoiding the main drawbacks? Lastly, I want to figure out how should we try to complement online teaching, because I know that sometimes it’s not enough.
What Are Some Noticeable Challenges?
We are all aware that online learning is a challenge in our profession. We struggle to have the proper equipment at our various school sites and financially didn’t have the means or resources to have efficient technology or internet access at home. This is well documented (Journell W., 2012), (Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K., 2010). Student engagement was also a hurdle, many schools couldn’t afford the kind of facilities and equipment required for every student to have access to the classes and materials. It is also true that online learning tools require a certain level of skill with digital means that was not the same for all teachers.
Things are different so what are we doing to transform our systems?
While all of the above concerns are valid and things that we should take into account when trying to transition or sustain online learning. Times are changing, and our students are very different than they were merely 20 years ago. Students are now acquiring content from various spaces and adults of all ages are learning from all sources all the time, at their own pace now. They have access to practically all of the information and data in their pockets, which makes memorizing an antiquated resource (Liu, L., & Johnson, L. 2004).
Are you interested in Inquiry Learning?
Student-centered techniques and self-motivation are important for teaching, and absolutely key to Online teaching (Lowes, S., & Lin, P. 2015). It is for that reason that we think that further exploration in this direction is very important for anyone in front of students in an online classroom these days.
Inquiry learning in an online environment is an excellent way for teachers to engage students in their passions while including research in their plans. Here are the steps necessary to carry out an online inquiry learning cycle:
Cycle of Inquiry: Learning Forward
As a class, we start by brainstorming ideas (online Google Document or Jamboard) that students are interested in or have a passion for learning more about
Students narrow down a topic with help and support while students (zoom groups) help think about what do they need to carry this process out.
Research can be done (asynchronous) with check-in points throughout the week teachers have 1:1 meetings with each student to help them with a plan.
With online access to libraries and unique databases students can access anything at any time, (Newsela, PBS, History, kidzsearch, the Library of Congress, Creative Commons, and National Geographic) are great places to start.
Gathering details and finding out what is important and what is necessary to share your information with others through, learning journals, video, note-taking, and (mini-sharing during class to get a grasp of where students are at in the process and students can ask questions during mini-presentations.
Evaluation can be through peers, community partners, or teachers. Rubrics help guide specific discussions or presentation can be conducted in class. Some presentations can move directly into action to change current practices.
There are so many ways to carry out the inquiry cycle and the final presentation day is always fun. I’ve witnessed exhibitions, presentations, community collaborations, idea models, and more! I only wish more would participate in this practice, student passion is suffering in schools and educators rarely investigate student interest and passion. Many times we are so worried about getting through the curriculum that we often miss ways to ignite student joy and excitement.
References
Journell, W. (2012). Walk, don’t run—to online learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(7), 46–50. doi: 10.1177/ 003172171209300711
Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2010, September). Evaluation of evidence-based practices in online learning: A meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education website: http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf
Liu, L., & Johnson, L. (2004). Static and dynamic design in online course development. In R. Ferdig, C.Crawford, R. Carlsen, N. Davis, J. Price, R. Weber, & D. A. Willis (Eds.), Proceedings of SITE 2004:Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 2946–2951). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education.
Learning Forward. (2021, January 23). Cycle of inquiry. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://learningforward.org/networks/redesign-professional-development-community/cycle-of-inquiry/
Lowes, S., & Lin, P. (2015). Learning to learn online: Using locus of control to help students become successful online learners. Journal of Online Learning Research, 1, 17–48.
T. Lane Heafner, R. Hartshorne, R. Thripp (2019). Handbook of Research on Emerging Practices and Methods for K-12 Online and Blended Learning