in the Social Studies Classroom Inquiry Learning in the Social Studies Classroom

What is “Inquiry?” Seeking the truth, information, or knowledge The process of converting data into useful knowledge by: Questioning Gathering Interpreting Reporting How to Learn???

Inquiry Learning in SS Consistent with “learning by doing,” discovery learning, constructivist practices Teachers become facilitators/guides on the side Begins with students’ questions and interests Focus is on “real” questions Involves interdisciplinary study and collaborative learning opportunities

Borrowed from the Sciences The process of science is used to examine the world around us – certainly a subject of the social studies The scientific method is a process of asking questions to find answers INQUIRY LEARNING is a scientific process

Benefits of Inquiry Learning Helps students become critical consumers of information Allows for student involvement in data analysis and evaluation of their own questions Learning can be extended to the evaluation of others’ research

Elements of Inquiry KNOWLEDGE – students need some background knowledge so the inquiry questions can be put in context STRUCTURE – used to guide students as they learn how to ask questions, collect data, answer questions, and communicate their answers FREEDOM – in true inquiry, all answers must be accepted as long as there are data to support the conclusions; good inquiry does not lead to predetermined answers

3 Different Methods Creating Groups or Inductive Analysis Surveys & Interviews Inquiry Experiments

Creating Groups/Inductive Analysis A QUALITATIVE research method Researchers observe a field, group, or event to understand or explain it Data are collected through observation Collected data are organized into groups or categories Social Studies applications: History or Current Events Playground Behavior The Story

Surveys Even very young students can design and analyze surveys Survey data can be collected through questions that are: Open-ended – allows for unlimited choices Closed-response – provides choices for respondents

Interviewing Good for finding out about people’s experiences of perceptions Usually guided by a set of research questions prepared in advance Unlike surveys, interviews allow the researcher to: ask follow-up questions and seek clarification expand on interesting or important information

Inquiry Experiments Most like the scientific method Like surveys/interviews: Ask research questions Gather data to answer Unlike surveys/interviews: Uses a test/procedure Includes independent and dependent variable(s)

Implementing Inquiry Learning Starts when a teacher or student asks a question and states a hypothesis Sample questions: What makes a good friend? What materials are used most often in manufacturing? What kind of bridge will hold the most weight? What things do major American cities have in common? Students then gather data Finally, they organize and evaluate the data to answer the original question