Instructional Strategies The Inquiry Method Understanding Goals EDUC 550:

The Physical Classroom

The physical classroom can have an impact on learning and behavior  Seat easily distracted students far from high-traffic areas  Special needs & behavior issues close to teacher’s desk  Keep the classroom organized; utilize shelves, cabinets, file cabinets, etc.

Furniture arrangements  Consider using informal arrangements  Feel free to bring in plants, lamps, posters, maps, magazines, books, etc.

Look over these traits to see if they sound familiar to you. You may be a tactile learner if you are someone who: Is good at sports. Can’t sit still for long. Is not great at spelling. Does not have great handwriting. Likes science lab. Studies with loud music on. Likes adventure books, movies. Likes role playing. Takes breaks when studying. Builds models. Is involved in martial arts, dance. Is fidgety during lectures. Tactiles for fidgeters

Why vary instructional strategies?  To meet the different needs of learners  To make teaching and learning more interesting and dynamic  To vary assessment

A few instructional strategies  Lecture/Direct Instruction  Discussion and Debate  Cooperative Learning  Simulation & Role Play

Understanding goal  Understanding Goals are central ideas of a discipline. These ideas are re-visited throughout education and life experiences. Understanding learned in one subject can often apply to many disciplines.  Example: Science helps us understand the world.

Barbara Stripling, “Inquiry Based Learning,”  “Inquiry is not a collection of process skills and strategies; it is a relationship between thinking skills and content.  Learners are, therefore, engaged in scientific inquiry, historical inquiry, social inquiry, literary inquiry, aesthetic inquiry, etc…”

Stripling Model of Inquiry ConnectWonderInvestigateConstructExpressReflect

Identify the components of the inquiry method in your lesson plan  Connect – ask students if they can remember a favorite poem or rhyme from childhood  Wonder – encourage students to ask why poetry is an important part of our cultural heritage  Investigate - Assign pairs of students a poet to research  Express – students present their findings to the class  Construct – Whole class discussion and creation of a timeline of American poetry  Reflect – Students write a 2-3 paragraph essay summarizing the discussion of American poets

Inquiry-based Teaching Lesson Objective Understand the value and components of inquiry- based teaching Questions to Consider How does the inquiry teaching model lend itself to differentiation? What role does diversity play in the inquiry approach? How do students use evidence when participating in inquiry-based discussions?

Using videos to supplement education & increases digital inclusion  Khan Academy – thousands of free videos, mostly on math lessons  eo_to_reinvent_education eo_to_reinvent_education