1. Creating an Active Learning environment
Using Inquiry and Primary Sources

2. What is Inquiry?
A process of learning that is driven by questioning, thoughtful investigating, making sense of information, and developing new understanding
Cyclical in nature
Goal is not accumulation of information. Instead it is exploration of significant questions and deep learning

4. Connect Connect to self, previous knowledge
Gain background and context
Identify key concepts, themes, and vocabulary
Observe, experience

6. Wonder
Develop questions
Make predictions

8. Take a moment to read article on Butler
Investigate
Use questions and background knowledge to develop search strategy
Find, evaluate, and select sources
Find and evaluate information to answer questions, test hypotheses
Identify main ideas and supporting evidence
Seek multiple perspectives
Think about the information to illuminate new questions and hypotheses
Take a moment to read article on Butler

9. Construct Construct new understandings connected to previous knowledge
Draw conclusions about questions and hypotheses
What new understandings do you have about the political cartoon? Take a moment to write down your thoughts.

10. Turn to the person sitting next to you and share your findings.
Express
Apply understandings to a new context, new situation
Express new ideas to share learning with others
Turn to the person sitting next to you and share your findings.

11. Reflect
Reflect on own learning
Ask new questions

12. Reflection Techniques
Progress log, journals
Self-reflection questions
Oral reflections
Peer review and feedback

13. What new questions do you have?
How has your understanding of occupation changed?

14. How does Inquiry relate to Literacy?
Decoding
"Decoding is the ability to figure out how to read unknown words by using knowledge of letters, sounds, and word patterns. Decoding skills are essential to being a fluent reader. " (Royer, James M. PhD. 2005)
Comprehension
Building understanding
Skills such as cooperative learning, graphic and semantic organizers, question generating, question answering, and summarization are used in both building literacy and inquiry.
Reading and inquiry are so closely aligned that you cannot teach one without teaching the other!

15. Literacy and Inquiry in Middle School
Moving from “learning to read” to “reading to learn”
Find information
Determine main points and supporting ideas
Analyze an argument

16. Literacy and Inquiry in High School
Reading multiple perspectives
Weighing evidence
Evaluating arguments
Making judgments

17. Using Inquiry to Teach Social Studies
Background information is essential
Need to see multiple perspectives
Address students’ misconceptions
Evaluate sources
Primary sources are essential
Evaluation of specific information and evidence
Examine evidence critically
Use of graphic organizers for note-taking and organizing information
Reflection as key component
Identify text structure
Availability of a library is key to inquiry

18. Using Inquiry to Teach English/Language arts
Thinking skills
Questioning, finding main ideas and details, summarizing, interpreting, making inferences, determining importance of ideas, identifying author’s purpose, synthesizing
Each step of inquiry is important but not essential in every assignment
Recognize and derive meaning from different text structures
Use of graphic organizers to analyze text

19. How do I create a culture of Inquiry in My classroom?
Role of student – ask questions and seek new understanding
Lead students to hypothesize, explore, reflect, and make meaning
Role of teacher – provokers and guides of student learning; interact with students and mediate the environment

20. Creating a Culture of Inquiry
Encourage collaboration and reflective practice
Target major ideas in curriculum by defining enduring understandings and essential questions; integrate literacy and inquiry skills as appropriate in the different content areas
Design learning experiences that are authentic – minds-on, not hands- on learning
Teach for understanding through collaborative, inquiry-based approach
Teachers provoke inquiry through questioning strategies
Teachers combine provocation and support (scaffolding)
Teacher use diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment
Reflect, Revise, Re-engage