Hierarchic: 4 Main Ideas

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Name: Rebekah Bridges

2008 Edwin Ellis, All Rights Reserved Published by Makes Sense Strategies, LLC, Northport, AL www.MakesSenseStrategies.com

Date:

InquiryModel

3/2/15

Is about

Allowingstudentstogainexperiencewiththescientificmethodwhilegainingadeeperunderstandingofagiventopic
Main idea

Theoretical
Foundation/Planning

TheoreticalFoundation
JosephSchwabwasakeyfounder;hebelievedin
learningthroughinvestigationofproblemsand
throughsocialexperiences.
Constructivism:individualsconstructtheirown
understandingoftheworld.
PiagetsCognitiveTheory:Learnersareactivein
buildingonpastknowledge.
VygotskysSocialDevelopmentTheory:Social
experiencesarecrucialforlearning.
Planning
IdentifyInquiryQuestionandLearning
Objectives:Identifyaquestionthatinvolvesa
variablethatcanbemanipulatedandaneffectthat
canbemeasured;learningobjectiveswillalways
beInquiryproblemandlearningthecritical
thinkingskillsassociatedwithInquiry
PlanningforDataGathering:strategiesfor
gatheringdatawillcomefromstudents,butyou
needtoprovidealotofguidanceinthisareain
manycases,soyouneedtoplanforit.

Main idea

Implementing

Phase1:IdentifyQuestion
Teacherpresentsaquestionforstudents
toanswer;providesfocusforlesson.
Phase2:Generatehypotheses
Studentscomeupwithhypothesestotry
andanswerthequestion.
Phase3:GatherandDisplayData
Studentsgatherdataabouttheir
hypotheses,displayit,andanalyzeitwith
theevidence.Studentsmustunderstand
controlledvariablesforthisphase.
Phase4:AssessHypothesesand
Generalize
Teacherleadsdiscussiononresultsand
whethertheydo/donotsupportthe
hypotheses.Studentsthengeneralizetheir
resultsbasedontheassessmentofthe
hypotheses.

Main idea

Assessment

Traditional/standardtestingtechniquescan
beusedtotestdeepunderstandingof
content
Totestselfdirectedlearningandprocesses
ofProblemBasedLearning,alternate
assessments(examinestudentperformance
oftasksimportantintherealworld),
performanceassessments(students
completeanactivity/createaproduct),
systematicobservations(teachersspecify
criteria,observe,andgradebasedonthe
criteria),checklists(dimensionsnecessary
foracceptableperformance),andrating
scales(scalesofvaluesonwhichnecessary
dimensionsarerated)canbeused
Considergroupvs.individualassessment
Studentsmustbeabletoformhypotheses
andrelatedatatoexplanations.Casestudies
canhelptestforthis.

Main idea

Motivation/Modifications

Motivation
Emphasizesauthentictasksandstudent
autonomy.
Studentsinvestigateforthemselves,so
involvementishigh.
Curiosityisevoked.
Thismodelpresentsachallenge,whichis
motivatingforlearners.
Modifications
DifferentContentAreas:Youcanadaptthe
InquiryModeltodifferentsubjects.Thisincreases
studentexperiencewiththeInquiryprocessand
providesthemwithadeeperunderstandingofa
topic.
SpontaneousInquiry:Whenstudentscomeacross
situationswithnoclearanswer,askthemto
hypothesize,explaintheirthinking,and
investigatetofindthecorrectanswer.Theseare
minilessonsthatincreasemotivation,takelittle
time,promotecreativity,andallowsstudentsto
seehowtheInquiryprocessrelatestoacertain
subject.
InquiryandConceptAttainment:Concept
Attainmentlessonscaneffectivelyintroducethe
InquiryprocessbeforeafullInquirylessonis
taught.

So what? What is important to understand about this?

TheInquiryModelprovideslearnerswithvaluableexperiencewiththescientificprocess.Intheselessons,studentsareencouragedtoaskquestionsandinvestigatethem
forthemselvestofindtheanswers.Motivation,curiosity,challenge,andauthentictasksmakelessonsusingthismodelveryfunandinterestingforstudents.