Well, well well, we have come to the end of block two! This semester has flown by so fast and has been a whirlwind of amazing experiences. Upon reflection of my block two learning, I have been thinking of the various inquiry approaches we learned about in my EDUC 405 course and which one applies to my own teaching pedagogy best. After looking over the different approaches once more, I think that I personally align with inquiry-based learning. In an interview, Trevor Mackenzie explains that inquiry-based learning values student led learning where students are creating essential or guiding questions, investing their own areas of interest and building new understandings and meanings (link for this interview can be found below).
There are many reasons that I like this approach, but I think the biggest ones are how it cultivates student passions or talents and empowers student choice. Throughout my educational journey both in and out of the education program, I have learned that students learn best when they are passionate and interested in the topic at hand. What better way to honour these important aspects of learning than through student led inquiry? I think that this inquiry-based approach fosters student ownership of their learning and goals. Students can pursue their interests by asking good questions and deepening their understanding in ways that are meaningful and relevant to them.
Going forward with my own educational journey I have learned how important it is to provide meaningful context to the curriculum. If we are to help learners thrive in the world we are in, we need to teach them in ways that connects the content into real life applications. We need to connect classroom learning to what happens outside the classroom. I think that in doing this, we foster life-long learning and curiosity in our students.
During my EDUC 391 practicum, to wrap up lessons, my coaching teacher would have discussions with the class where she would ask them, what they learned, what they liked about the lesson, and going forward what would they like to learn or what they were curious about. I got to see how excited these students got when they were included as active participants in their own learning. The students loved discussing how certain math or science concepts might have real-world applications. In both my education courses and this practicum experience I saw how it helps students when we provide larger significance for their learning while also deepening their understanding beyond simply memorizing the subject material.
Through my education journey, I know that inquiry-based learning is something that I want to implement in my own practice. This goal means that I want to learn more about inquiry based learning. I want to discover different ways that it can be implemented in all subject areas. When I think of this approach, I make an immediate connection to science or social studies, but I know that inquiry-based learning can have so many more applications that that. After my course on motivation and assessment, I am also curious how I can use this approach in my assessment practices. I think that my ongoing learning in EDUC 405 and 446 as well as my future learning in my other education courses will help quench this thirst for questioning and investigating.
Although I am inspired by this student led inquiry approach, I am revisiting my guiding question for block one where I wondered about how I can be the best educator I can be. Now I am wondering how I can work to ensure that I am truly teaching the students in my classroom and making memorable learning experiences for them. After seeing how diverse a classroom can be with various learners, I am worried about meeting the needs of all my students. I don’t want any student left behind. After doing this reflection, I think that inquiry-based learning could be part of the answer.
I look forward to diving into inquiry myself to find ways to further imbed this approach into my own teaching pedagogy. Block three here I come.
Interested about inquiry? Check out this interview with Trevor Mackenzie to learn more – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmPWyf710-M. Get inspired!
