The Inquiry Page (Ask, Investigate, Create, Discuss, Reflect) – Continuous Cycle
(Bruce, Bishop, and Bryan 2003) First, I am going to reflect
From the Information Search Process (ISP) developed by Carol Kuhlthau (1994): “Initiation: Feeling: apprehension and uncertainty.” I am much more comfortable with a project that requires “memorization.” I’m really pretty good at that! From Information Power, (Mancall, Aaaron, Walker, 1986): “Our educational system focuses primarily on teaching youth “what” to think rather than “how” to think. I am a product of that system! I was so uncomfortable with this project, I thought about dropping the class. However, I realized I am probably feeling the same way that many students feel when asked to “think.” Maybe all teachers need to “re-experience” that feeling.
I have also done some investigating. I found several Indiana Standards for my project:
Guidance 3-5 2.7 List jobs that relate to their hobbies and/or leisure activities and Personal Finance PF 1.1.8 – Develop Strategies and goals for retirement and estate planning.
I went to the library and found many valuable resources on retirement. The New Retirement, The Ultimate Guide to The Rest of Your Life, by Jan Cullinane and Cathy Fitzgerald and Looking Forward, An Optimist’s Guide to Retirement, by Ellen Freudenheim just to name a few. I even ran into a retired teacher who volunteers at the library. She has agreed to take my survey on retirement!
I can definitely relate to your reflections about the difference between knowing "what" versus "how" to think. I have always preferred memorizing information for multiple choice tests rather than preparing for assessments that require me to construct my own response. I value the ability to think creatively and critically, but in a situation where I will be assessed I can work myself into a debilitating worry that I won't be good enough. I'm sure many students feel that way. The thing is, though, multiple choice tests aren't common in the workplace. Success depends on the ability to employ critical and creative thinking into problem solving. Callison's diagram on page 83 of The Blue Book shows how critical and creative thinking are essential pieces of information fluency as they allow us to "derive evidence from information" and "express and apply that evidence."
ReplyDeleteHang in there with your inquiry project. Your work looks impressive to me so far!
That is so interesting that you brought up the "assessment" piece. From a article I just read, "The issue of student assessment, and how students are generally assessed in the traditional approach, is a crucial challenge to inquiry learning. In spite of all the good intentions of educators, there is no question that what is tested is the key factor in determining what is taught and learned. In spite of lots of good efforts to the contrary, student assessment, in the final analysis, is heavily oriented toward content mastery -- mastery of "what we know." While this is important, other outcomes of inquiry learning include conceptual understandings, skills development, and nurtured habits of mind -- things that are difficult to assess by traditional paper-pencil type instruments. Portfolio assessment, which can evaluate learning in progress, is one way of assessing the success of inquiry learning and skills."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/explor_sub1.html
Isn't it this way, I mean the content mastery because of funding and now the "No child is Left Behind Act" which is essentially based on mastery content. I have heard of portfolio assessment. I think it has been around along time but I am not sure it is prevelent in a lot of schools because of the previous issued I mentioned.
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