Readings:
The Ontario Curriculum, Social Studies Grades: Some considerations for program planning in Social Studies, History, and Geography pg. 34-55
Videos:
Incorporating the information from the curriculum document and EduGains video, identify some of the challenges of implementing an inquiry approach.
Some challenges of implementing an inquiry approach is that the teacher is always busy. Before presenting something to the class, teachers need to create their own inquiry project to model for the class. This is to show the steps involved in the project. The teacher uses the curriculum as a tool or starting point, but then you must use the elements of the inquiry process to further learning. Instead of presenting the class with facts, we want to present them with ideas and demonstrate how ideas can fit together (cross-curricular too perhaps). This allows students to become critical thinkers because now they start asking questions, which allows them to gain the experience of thinking for themselves, as opposed to having the teacher think for them. In addition, taking on an inquiry approach engages students, but you may find that not all students are equally participating and sometimes it can take longer than expected to complete projects because there is more work involved. Therefore, the inquiry approach is great because students develop critical thinking skills, however, sometimes you are working against time to complete the inquiry project.
Elements of the Inquiry Process:
1. Formulate questions (formulate questions related to the applicable overall expectations in order to identify the focus of their inquiry);
2. Gather and organize (collect and organize relevant data, evidence, and/or information from primary and secondary sources and/or field studies);
3. Interpret and analyse (analyse the data, evidence and information, using different types of graphic organizers as appropriate);
4. Evaluate and draw conclusions (synthesize data, evidence and/or information and make informed, critical judgements based on that data, evidence and/or information);
5. Communicate (communicate judgements, decisions, conclusions, predictions, and/or plans of action, clearly and logically).
This is what is hoped to be achieved through these inquiry-based teaching and learning projects, though it can be difficult because you need to ensure that you are meeting the overall expectations of the curriculum, and that you do not completely stray away from that during the process. Lastly, another challenge can be trying to incorporate more than one subject into the project whether it be literacy, history, science, geography, social studies, etc. If you do this, you need to make sure that you are meeting the expectations of the subjects you are using. Due to inquiry-based teaching and learning normally being completed over a 2 week timeframe, you need to ensure that you are addressing all the subjects related to ensure that students are gaining knowledge in all the areas they should be.
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