Group+Inquiry+Page

Tara - Note I only compared to the two postings available at this time.

(4) Which activities involve inquiry based learning and why? I feel the Rainforest Field Trip was an inquiry based activity because the students are in control of their own learning, without any assistance from the teacher. They are very active in the learning process because they are required to visit the various sites and resources in the field trip on their own. The information is also presented in an interesting manner which will likely help the students retain and apply the information later on.

The U.S. Constituion activity is also inquiry based because it requires students to not only learn about the Constitution and amendments, but to apply their learnings and knowledge of current events to create a new amendment.

(5) Which activities did not involve inquiry based learning and why? I don’t feel the Create a Graph activity was inquiry based because it was very close ended and while the student was able to experiment on their own to create a graph, they did not learn anything more than how to create a graph using the web tool. The content of the activity was limited to learning how to use this graphing tool. The activity would have been more inquiry based if it also taught students how and when to incorporate these graphs into everyday activities.

(6) Identify which is the best inquiry based activity and explain why you chose it? I feel the amendment activity was the best inquiry based activity because this activity goes beyond simple recalling of the information they learned, but rather requires the students to analyze the information to apply it to current events and create a new amendment to the Constitution. This activity is entirely student-centered, where the students are conducting the research and writing the amendments; because they are applying their knowledge to current events, they are more likely to retain the information they learned.

Gwen- There are only two posts available at this time. (Revised)

4.Which activities involve inquiry based learning and why? The create a graph activity involves inquiry based learning. The create a graph activity is inquiry based because the student has to collect the data. Collecting information is an important component of inquiry based learning. The rainforest activity is inquiry based because the activity is student centered. The student controls what they learn based on their interests. The constitution activity is also inquiry based. This activity requires students to collect, analyze and apply information. It is great activity for students to work in groups.

5.Which activities did not involve inquiry based learning and why? All the activities involve inquiry based learning. However, the create a graph activity does require teacher direction prior to the activity. In isolation this activity is not inquiry based. This is also the case with the rainforest activity.

6 Identify which is the best inquiry based activity and explain why you chose it? The best inquiry based learning is achieved with the constitution activity. Out of the three activites selected the constitution activity is very open. The results are based on the students applied knowledge and connection to the vast amount of current events.

Rich- Sorry I posted my activity in the discussions page. (I didn't know if we were supposed to include our own activity?)

4) The rainforest activity seems to be inquiry based since it is an active engaging activity requiring the students to lead self guided "trips" through the rainforest. This is important because the students need to ask questions and search for answers in these websites. The create-a-graph activity seems to be more of a manipulation tool. There is not much for the students to do unless collecting the data is part of a research type aspect of the activity. My activity was inquiry based as well not only requiring the students to research current data but to create new ideas from the pre-existing data.

5) The one I question is the create-a-graph. This seems to not require much thought and may simply be a low order thinking activity using an online manipulative.

6) The rain forest activity seems to be the most inquiry based requiring the students to do research and develop questions along the way. It allows the students to focus on areas of the rainforest that they find most interesting and allows for deeper understanding due to the inquiry required. If I include my activity I feel it had the most inquiry based learning present. It requires research on finite provided events, but then requires students to interpret how those events effected the US becoming a world power. The activity requires the students to inquire into personal freedoms that exist that they feel were not protected in the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments. The activity also required group discussion, presentation, and class discussion which allows for more inquiry from the students answered by students.