Assignment #4

I read the articles on inquiry-based learning and historical thinking and found them quite interesting. I only really first heard or read anything on inquiry-based learning last semester. In fact, for the class I took last semester, me and my group had to create a whole unit based on inquiry-based learning. I must say that it was quite a difficult task considering I was used to creating lessons where the teacher just tells the class what they will be learning as opposed to creating a lesson plan where my make-believe class supposedly came up with the subject matter they wanted to learn. For the sake of writing the lessons, we had to pretend we had brainstorming session with our pretend class and the class would decide on what topic they would explore and how.

Anyway, I think inquiry-based learning is a great way of learning. This method of learning allows students to really think about thinks as opposed to just learning facts. Students learn to think on their own which gives them the tools to function in the real world. The teacher no longer stands up in the front of the class and merely tells the students things. The students no longer just read about the subject they are to learn. With inquiry-based learning the students are thinking, researching and observing. They are trying to figure out how things work on their own and they are trying to do the aforementioned many ways, in they own ways.

I would definitely use inquiry-based learning in my classroom, assuming the administration of the school where I worked did not object to the same. I firmly believe students should reach conclusions on their own. Students need to become real thinkers. In addition, I believe that inquiry-based learning makes learning more interesting for students as they in essence become their own teacher. The class basically learns from each other and I think the teacher also learns something new too.

In summation, again, inquiry-based learning would take place in my classroom in every and all subjects!

Web Quest:

Elementary School WebQuest - Quest