How to Develop Inquiry Based Learning Activities

Mick HealeyHE Consultant and Researcher, UK

mhealey@glos.ac.uk; www.mickhealey.co.uk

• HE Consultant and Researcher; Emeritus Professor University of Gloucestershire (UoG), UK; Visiting Professor University College London, UK; The Humboldt Distinguished Scholar in Research-Based Learning McMaster University, Canada; Adjunct Professor Macquarie University, Australia; International Teaching Fellow, University College Cork, Ireland; Visiting Fellow University of Queensland, Australia

• National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow HE Academy• SEDA@20 Legacy Award for Disciplinary Development• Economic geographer and previously Director Centre for Active Learning UoG • Ex-VP for Europe International Society for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning• Advisor to Canadian Federal Government ‘Roundtable on Research, Teaching and Learning

in post-Secondary Education’ (2006)• Advisor to Australian Learning and Teaching Council / Office of Learning and Teaching

Projects on the ‘Teaching-research nexus’ (2006-08), ‘Undergraduate research’ (2009-10); ‘Teaching research’ (2011-13 ); and ‘Capstone curriculum across disciplines’ (2013-15)

• Advisor to League of European Research Universities (2009)• Advisor to EU Bologna and HE Reform Experts on research-based education (2012)• Research interests: linking research and teaching; scholarship of teaching; active learning;

developing an inclusive curriculum; students as change agents and as partners

Brief biography

Designing inquiry based learning activities

One minute each way

In pairs you each have ONE minute to tell your partner about one experience you have or would like to have of designing an inquiry based learning activity

The job of your partner is to listen enthusiastically but NOT interrupt.

Developing a question

Anticipating possible answers & determining

relevant information

Identifying resources & gathering information

Assessing information

Weighing evidence & synthesising

understandings

Communicating newunderstandings

Evaluating success

Self-reflection &Self-evaluation

Model of the inquiry process (Justice et al., 2007)

Engaging a topic & building basic knowledge

Taking responsibility for learning

Forms of IBL

IBL activities may be designed to last over different lengths of time:

• A short exercise in a class, • A whole class• A whole semester course• A whole program

Examples of inquiry based learning

In pairs one should read cases study 1 and the other case study 2 (pp2-4 and pp5-8).

Discuss the similarities and differences.

Does IBL enhance student learning?

Increasing evidence that shows:

• enhanced academic achievement, student perceptions, process skills, analytic abilities, critical thinking and creativity (Prince & Felder, 2006)

• deeper understanding, higher degree of reflection, more motivated and achievement of higher order learning (Berg et al., 2003)

• higher grades, more Honours, better retention (Justice et al. 2007b)

Stage of inquiry learning

Upon successful completion of this course a student should be able to:

1.develop a researchable question and give a rationale for its significance;

2.choose appropriate research methods to obtain information relevant to answering the question;

3.critically evaluate the validity and relevance of sources;

4.communicate a coherent response to the research question and interpret the findings in a wider context;

5.critically reflect on the learning process.

Break out activity

Establish 5 small groups• Each group takes one stage of inquiry learning

• Identify c3 activities that you could do with your stage to develop the students’ skills in this stage

• Record your activities on the chart paper – be prepared to share in plenary

20 minutes

“Once you have learnt how to ask questions – relevant and appropriate and substantial questions – you have learnt how to learn and no one can keep you from learning whatever you want or need to know.”

Postman and Weingartner (1971, 23)

Mainstreaming undergraduate research and inquiry: discipline and department strategies

!nquiry planner, and active learning suggestions

In groups of 5 look at:– 2. Inquiry Planner – (pp9-10)

– 3. Inquiry Based Learning in a Professional Learning Context – (pp. 11-13)

– 4. Activities to get students active in their learning (pp13-17) (2 people)

– 5. The inverse or flipped classroom (p.18)

Discuss ideas which are transferable

Time: 15 minutes

The inverse or flipped classroom

Source: http://ctl.utexas.edu/teaching/flipping_a_class/what_is_flipped

The inverse or flipped classroom

The experiential flipped classroom model (Source: Gernstein 2012)

Modes of IBL

• Importance of scaffolding provided by lecturer and development of independence in learner

• Structured – where lecturers provide an issue or problem and an outline for addressing it

• Guided – where lecturers provide questions to stimulate inquiry but students are self-directed in terms of exploring these questions

• Open – where students formulate the questions themselves as well as going through the full inquiry cycle

(after Staver and Bay, 1987)

(Spronken-Smith et al. 2009)

(Spronken-Smith et al. 2009)

Anticipated Challenge Areas

Each table should come up with a question concerning a challenge they face in developing inquiry based learning into their classes which they would like help with.

Keep the question short and simple

Allocate 5 minutes

Break out activity

Pass your question to the next table

Identify one key strategy for answering the question that you have received.

Allocate 5 minutes