Inquiry and IBL pedagogies
What do inquiry tasks look like in science?
Tool IH-3: Comparing approaches
Overview
Aims: To develop an understanding of approaches that facilitate student inquiry in the classroomWe will:• Compare structured and unstructured tasks;• Discuss the issues when using unstructured
tasks;• Share teaching approaches suitable to lead
students’ inquiry.
Comparing tasks
Use the examples of structured and unstructured versions of a task to discuss:• What decisions have been left to the students?• Which task do you think may be perceived as
more challenging or motivating for students?• Which task promotes students’ autonomy and
decision making?• What pedagogical issues will arise when you
start to use unstructured problems like this?
Identifying issues
Share as a group the issues that emerged from your discussions in pairs.
Make a list of the main points.
Developing strategies to lead inquiry
What kind of strategies might you use to lead students’ inquiry using unstructured tasks?
Finishing offFocus on a strategy that you could use with one of your classes. Select a suitable unstructured activity and try using the strategy.
Be ready to report back at the next session on how this worked with the group.