2. WHAT IS THE INQUIRY MODEL?
According to page 244 in our textbook Teaching Models Designing
Instruction for 21st Century Learners, “the inquiry model is a process-
oriented instructional model that aims to teach students the skills,
knowledge, and dispositions required for thinking systematically to answer
important questions.”
It is:
•Engaging
•Active
•Includes collaboration
•Benefits students in every level of education
•Can be used in different subject areas
•Used to teach content from the knowledge dimensions– factual, conceptual,
procedural, and metacognitive knowledge
3. WHAT IS INQUIRY?
•On page 244 the definition of the Inquiry Model was given, but the
question remains what is inquiry?
•In our textbook Teaching Models Designing Instruction for 21st
Century Learners on page 247 it defines inquiry as, “the process of
asking meaningful questions, finding information, drawing
conclusions, and reflecting on possible solutions.”
•An example given in the text is the 5E Instructional Model. This
model should be familiar to Jacksonville State University students,
especially in the science education classes. In my content block
classes last semester, we learned about and used the 5E lesson plans
for Practicum.
•Questioning is a common thing in life. Children from a very young
age question everything, “Why is the sky blue? What does the birdie
say when it tweets?”
4. NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS
ASSOCIATION (NSTA)
The skills needed for NSTA
standards that address inquiry
include:
•Collecting
•Interpreting
•Observing
Cognitive process dimension,
processes in inquiry include:
•Analyzing
•Understanding
•Evaluating
5. INQUIRY MODEL LEVELS
•Inquiry lessons are never the same, just like no two students are the
same.
•Some inquiries focus more on student lead or open ended.
•Some inquiries are more focused and teacher led.
•Some fall in between.
•Each inquiry has a different purpose and that purpose relates to the
specific level of inquiry in use.
•Teacher awareness is a key factor in the Inquiry Model as it is in the
day to day run of the classroom.
•There are four levels of inquiry.
6. FOUR LEVELS OF INQUIRY
1. Confirmation/Verification
2. Structured Inquiry
3. Guided Inquiry
4. Open Inquiry
In each level, the amount of guidance and structure provided by the
teacher varies.
Is it teacher or student directed? It will differ from each level.
7. CONFIRMATION/VERIFICATION
AND STRUCTURED INQUIRY
Confirmation/Verification
•The results are already known.
Typically the teacher already
knows the outcome.
•Through a specific activity,
students “confirm” the end
results.
Structured Inquiry
•The question is given by the
teacher.
•The students complete a specific
activity or procedure to
investigate.
8. GUIDED INQUIRY AND OPEN
INQUIRY
Guided Inquiry
•The question is given by the
teacher.
•The students choose or create
their own activity or procedure.
•The students then investigate.
Open Inquiry
•The students present the
question concerning the topic to
be learned.
•The students create or choose
which activity or procedure to
use.
•The students investigate the
question.
9. WHEN TO USE THE INQUIRY MODEL
As previously stated the Inquiry Model can be used to teach content
from the knowledge dimensions– factual, conceptual, procedural, and
metacognitive knowledge.
In particular it is used when teaching:
•Problem-solving
•Cognitive process skills
10. WHEN TO USE THE INQUIRY MODEL
Problem-Solving
•A skill that should be repeatedly
practiced and taught.
•A procedural process.
•It is important for students to
have repeated exposure,
modeling, guidance, and
practice.
•This skill is important outside of
the classroom in real-life
situations as well.
(page 251 from our textbook
Teaching Models Designing
Instruction for 21st Century
Cognitive Process Skills
•Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy.
•Six major categories:
1) Remember 2) Understand
3) Apply 4) Analyze
5) Evaluate * 6) Create*
*Inquiry Model allows students to
use the higher levels in relevant
ways.
11. INQUIRY MODEL STEPS
Inquiry Model has 6 major steps:
1. Identify or present/pose a question
2. Make a hypotheses
3. Gather data
4. Assess your hypotheses
5. Generalize
6. Analyze
Page 253 from our textbook Teaching Models Designing Instruction
for 21st Century Learners
12. STEP ONE: IDENTIFY OR
PRESENT/POSE A QUESTION
•First you must identify or present your question or problem.
•This will be the focus of the upcoming investigation.
•Students need the prerequisite knowledge and skills expected to be
used before moving forward.
13. STEP TWO: MAKE A HYPOTHESES
•Before beginning the activity or procedure, students should make a
hypotheses or inference about the upcoming results.
•These should be based on prior knowledge and previous experiences.
•It is always a good idea to record the students’ hypothesis.
14. STEP THREE: GATHER DATA
•Once steps one and two have been completed, the students may
begin gathering data that pertains to the question or problem stated
in step one.
•Students data gathering process and recording will vary based on
which level of inquiry in which they are working.
•No matter the level of inquiry teachers should use scaffolding to
assist their students in their success.
•Support from the teacher is always beneficial.
•It is important to note that as the teacher you should not expect that
all students will know how to organize their data.
15. STEP FOUR: ASSESS HYPOTHESES
•Once the data has been gathered, students can begin assessing and
analyzing their findings.
•Did the findings prove or support the hypotheses? Why or why not?
•By assessing their findings the students are reflecting on their work
and deciding what worked or what did not work and why or why not.
•If the findings did not support their hypotheses then they can look
for other ways that might support their hypotheses. It is like a trial
and error type of experience.
16. STEP FIVE: GENERALIZE
•To generalize the question in step one the students do not simply
answer it.
•With the generalization of their findings students will include the
connections, conclusions, and the process they made and used with
the data analysis.
17. STEP SIX: ANALYZE THE PROCESS
•Metacognitive thinking is experienced during this last step.
•Metacognitive thinking, thinking about thinking, allows your self-
awareness to become greater and your development and thought
processing will grow.
•This skill should be repeatedly modeled, taught, and practiced.
•In this step, students will reflect on the process and procedures, as
well as the analysis of the data gathered, to determine what they
learned and how their knowledge and skills expanded through the
process.
18. DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
•Not one student is the same as another.
•All students learn differently and at different levels.
•By differentiating the instruction, teachers are better equipped to
help their students succeed.
•Because of the different levels and nature of the Inquiry Model, it is
helpful in creating differentiation in the classroom through the active
engagement role of the process.
•Teachers can help students with differentiation of the content,
process, and the product.
19. DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION:
CONTENT
•There are many ways teachers can differentiate the content for
students based on the level of inquiry used.
•Examples can include different media sources, which can focus more
on the student reading level and/or interest.
•Teachers can also give different materials to the students to use.
20. DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION:
PROCESS
•Teachers should try to vary how much student and teacher
involvement and decision making occurs throughout the process.
•Scaffolding again is another method to be used.
•Using different levels of scaffolding at different steps.
21. DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION:
PRODUCT
•Allow the students to decide the best way to show what they have
learned throughout the process.
•Give the students the chance for ownership in their work and they
should give you their best work.
•By giving students a chance to have a choice they should be more
motivated to do their best and complete the process.
22. TECHNOLOGY AND THE INQUIRY
MODEL
•Technology can be an asset in the planning, implementing, and
assessment stages of the Inquiry Model.
•Planning examples: Survey Monkey, Curriki, Weebly
•Implementing examples: Brainpop, Google Docs, Wordle
•Assessing examples: Rubrics, Digital video recording, digital audio
recording, wikis
23. TECHNOLOGY AND THE INQUIRY
MODEL:
PLANNING
•Pre-assessment can be important, not only in helping differentiate
instruction, but gives the teacher a look at what the students already
know, think they know, as well as their prerequisite knowledge and
skills.
•Pre-assessment allows students to have an impact on the learning
process.
•There are many pre-assessment tools online that can give digital on
time results to the teacher and students.
•Collaboration with other students, teachers, and experts can be
beneficial for all.
•Teachers should plan for such collaboration that is to be used.
•Teachers can use Curriki, or ask an expert sites to reach out to others
24. TECHNOLOGY AND THE INQUIRY
MODEL:
PLANNING
•Supporting the students is important. Scaffolding through teacher
created documents, or worksheets, can help.
•Students can also use technology while collecting, organizing,
recording, analyzing, and sharing the information they have
discovered.
•Using technology tools such as, Weebly, and Assign-A-Day, teachers
can build the lesson in an organized manner that students can follow
and complete through the discovery process.
•There are many online tools that can be used to help students and
teachers with scaffolding during the learning process.
25. TECHNOLOGY AND THE INQUIRY
MODEL:
IMPLEMENTATION
•Technology can be used at each of the steps of the Inquiry Model.
•Presenting/posing a question: the use of videos, simulations, and
other forms of media can be used. Brain Pop and Discovery Streaming
are just two examples.
•Making hypotheses: using audio or video, and other digital recording
tools both online and not, to record hypotheses will be beneficial.
•Gathering sources: With the vast reaches of the Internet, students can
gather information from different sources.
•Organizing data: through spreadsheets, word-processed reports, and
other visuals students can organize and present the information they
have gathered. One example to note is Google Docs.
26. TECHNOLOGY AND THE INQUIRY
MODEL:
IMPLEMENTATION
•Assess hypotheses: replaying video, using databases, and other
technological tools, students can begin to analyze the information
they have discovered.
•Generalizing findings: editing and revision can be done through
technology. Students can use multimedia to share their findings.
Examples such as wikis, and YouTube are just some way to share
through multimedia.
•Analyzing the process: Several technology tools can be made
available to aide in the analyzation of the inquiry process. Word-
processing software, audio and video tools can help students reflect
on what and how they learned.
27. TECHNOLOGY AND THE INQUIRY
MODEL:
ASSESSMENT
•Assessment helps to know: what the students know and what they
can do.
•Online quizzes can help measure the information students know, and
track learning throughout the process and upon the conclusion.
•Online tool examples: Quizstar and Rubistar.
•Technology also helps students show what they know, how they
know, and what skills they used and gained. Digital cameras,
podcasts, and video cameras are all beneficial tools.
•Online posters also aid students in sharing the information they
discovered in the Inquiry Model lesson.
28. BENEFITS OF INQUIRY MODEL
•The knowledge dimensions: factual, conceptual, procedural, and
metacognitive become more developed.
•Active and engaged learning allows students natural curiosity to
emerge and the students are part of the process of answering even
their own questions.
•Cognitive process skills become more developed.
•Students gain a more personal connection to the learning as they
discover information.
•Student ownership and partnership in their learning.
•Increased understanding of intellectual property.
•Students are lifelong learners and can take the processes and skills
they have learned to out of class situations.
29. MY EXAMPLE
With all the different holidays and kids birthdays that my childrens’ classrooms
observe during snack time, I thought about this idea.
The classroom is hosting a class party before Spring Break to celebrate the
upcoming Easter holiday. With the help of the students we need to know what is
the best choice, cake or cupcakes?
Students will use the tablets in their small groups to record and help discover
which option can more easily be shared, has the cheapest price, and is the best
value using these credentials that our class should purchase for the party.
The teacher will provide students with the prices of half-sheet cakes and
cupcakes from local bakeries and grocery stores.
The students will need to take the following into consideration:
•How many students are in the classroom.
•How much the half-sheet cake costs.
•How many cupcakes would need to be purchased and their cost.
30. ON TWITTER AND FEEDLY
On Twitter I followed:
Mindshift @MindShiftKQED
TeachThought @TeachThought
Louise Robitaille @Robitaille2011
On Feedly I found these blogs:
http://inquiry-based.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-day-in-life-of-
inquiry-based-classroom.html
http://inquiry-based.blogspot.com/2015/08/educators-learning-
together-about.html
31. REFERENCE
Kilbane, C. R., & Milman, N. B. (n.d.). Teaching models: Designing
instruction for 21st century learners.
