My
first choice for this assignment was the Place-Based Learning option of going
on a nature walk because I love being outdoors.
Considering children are the clientele we are working for I decided to
ask the preference of my young children.
The Discrepant Event won out because they were keen on conducting a
science experiment with me. My seven-year
old son and I created an air cannon out of basic household materials and it was
a simple activity to do. Our goal was to
move light objects such as cotton balls, popcorn and paper with the force of
the air cannon. He was very interested
to help me build it but he struggled with the cutting of the paper cup and duct
tape. This caused me to think about the
age group that I might try something like this with in the future.
The
event I chose could be considered an inquiry-based learning opportunity because
it forced us to access prior knowledge and to problem solve together by investigating
ways of making the project successful. Neither
of us knew what the outcome would be and it took a cooperative effort to
complete the task. In the end I came
away with a better understanding of the scientific properties at play including
force, elasticity and pressure.
Our
first attempt was not very successful and we had to explore the variables in order
to have the air cannon work properly. Our
previous knowledge about balloons having elasticity led us to think the experiment
was not working because the balloon did not have enough elasticity. This could have been due to the balloon being
stretched out, or that there was too much balloon used in the experiment. We came to learn that this was not the case
and it was actually the size of the hole that was cut in the paper at the front
of the cannon that was the cause for the failure. Initially the hole we cut was not large enough
to allow a significant puff of air to be passed through. After a larger hole was cut in the front, a
significant puff of air or “torus” was released and felt up to a meter away.
This
Discrepant Event could support an inquiry about air movement of weather and
storms or the grade 2 and 6 Science curriculum on force and motion. It could be made visual if dry ice or coloured
fog were included as suggested in the instructions and would make it more of a
WOW factor for students. If the air
cannon was larger and moved air all the way across the room then I think it could
generate an excitement amongst students that would illicit further inquiry
possibilities. The Library Learning
Commons could be used as the location for building and testing the variables
for this experiment, as well as to research further information from print and
digital resources.
Three things
I would like to be able to take away from this course include:
I want to clearly
understand what inquiry-based pedagogy is and what it looks like across the curriculum.
My understanding of it currently as Stripling suggests is that these action words are included
at it’s core. I am seeking to only ask
my students to respond to literature through the lens of inquiry using these
verbs to help guide me.
Inquire
Use
Think Critically
Apply
Create
Share
Read
Pursue
Develop
Evaluate
Make sense of
Demonstrate
Organize
Listen
Collaborate
Conclude
Connect
Respond
Seek
I want to “do” inquiry well and learn the right questioning prompts for my students that will nudge them in the right direction. How do you accomplish this with so many students working on different projects with so many levels of ability?
I want to teach others at my school what true inquiry is and to encourage more choice as well as open forms of student representation. It seems that many projects are called inquiries yet they do not feel authentic. They are more prescribed and managed than should be.
I want to “do” inquiry well and learn the right questioning prompts for my students that will nudge them in the right direction. How do you accomplish this with so many students working on different projects with so many levels of ability?
I want to teach others at my school what true inquiry is and to encourage more choice as well as open forms of student representation. It seems that many projects are called inquiries yet they do not feel authentic. They are more prescribed and managed than should be.
Stripling, B. K. (2004). Using Inquiry to Explode Myths about Learning and Libraries. CSLA Journal, 28(1), 15–17. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=20182741&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Stripling, B. (2008). Inquiry: Inquiring Minds Want to Know. School Library Monthly, 25(1), 50–52. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=502953623&site=ehost-live&scope=site
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