u01a1 Inquiry Based Learning

After reading all of this week's information about the inquiry process, I am worried that in my environment I will not be able to pull off  a pure Inquiry-Based model of learning.  My students have IEP’s that ask for accommodations such as highly structured activities, and a predictable environment.  While topic C and D both explain that there is a structure to inquiry, and that inquiry is not a “free for all,” I am concerned that my students, who unravel even when there is a predictable learning routine, might lose whole days of instruction to their anxiety over the ambiguity of the end result.  

My students have many project opportunities in a grading period.   For example, today they started a project on the Geologic Time Scale.  They will each become an expert in a particular time period and era of Earth’s history.  First I had them complete a survey to see what they already knew about Earth’s history, and then they read from their online text about fossil evidence.  They had a reading guide that I made that asked them to define key vocabulary and answer some content questions as they read. They were able to choose to work with a partner or to work individually. I divided up the time periods, and had them randomly pick.  Then, after we watched a brief video that provided a general overview of Earth’s history, the students were given 5 minutes to swap with each other for a an era that interested them more.  Starting next week, they will use a list of resources and links that I put together using Discovery Education’s assignment builder, to explore their time period, and gather information.  They have a note-taking guide to insure that they learn some of the most basic information, and also to make sure that they are approaching their grade level state standards. There are also some more open-ended prompts that ask students to describe what they think is the main attraction of their time period, what dangers human’s might face if they had lived during that time period, and what features of Earth during your time period are still observable today?  Ultimately students will use their information to construct a class Geologic Time scale using the individual “snapshots” that they create of their selected time period.  

This project has many, but not all, of the characteristics of other projects that I organize for my students.  I always provide some sort of visually structured note guide, a rubric and a project checklist to guide students through the process.  I usually provide some broad background information either through a group reading or a video, and then the students are responsible for exploring and researching topics more deeply using a research guide and provided resources.  Students always create some sort of a product, and they almost always present the product to the class. While many of the features of the projects I design could be components of the inquiry process, I know after reading this week, that I am missing the mark. While I include opportunities for choice, I think that I am controlling too much of the process for anyone to call it inquiry. 

In topic D it states, “When first starting out down the inquiry path, it feels different. This is a change, and change can be uncomfortable and messy. Stay the course.”  I am of a mind that change is good, but I am worried that when I actually take this on and do it the way I am supposed to, that I will stay the course and never accomplish the learning objectives that I am accountable for teaching.

So some of my burning questions include:

What are some good strategies for managing IEP goals and grade level standards while facilitating an inquiry based learning experience?

What are some strategies that I can use to maintain a highly structured and controlled environment, while engaging in inquiry based learning activities?

My students often come in, or leave, mid-year depending on their medical and mental health situations.  What are some strategies for differentiating assessment for students who are unable to complete, or bring an inquiry activity to conclusion?

I see so much potential for using an inquiry model with students who have individualized learning goals, but the population that I work with is volatile, and I need to plan mindfully for their learning.