Session+2

2.1 The 21st Century Classroom
After viewing Changing Times - Newsweek Article, I was struck by the statistics on letters, newspapers, and CDs. I am particularly amazed that within my own lifetime, CDs quickly became ubiquitous, only to become a thing of the past a few years later. The digital revolution is certainly here to stay. While the statistics in the article were interesting, nothing surprised me much. I was more taken aback by the first comment underneath the article which read, " These stats prove that American society is moving away from scholarship and knowledge and towards mind-numbing, time-wasting activities." I have to disagree and claim quite the opposite.

While the so-called digital revolution has certainly brought about its fair share of distractions, it has also made scholarship and knowledge more accessible to individuals all over the world than ever before. As stated by Thomas Friedman in //The World is Flat// (which, by the way, would be a highly applicable supplement to this course), the digital revolution has leveled the playing field for communities and individuals around the world. Students are now able to take online courses, look up information at their fingertips, and communicate with like-minded learners globally. The repercussions are invaluable. Now, obviously this has rocked the boat for those who prefer to keep their scholarship locked away in ivy-covered towers. But truly, what is gained by keeping knowledge to oneself? The digital revolution has allowed knowledge to be shared like never before, and there's no turning back.

At the same time, the comment also reaffirms my previous thoughts on creating my own 21st century classroom. Many of our students do come to school only knowing how to use technology for "mind-numbing, time-wasting activities." While texting, Facebooking, gaming, etc. have the ability to be used in productive ways, students do not innately know how to use this technology appropriately in a work environment. We cannot provide students with technology and assume that they will use it to its scholarly potential. My 21st century classroom includes providing much of the necessary technological scaffolding to students so that they can learn to use these tools for "scholarship and knowledge," rather than purely social interaction.

2.3 Website Analysis
The male pregnancy and tree octopus websites are very convincing, especially because they include features such as functional links, FAQs, etc. I honestly couldn't find any conclusive evidence that the websites were hoaxes, other than the fact that the subject matter was so outrageous. It makes me very concerned as to what false information students are finding on the internet. I usually recommend that students use url's that end in .edu, .gov, etc., however there are many useful websites that end in .com or .org. The difficulty is training students to identify which websites are valid sources of information. This is certainly a topic about which I haven't given much thought in the past but would like to become more informed.

[|Evaluating Web Pages Checklist] Above is a link to an easy-to-follow checklist to determine if a web page is a reliable source of information.

[|Evaluating Web Pages] The link above more thoroughly describes the process of how to question the reliability of web pages and explains the rationale behind evaluating web pages.

2.3 Inquiry Based Learning Websites
[|Schreyer Institute Inquiry-Based Learning] The link above, while not a website per se, but rather a pdf file from the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence at Penn State, is a great primer for teachers wishing to introduce inquiry into their classrooms for the first time. The pdf describes the scaffolding process for teachers to follow when using inquiry with novice students.

[|Concept to Classroom Workshop: Inquiry Based Learning] The aforementioned virtual workshop, put together by New York Public Media, includes an explanation, demonstration, exploration, and implementation section for educators wishing to adapt an inquiry based learning approach in their classrooms.

[|Implementing Inquiry-Based Teaching Methods] The document above is part of a website developed by the University of Florida. //Implementing Inquiry-Based Teaching Methods// summarizes the stages of the inquiry cycle and provides two possible inquiry instruction models.

2.4 Three Minute Pause
1) Inquiry based learning is an instructional method in which students learn by posing their own questions, performing research to find explanations to their questions, drawing conclusions based on their research, and communicating their findings. Inquiry based learning is student-directed, rather than teacher-led. After completion of the inquiry process, new questions may arise as a result of their research and the cycle can begin again.

2) While I incorporate several aspects of the inquiry process into my instruction (for example, asking questions, designing experiments, drawing conclusions, etc.), I have rarely completed a full inquiry cycle in my curriculum. Including bits and pieces of the inquiry process is an important scaffolding technique to gradually relinquish responsibility to students, but I would like my students to be able to take on more responsibility for their own learning by the second semester. Students should be provided with models so that they know what is expected of them. Perhaps if I give students clearer models to follow they will be able to take on more advanced tasks.

3) I have seen several charts, spreadsheets, graphic organizers, etc. before that show teachers how to gradually transition to a less-guided inquiry approach over the course of a semester or year. I have never attempted to follow these suggestions in a step-by-step fashion, mostly due to a lack of time to complete the curriculum map by the end of the year. As much as I say I am willing to sacrifice breadth for depth, if I removed much more content from the chemistry curriculum, I feel that I would be doing a disservice to my students entering the science fields. How can I incorporate an inquiry-based approach, while not compromising content? Providing students with learning outcomes helps to keep learning on the right track, but I don't think this completely solves the time issue. Giving students less guidance almost certainly means learning will take more time.

2.5 Essential Readings
Comments:
 * I already use outcomes to guide my instruction, but I should be more upfront with students about how they will be accountable before beginning each unit. This will allow students to become more independent learners.
 * I often wondered how teachers were able to lead full-inquiry classrooms and ensure that students all learned the same (or at least similar) content. From these readings, I learned that students should be given learning outcomes ahead of time, so that they are responsible for learning the required material. All students will be learning the same outcomes, but with varied approaches. I anticipate that at the beginning of the course, students are given simple learning outcomes to tackle, with the outcomes becoming more complex as the year progresses.

Questions:
 * When I have completed more inquiry-based investigations and demonstrations in the past, students have often drawn conclusions that are scientifically incorrect. Even after I presented scientifically accurate information, students still held tight to their original misconceptions. How do I guide students to draw sound conclusions without "giving" them answers? Does the solution involve requiring them to gather more extensive background information before allowing them to investigate?
 * Time! Who's got the time? Partial inquiry is definitely doable, and I do already incorporate it into most units in some way. However, I would like to see some examples of full-inquiry or close to full-inquiry curricula at the high school level that still meet all of the state standards. The chemistry department recently ordered some sample copies of inquiry-based chemistry curricula, so I am excited to see what they look like in their entirety!

2.6 Reflections on Student Work
Having perused the inquiry-based project, my first impression was that there was no indication to me that this was "inquiry" versus any other regular research project. This may be because I am used to seeing inquiry implemented in science, rather than social students, so please excuse my ignorance. My evaluation of the project based on my perceptions of inquiry-based methodology follow:


 * 1) Students ask a question (oftentimes initial research is completed to narrow the question) and pose a thesis (hypothesis).** The wikispace product of this project did not seem to indicate that students were asking a "question" which they intended to research. Instead they simply chose the topic "Teen Runaway Criminals" and did independent research. To improve the quality of the inquiry here, I would think that students would need to ask a question, such as "What personality traits do teen runaway criminals have in common?" and then write a thesis which addresses their initial question.
 * 2) Students develop a research plan or design experiments to address their question.** The students in this project did determine what they felt they needed to research and split up the work equally. However, the students were researching a "topic," rather than collecting evidence to support a thesis.
 * 3) Students collect evidence and/or perform experiments.** Again, the students did collect plentiful research, but it addressed a "topic" rather than a thesis.
 * 4) Students analyze their evidence/data and draw conclusions.** Students do present their thoughts on their research and draw connections to other content from the course and their lives. Their reflections do not address a cohesive question or thesis.
 * 5) Students communicate their results.** The students present their results in a multimedia approach. Students share their findings with each other, but do not appear to evaluate each others' work. This is an important part of the learning process, especially in inquiry-based learning since students are presumably researching different aspects of the same question.

It is certain that there are many ways to incorporate inquiry-based learning into the classroom. It is difficult to determine how this project addressed inquiry because it is impossible to completely determine the teacher's expectations versus the students' interpretation. In general, students should be directed to ask a question and pose a thesis, which should then direct their research. As I was writing my evaluation, I realized that inquiry-based learning can also be directed by a "problem," instead of a question. In this case, student research would be directed at collecting evidence to develop a solution to the problem, rather than support a thesis.

**[|2.7 Forum Post - Inquiry Based Learning]**
The 21st century classroom is a natural segue into inquiry-based learning. With the advent of technology, students are able to perform thorough research at their fingertips, collect better data, and communicate results easily with each other, all of which are integral parts of inquiry. When students are given the proper guidance, technology allows students to work more independently from their teachers. Like the 21st century classroom, students cannot just be thrown into inquiry learning without any prior experience or scaffolding. In fact, students are often hesitant at first, after learning in a traditional classroom, to think for themselves and evaluate information. By gradually guiding students from partial inquiry to a full inquiry approach, they are able to accept more responsibility over their learning over a period of time.