Angie's article, Where Do You Want to Go Today? Inquiry Based Learning and Technology Integration by Hester Owens and W. J. Teale, explains how technology is perfect for inquiry based learning. Internet databases, much like the ones that we used to find our articles, are great resources to promote inquiry learning. Technology allows the students to be able to find the answers to the historical questions that matter to them, thus greatly enhancing history classrooms.
If I was teaching a lesson on causes that lead to the American Revolution, I would have my students write a research paper where they had to both come up with a question concerning the causes, and answer their own question (provide a thesis). The students could use both my lesson and reputable websites to focus in on a narrow aspect (it would take a whole book to cover all the causes!) of pre -Revolution America, choose their thesis, and then use databases of scholarly articles to answer their own question. Technology provides a seemingly endless wealth of knowledge for students to canvass. This research forces the students to take ownership of their learning, because it is not simply the teacher imposing their knowledge on the students.
Obviously I would provide my students with a lesson on how to properly use the internet, because it can be a scary place! Finding false information would not be helpful in inquiry learning (while the inquiry part would still be there, learning needs to occur also)! I might ask my students to write me a paper on Martin Luther King, Jr and see if any of them use MartinLutherKing.org in their research--this would provide an excellent example of what NOT to do!
It would be a great idea for the students to post their finished research projects, complete with a full bibliography, on their class blog so that their classmates could read them. Hopefully, this would stimulate everyone to be interested in their peers' topics and then they could research the various theses on their own. In traditional classrooms, only the teacher gets to read the students' papers and this is a huge disservice to the class. One student might have thought of a question that another student would never have come up with on their own, but then subsequently researches. Inquiry learning focuses on the students' interests, and technology is a great way to satisfy their intellectual curiosities!
Can you think of another way to use technology to support inquiry learning in a history classroom? What about in a sixth grade classroom (my lesson was designed for high schoolers)?
Read the full article here: http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/hww/results/results_single_fulltext.jhtml;hwwilsonid=N1NTHXJSUYTZVQA3DIKSFGGADUNGIIV0
Edit: Hester, J, Owens, R, and Teale, W. (2002). Where Do You Want to Go Today? Inquiry- Based Learning and Technology Integration. Reading Teacher, 55(7), 616-625.
when I was thinking of web-based research for students, I was thinking that for a younger class the teacher might have to provide specific websites for the students. The teacher would probably already know what kinds of information the students would find at the sites, so it might not lead to anything ground-breaking, but this also means that he/she would know the students are finding correct information and information that the students will understand. Of course, this might all depend on how well elementary grades teach with technology! If the students already have a decent hold on how to research they might be able to handle a little more freedom in their projects.
ReplyDeleteFor a middle school class, the teacher could give an aspect of culture, such as holidays, weddings, or education and each student or group of students could select a different country. They could use the web to learn how each country practices each tradition. They could write a description and find photos and then each student could post them on a class blog or wiki. Then they would have one page where they could go and have a nice cultural comparison study. Of course, with younger students there would have to be more instruction on internet safety. Maybe even a list of websites compiled by the teacher that could give them a starting point.
ReplyDeleteSomething that truly struck a chord with me was the peer to peer review and appreciation of student work. I think the class blog is brilliant for this, and students actually do enjoy seeing each others hard work. The more students become aware of the work that has unfolded in class, the more compelled to work had and share their work. Students would be given the opportunity to praise each others work, and positive motivation is great for encouraging students.
ReplyDeleteWhile I think that blogs are an awesome way to explore different students' perspectives and will inspire kids to work harder and submit a better quality paper, I do believe that students should use pseudonyms to protect them from possible embarrassment, but also to encourage them to really speak their mind.
ReplyDeleteDatabases are awesome. I don't know what I would have done in undergrad as a sociology major without them, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same for history majors. I think an issue with this could possibly be exactly what we talk about in Trutschel's class- will our students be able to understand the language of academic journals and research writing? In not, we must teach them, as well as how to write a research paper, and that can often be difficult and tedious, but extremely necessary nonetheless. It is a valuable tool that will be crucial when they reach high school.
Maybe bringing the basics of writing research papers and searching databases can be a task for middle-schoolers as well.
You have high expectations for your future students, and I think that's great :)
Having students come up with their own thesis would help them grasp the subject/topic on a higher level. The research would be so much more personal because they would actually have to prove, or disprove, their own theory. I like the aspect of posting the finished product on the class website so other students could read it. Maybe you could set it up so any comments from student to student had to be approved by the teacher. I do not know if this is possible but it may cut down on students being disrespectful.
ReplyDeleteIn my practicum class students are acting out a mini play based on characters from the area we are studying. If a teacher provided basic play script layout student groups could research their characters and help develop a costume, back story, and dialogue. If students started out your research knowing they would be doing something fun with their findings they would really feel motivated. The revolutionary war can be a lot of information overload online for 6th grade students, but researching specific person could help students better navigate online.
ReplyDelete