What is Inquiry-Based Learning?

You’ve got the whole world in your hands.

As I read all this information regarding constructivism, behaviorist, and inquiry based learning theories I have flashbacks of my children’s teachers. I have flashbacks of my days with my children. I have flashbacks of my idealistic days, before I had children. I used to say I would never tell my children, “Because, I say so”. In my world today, I see the conglomeration of it all. I am more appreciative than ever of the exceptional teachers that my children were exposed to and were fortunate to have. My neighborhood school in Hialeah, John G. DuPuis had the most amazing teachers. Thank you Ms. Soler and Ms. Falk. I see the "pull out gifted” curriculum as the best of both worlds. The gifted classroom was definitely inquiry based. The classroom was always buzzing with activity. The children seldom sat at desks. They had projects and problems posed for them and by them to work out together. They had to work it out from beginning to end. Nothing like the traditional classroom the kids would have to adapt to the other days. Stay in the lines when completing coloring pages. Color only the assigned colors. No room for exploration or creativity or something new. Stay in your seat. No talking. I didn’t like it, but looking back, I guess it made the kids that much better at adapting. The general philosophy at home was always, “how can you find out?” or “look it up”. Now in my 25th year of child rearing, I have given in and taken some short cuts. I still have three at home doing homework and sometimes it is faster for me to just give them the answer and have it over with. Then I tell them I am being a bad mother, as I know this doesn’t serve them well. I want them to be independent, curious, lifelong learners. I believe I have set the precedent. I was fortunate enough to follow in the learning philosophies of Socrates and Dewey. I stayed home with my children and took daily “adventures”. Off we went and observed, questioned, and investigated all along the way. Did I do it because thirty years earlier I had studied about their learning philosophies? Or did it go back even further to my childhood. I hated that when I asked a question the answer would come, “Because I said so” or “cunta…”. I wanted to know why. When that burning curiosity is there you have to take advantage of it. It fuels the fire of knowledge and keeps it burning, making the learning natural and hard to control. It sets them up with "habits" that will serve them to tackle all the new things the future may hold, giving them the tools and experience to know that they have the power to find out and keep learning.

Reflection #3

What is a Constructivist Lesson Plan?

As an educational philosophy, Constructivism allows learners to ultimately construct their own knowledge, unique to their own experience and take it with them to apply to future learning. Learning is viewed as life-long problem solving. As such the constructivist classroom is set up to prepare the learner for a life time of curiosity, investigation, analysis and reflection. Emphasizing the processes by which children develop and create their ideas makes it the teacher’s challenge to provide the appropriate
curriculum to match, but yet challenge the student’s understanding, while stimulating further growth and development of the mind.

The Constructivist Lesson Plan uses recent scientific research about the human brain and how learning occurs and consciously incorporates the principles into the classroom. The lesson plan format is rather straight forward, emphasizing six important elements. The elements are designed to make the teacher responsible for planning and reflecting about the process of student learning. The process is the emphasis.

The lesson plan elements are as follows:
1. Situation. The teacher presents a situation for the students to undertake and finds a title.
2. Groupings. The groupings of students and materials are dependent on the situation and materials at hand.
3. Bridge. This activity is designed to ascertain the individual’s prior knowledge and construct a connection to the lesson.
4. Questions. Keeping the questions going is an integral part of the formula and used throughout the elements.
5. Exhibit. This involves a presentation by the student reflecting the knowledge gained.
6. Reflections. These reflections would encompass every facet of the experience including their feelings even images in their imagination. KWL. What did they know before; what did they want to know; and what did they learn?

The Constructivist Lesson Plan allows for learning to be constructed along the way. The student is active and experiments and questions. The process and reflection makes them own their lessons. Collaboration is used so that the students can learn strategies and methods from each other. The lessons are based on problem solving and are inquiry-based. The brain, the student and the lesson are always evolving.

Since I am a very visual learner, I am constantly trying to draw pictures for myself. To help me visualize the Constructivist theory I can imagine a giant, multi-faceted puzzle. Where does this piece fit? Does it lead you to another piece and yet another? This example is rather finite, but does help at a very basic level. However, ultimately, I envision something that grows and expands indefinitely, reaching further and morphing along the way teaching the student HOW TO LEARN.

Reflection 2: What is the difference between the Behaviorist Lesson Plan format and the Constructivist Lesson Plan format?

How do I begin? That is, in essence, what plans are for. Plans offer a way to begin and follow through with an action so that it may be completed successfully. Plans are vital for performing tasks, and without them, we would be lost.

Different goals take different routes to be achieved. The method of achieving success depends heavily on the goal in mind, but also on the individual undertaking the effort. The Behaviorist Lesson Plan offers an opportunity for the teacher to start fresh; objectives and standards are put into place, and the lesson proceeds based on those guidelines. The Behaviorist Lesson Plan grows within itself, adding knowledge and learning with every step. The entire lesson is planned from the beginning so that it may be manipulated to the instructor’s vision.

The Constructivist Lesson Plan takes a different approach. The plan stems off of previous knowledge, experiences, and lessons. Constructivists build a ‘bridge’ between what the students know and what they will learn. The student is the focal point for Constructivists. Students may be divided into groups so that they may cooperate in learning new material. Rather than the lesson plan following the instructor’s pre-set plan, it flows with the pupils, who interact and share within it.

This brings to mind a central difference between the two lesson plans; the former is self-reliant, and obtains its strength and integrity from the instructor. The latter relies on the pupils far more, and in doing so opens itself up to new possibilities beyond what the lesson plan entails. The Behaviorist Lesson Plan, then, is safer. It is assured that the benchmarks will be met despite what may occur apart from the lesson. The Constructivist Lesson Plan, on the same token, takes a risk. The students are not blank slates, and such may help or hinder the lesson’s development.

And now, how to end? A plan leads you through a step-by-step procedure to accomplish a goal, no matter what it may be. And what is experienced throughout the plan is integral to achieving a high-class learning environment.

Reflection 1: What is a Lesson Plan

This summer we drove across the country to Pennsylvania with stops in Georgia, Washington D.C, North Carolina, and Tallahassee. Everything was mapped out with instructions, directions, mileage, how much time each leg of the trip would take and how much money we budgeted to spend. Everything was printed out ahead of time thanks to map quest. For the classroom teacher this would be the equivalent of a Lesson Plan, a necessary guide for the instructor in that it tells what to do, in what order to do it, and what procedure to use in teaching the material of a lesson, as per definition.
A well developed lesson plan is much like our family vacation plan. It was painstakingly developed reflecting the interests and needs of the affected group (our family/students), along with our personal philosophy of making learning come to life.
Reading the wealth of information provided through this class, it was interesting to see how all this fit in with my personal philosophy. Apparently, the last education courses that I took at MDCC thirty years ago had a lasting effect on me. I have been raising children for twenty five years now. I just did what came naturally. It was just what I did for my kids. Everyone told me I should be a teacher. Now, I see how all my strategies are written in the pages I have been reading. I had put things into practice and had forgotten where they had come from. I had been influenced by Piaget, Skinner, Maria Montessori and many others.
Reading about the Constructivist Lesson Plan seemed to fit right in with my idea of the brain being a parallel processor and learning engaging the person as a whole. I envision the brain with sensors reaching out and spreading ever wider constantly making new connections that facilitate grasping new concepts and calling on the old to solve new problems. I loved the idea of connecting isolated ideas and information with global concepts and themes. I am always leading my children to call on previous learnings to solve new.
Personally, I had never used a lesson plan and thought of it as rather tedious. After my experience this summer with my road trip, I have been transformed. I see the value to a well thought out Lesson Plan, be it Behavioral, Constructivist or Transpersonal. The ultimate goal of a lesson plan is to reach the students.
I see that I have used methods from across the board. I look forward to the transformations. As with our summer trip, one would be lost without a plan.

My Bio

I am Carolina Rojas, married with four children. I was determined to beat my first out of college, but he won. I now intend to beat the next one out. I have been working in the school system substituting and as a Paraprofessional II on and off for many years. I am looking forward to taking time now for myself.