Social media seems to be the way of the future and, while at one point I felt quite ‘up’ with it, I now feel completely lost and overwhelmed with the plethora of platforms available. Facebook, WhatsApp, Tumblr, Instagram I have heard of but QQ, WeChat, QZone, Baidu Tieba – what are these? In order to comment on the value of such platforms as tools for inquiry I think I should stick to those I know. The platform I am most familiar with is Facebook.
My inquiry question is, “How can I most effectively embed critical thinking skills into an inquiry based curriculum at a primary school level?”
In recent years I have been using Facebook as a professional resource. However, I usually ‘like’ pages based on suggestions or recommendations from friends rather than searching myself.
A search for ‘inquiry-based learning’ within public posts provided links to many pages tagged as having an educational agenda. Those that I found most relevant and reliable were:
- Mindshift: This is maintained by a community supported media group based in Northern California. While it covers many aspects of education, many links relate to an inquiry based education.
- Inquiry-Based Learning & Teaching: This page is dedicated to critical thinking and inquiry-based learning. It is owned by two teachers who document their findings as well as their personal experiences. The teachers are supported by the Ontario Ministry of Education.
- Edutopia: This was founded as a not for profit organisation which is focused on providing innovation in learning. While it does not solely focus on inquiry-based learning, this is one of its core strategies as part of an emphasis on student engagement.
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Can search for any public post that uses search termProvides links to sources if applicableProvides information in a variety of mediums ie videos and blogsAllows for further conversation in the comments |
Offers opinion based posts/pages as well as research basedSearch functions are limited |
Facebook is a fantastic resource for quick information and practical ideas. There are many articles which can spark thought but in order to be academically relevant require further investigation. Facebook allowed me to connect with people and organisations that have similar views or content of interest to me.
To me, Pinterest is a place for practical ideas rather than an academic resource. I am interested in seeing how useful it may be when looking with a new purpose.
I began with the simple search of ‘inquiry-based learning’. Pinterest made suggested additions to focus the search to a particular age group as well as the intended audience. From these I chose to include the terms ‘primary’ and ‘teachers’.
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Suggests search terms to narrow the search somewhatProvides links to sourcesProvides information in a variety of mediums ie videos and blogsEasily pin results on personal boards to create resource libraries |
Provides mostly practical ideas or blogs rather than academic researchSearch functions are limitedResults rely on tags given to the image rather than the words on the image |
My searches managed to find many practical examples of how inquiry-based learning or critical thinking skills are being delivered in classrooms. It also provided links to many blogs which provided opinions on inquiry models. While these are a fantastic way to stimulate ideas and create professional networks, it is not a place I would look to for academic sources of information.
This is the platform I am most nervous about using. This is only because it uses a different way of communicating, in the hashtags, which I have not ever investigated. However, it is also the platform I am most excited to learn as I see my colleagues using it so successfully as a professional resource.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that Twitter does use Boolean Operators to help focus the search results. I had the most success when I searched for “inquiry learning” AND “critical thinking”.
Those that I found most relevant and interesting were:
Kath Murdoch: Kath Murdoch is considered an expert on inquiry learning. She posts photos of her professional development sessions and links to other inspiring blogs to encourage inquiry learning.
Project Zero: This is a research group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. They post many articles which ask teachers to question their classroom practice and promote a better understanding of how students learn.
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Uses basic Boolean OperatorsProvides current informationProvides information in a variety of mediums ie videos and blogsAccess to experts in the field |
Opinion based rather than research based sources although some links are availableAssessing the reliability of the information can be time consumingAs a novice, I find the organisation visually confusing |
I am excited by the opportunity to follow experts in the field of inquiry learning. Through Twitter I should be able to see their ideas in real time. I feel that Twitter is more of a news feed where I can stay up to date with current trends and theories in education and stay abreast of professional development opportunities. While it will provide an impetus for further investigation, it would not be a platform I would go to for academic research.
New Questions
- Do questioning techniques increase student engagement?
- How many critical thinking strategies should I introduce at one time? How often should they be practiced?
- How can I write more open ‘big’ questions?
Catching the Inquiry Bug 