Hello everyone, I can't believe we are starting week 11 already! This upcoming week's investment readings are focused on inquiry-based teaching methods and learning. Inquiry-based learning is a method where teachers facilitate classroom discussion amongst the students who are raising questions, brainstorming possible solutions, implementing their plan, and then collecting evidence and drawing conclusions based on their idea. The final step to this method is called exhibition, where students share and communicate their results as a class or beyond.
I made many relevant connections to my student teaching internship coming up! One connection I made was to the first article about implementing the inquiry-based teaching method. The article talks about the process of exploration, where students are manipulating the material and making discoveries on their own. During my student teaching experience, I will ensure I am guiding my students through exploration by scaffolding the discussion without giving students the straight answer, so that they are being provided a concrete experience of their own. Another connection I made was the need to meet skill areas in subjects such as math, reading, science, and language arts, not just agriculture. The second article states that the inquiry-based teaching method engages students in multiple skill areas by having them collaborate with others, collect and interpret data, and by sharing their findings. The last relevant connection I made to my student teaching experience is the importance of having students reflect on the inquiry-based learning process that they completed. Students can share their reflective thoughts through journal entries or talking as a class about what they thought as successful or not so successful strategies for solving the problem.
After reading the articles, I found two relevant connections to current Teach Ag courses that I'm taking. In AEE 295, we discussed the difference between informal and formal assessments to provide students with feedback on their performance. The first article states that evaluations are an important aspect of inquiry-based instruction and students should be made aware of their progress and retention of material. The second connection that I made is to WF ED 413, where we learned the importance of using visuals and mind mapping methods to appeal to students' various learning styles. Chapter 6 of the last article provides examples such as concept maps, KWL charts, and topic webs to plan out and visually see the problem students are tasked with solving.
The triangulated connection I'd like to share for this week's material is about a study that found that students learn more from inquiry-based teaching methods. The article is a summary of the importance of inquiry-based learning and details why it is effective in seeing student achievement.
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