Double Journal Entry #8

1.       What are some challenges to inquiry approaches to learning?

The challenges that many teachers come across in inquiry approaches involve the implementation of the projects.  Inquiry approaches are very complex, and if teachers don’t fully understand them they can have trouble conveying directions and expectations to the students.  They may also have trouble providing proper scaffolding and assessment of the project.

The challenges the students face in inquiry approaches come from lack of experience with these types of projects. If they have never done a project like this before they may find it difficult to generate meaningful questions, develop logical arguments, or even figure out how to work successfully as part of a group. 

2.      Make connections between project-based learning and three research based strategies. Give a brief explanation of the connections.

Cooperative Grouping—Project Based Learning relies heavily on students working together in groups.  They must be able to communicate with each other to express opinions and ideas about the project their group is working on.  They have to be able to get along with each other in order for the project to be successful.  A group that can’t compromise or is always arguing will not be able to accomplish their goals.

Setting Objectives—Project Based Learning begins with setting objectives.  At the beginning of the project the teacher sets the problem and the guidelines and the students must set their objectives for how they are going to solve the problem.  Without clear objectives there is no direction for the project.

Generating and Testing Hypotheses—Project Based Learning involves many steps: being given a problem, figuring out a solution to that problem, testing that solution, and making adjustments if needed.  It’s all about trial and error; if one idea doesn’t work the way you wanted it to, you revise it and try again.  You have the opportunity to identify where your mistakes were made and correct them.

Source

Barron, B., & Darling-Hammond, L. (n.d.). Teaching for meaningful learning: A review of research on inquiry-based and cooperative learning. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf