As someone who has utilised project-based learning extensively in my English classes, I am surprised by how inspiring I have found the idea of Guided Inquiry. I was thrilled to discover that my Library had a copy of ‘Guided Inquiry Design: A Framework for Inquiry in Your School’ by the amazing Kuhlthau, Maniotes and Caspari, and I eagerly read it cover to cover. Within days, I had consulted the HSIE faculty and agreed to work collaboratively with teachers to plan, write and deliver GI units later in the year. My head is brimming with ideas and I can’t wait!
One of the main things I liked about the GID framework over the others models is, quite simply, the terminology used. The idea of a hook lesson creating an ‘Opening’ in the learning process where student curiosity is stimulated was something I was familiar with and had used successfully in the past. I liked that students had opportunity to ‘Immerse’ themselves in broad background knowledge prior to making any independent decisions as to topic selection, as asking them to select anything too early has, in my experience, led to failure as they simply don’t have the tools or knowledge to do so. And I also particularly liked the awareness of the changing emotions and thoughts of students, and how this influences their actions. We all know what overwhelmed or confused students look like in our classrooms, and I felt the GID model recognised and went considerable way towards alleviating this, by offering greater support, scaffolding and opportunities to reflect and clarify during the ‘Explore’ phase when students were most likely to experience a drop in their confidence (Sheerman & Fitzgerald, 2019, p.16).
Furthermore, I rejected some of the other inquiry models solely on the basis that they had a step called ‘Present’. The word ‘present’, by nature, implies the conveying of information, which could be merely regurgitated facts that the students haven’t fully or deeply understood. In contrast, the GID model uses the words ‘Create’ and ‘Share’ to suggest students not only know the information but are able to apply it in a meaningful way. This seems to emphasise that deep, rigorous critical and creative thinking would take place.
Finally, the strong and consistent reflection opportunities that are embedded throughout the GID framework is at the heart of inquiry learning. Inquiry logs to track resources and usefulness, process journals to consistently reflect on their learning, thinking and emotions throughout the process is vitally important and should allow it to be a meaningful experience for the students. These reflection and evaluation skills, perhaps even more than anything else, will stand them in good stead for the future and equip them with the tools to navigate the increasingly digital world.
References
Kuhlthau, Carol C., Leslie K. Maniotes, and Ann K. Caspari. (2012). Guided Inquiry design: a framework for in your school. Libraries Unlimited.
Sheerman, A. & FitzGerald, L. (2019). A reflection on Guided Inquiry, Scan, 38(4).