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Chapter 7: Inquiry and Critical Thinking

1. Inquiry: An Overview (pg. 168-169) a. Inquiry: a process that begins when a problem is identified either by students or by the teacher. i. Students consider the problem ii. Students offer possible solutions in the form of hypotheses. iii. Students gather information iv. Students determine whether a hypothesis is a reasonable solution to the problem. v. The initial hypothesis is accepted, revised or rejected in favor of a different solution. b. Reflective thinking: a forked-road situation, a situation that is ambiguous, that presents a dilemma that proposes alternatives. (John Dewey) i. Social studies: should give children opportunities to engage in reflective thinking and to become versed in the methods od experimental inquiry and proof. c. Jerome Bruner: i. Discovery learning: children to acquire an attitude toward learning and inquiry, toward guessing and hunches, toward the possibility of solving problems on ones own. 1. Thought children should solve problems the same way as real-life social scientist and become child versions of anthropologist, sociologist, economist, and historians. a. Exciting and challenging curriculum. 2. A teaching Sequence for an Inquiry (169-173) a. Unique sequence for an inquiry: i. Define the problem 1. Social studies book, Teacher, or Student may bring up problem. 2. Three different types of Inquiry Questions/Problems a. Effective i. Complex answers ii. Requires multiple resources iii. No agreed-on answer b. Acceptable i. Complex Answers

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ii. Requires multiple resources c. Ineffective i. Simple answers ii. Requires single source ii. Speculate on possible answers 1. Help students make educated guesses on possible answers. 2. The discussion will reveal how much students know about the problem. iii. Gather information 1. How do you do this: a. Break down our question into subtopics b. Assign students to look for answers in different sources. (Internet, encyclopedia, information books, etc.) c. Different Sources of information: i. Bibliographic and Computer Based information: 1. Provides opportunities for students to master the use of both computerbased sources and hard-copy references. ii. Primary Sources: 1. Look at original, historic material such as diaries and old newspapers. Students are doing history like real historians. iii. Surveys: 1. Students survey other people on the topic. iv. Miscellaneous Resources: 1. Any teaching resources can be used. EX. Maps, charts, DVDs, CDs, etc. v. Direct Observation: 1. Observe something by going to it. Like a pumpkin patch, etc. iv. Analyze the information and test hypotheses

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1. How does the data support or challenge our hypotheses? 2. One of three things students do with hypotheses: a. Reject it as being too far from the data to be supported b. Revise it because the information gathered supports some aspect of the hypothesis but not all of it c. Accept it because the information indicates the proposed answer was accurate. v. Reach a conclusion. 1. Students state an answer and share it with the class. 2. Most inquires will result in definitive answers, some will be left dangling a. If so, its best to accept it. State a few possible answers and admit that the data does not warrant a final answer. 3. Students should share what they have learned. a. Computer-based multimedia: i. Posting their finding on a class or school website ii. Reports done by slide show and pictures. b. Written Material: i. Write a book ii. Short summary. c. Illustrations: i. Drawings ii. Photographs d. Charts and Graphs (numbers data) e. Oral Report: i. Students rehearse, summary is brief, information summaries the process students followed to find the answer. 3. Inquiry as Cooperative Learning: Group Investigation (173-174) a. Stage 1: Identify the question to be investigated and organize the group. i. The question should have more than a single answer.

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ii. Teacher and students decide if the answer can be found by dividing the investigation into subtopics. b. Stage 2: Plan the investigation i. Students decide what each member in the group will do. c. Stage 3: Carry out the investigation i. Group members gather information, take notes, compares their findings with those other member of the group, and state possible answers to their question. d. Stage 4: Prepare the final report e. Stage 5:Presnt the final report f. Stage 6: Evaluate Critical Thinking: An Overview (176-177) a. Critical thinking skills: Involves assessing and judging statements. i. An analysis of the data or evidence used to support a statement ii. An evaluation of whether the data or evidence meets some standard of sufficiency. iii. Six Categories (Blooms Taxonomy?) Newmanns Research on Critical Thinking in Social Studies. (179) a. Sustained examination of a few topics is better than superficial coverage of many. b. Lessons must present content in a coherent, continuous manner. c. Students should be given appropriate amount of time to think and prepare answers to questions. d. Teachers must ask challenging questions or present challenging tasks. e. Teachers should be models of thoughtfulness f. Students should offer explanations and reasons for their conclusions. Tabas Strategies (180-181) a. Enumeration and listing: i. Create a list about a topic: Things we can by at the store b. Grouping i. Give students objects and have them group them how they seem fit. c. Labeling and Categorizing i. Create a name for the groups students created. An integrative Model for Teaching Reasoning with Content. (181-182) a. Describe and compare

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i. Given data students examine and explain it. b. Explain i. Why are some parts the same in the data and why are some different? c. Hypothesize i. Expand on answers given earlier. d. Generalize i. Summarize what they have learned. 8. Inquiry and Critical Thinking for All Students: (184-185) a. Use step-by-step guidance b. Present info through charts, graphs, and pictures. c. Allow students to work together d. Use the primary language e. Remember that comprehensible input is the key.

This chapters main point was to teach what inquiry is and to teach different ways of using inquiry in a classroom setting. The chapter starts out by explaining that inquiry is a process in which students find a problem, think about solutions to that problem, gather information about the problem, then analyze the information to reach a conclusion. After this it goes into detail about different ways this process is done, for example Sequence Inquiry and Cooperative Learning: Group Investigation. The chapter then expands to talk about critical thinking and different ways to teach students how to use critical thinking skills. The last section explains how to teach students that have disabilities and students who are English Language Learners.

Question: 1) As a teacher do you believe that these different types of formats for inquiry based learning should all be used in a classroom? Meaning that we should use all these different types of formats for different lessons or should we only stick with one?

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Assumptions or ideas: 1) Honestly this is my first time learning about inquiry based learning. I think that it is interesting and I wonder what that would look like in an early childhood classroom, Pre-k or Kindergarten. Would the students take to it and develop or would they shy away from it. It would be interesting to observe.