Letting Go of the Reins: Inquiry Based Instruction

Loose reins=better communication

When we ride a horse we talk about the communication between the horse and rider using many aids but our reins are a main one. If I am always pulling on them and only using my reins both of us are going to get frustrated and no one is enjoying the ride at that point. The same idea is true for the classroom.

As a preservice teacher I tend to want to "keep the reins" as I start designing lessons. I tend to get caught up on the idea that I need to tell my students everything in order for them to learn it. What I am quickly learning is that we need to give students freedom to learn on their own time and in their own space.Inquiry based instruction is one way to help create that environment for students.

3 ideas I want to bring into my class:

1. Planning is still required for an inquiry based learning lesson: As the teacher I have to have a specific question or problem trying to be solved and and activity that walks the students through the process of finding said solution. 
2. How to give the information needed to be successful: It is also my role in this process to give the students an overview of the information that will be needed to be successful in solving the problem but, just enough of that information for them to be able to learn on their own. While the students are inquiring about the problem I can assist students to lower frustration but, I do not provide the content during this time.
3. Encourage student discussion: When students are sharing our their finding allow students to discuss back and forth about their findings and the connection between them. 

2 connections to my #TeachAgJourney:

1. Earlier this semester I did a demo lesson using the problem solving approach.There two methods are closely related. The difference between the two is problem solving has one solution whereas inquiry based instruction can have several solutions. 



The process of inquiry based instruction

2. Earlier in the semester we discussed how to create interest in our classroom. Lancelot was the theorist we focused on and his primary and secondary principles of interest. One of his primary principles is "A subject is interesting if it affects us, others around us or humanity at large." Inquiry based learning can be the drive behind creating interest by connecting students to issues that affect them, others in their life or humanity.

An Additional Source: 

This article is from Edutopia and it discusses a teacher from New Jersey who changed the way she taught DNA in her Biology class to an inquiry lesson and her reflection on it! 

What is Ms.Gagne wondering on inquiry based instruction?:

Besides student research using laptops/cell phones how have you incorporated inquiry based instruction to your classroom?