What Is Collaborative Inquiry Based Learning

Community of Inquiry: Helping Students and Teachers to Build Thinking Communities

What is collaborative inquiry-based learning?

Creating a Community of Inquiry in the Classroom

John Dewey

INQUIRY

COMMUNITY

Lev Vygotsky

Thinking in education “…all which the school can or need do for pupils, so far as their minds are concerned...is to develop their ability to think.” Democracy and Education, p. 152

“The sole direct path to enduring improvement in the methods of instruction and learning consists in centering upon the conditions which exact, promote and test thinking.” Democracy and Education, p. 153

Internalization of forms of social exchange Every feature in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first between people (interpsychological), and then inside the child (intrapsychological).... All the higher psychological functions originate as actual relations between human individuals. Lev Vygotsky, Mind in Society, p. 57

Inquiry-based learning involves learning to: •identify problems •probe and question •hypothesize and explain •weigh reasons and evidence •consider various possibilities •explore concepts and ideas •reason proficiently

Collaborative learning involves: •discussion and deliberation •work in pairs and small groups •substantive communication •considering other’s viewpoints •the give-and–take of reasons •exploring disagreement •learning to think for yourself

Improving the intellectual quality of student work and fostering a quality learning environment SUBSTANTIVE COMMUNICATION

DEEPER KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

HIGHER ORDER THINKING

Inquiry-based learning helps to raise the intellectual quality of classroom work. Collaborative work helps to provide a quality learning environment.

HIGH LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT

SUPPORTIVE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

STUDENT SELF REGULATION

What kind of person are we trying to form? By teaching and learning through collaborative inquiry we aim to produce individuals who are: • • • • • • •

critical and creative thinkers reasonable good collaborators effective communicators tolerant inclusive caring

•Critical and creative thinking Students become proficient in the use of an array of tools that enable them to think critically and creatively when solving problems and dealing with issues.

•Reasonableness Students learn to explore their differences and disagreements reasonably, by examining reasons for what they and others believe, and withholding judgment or changing their minds if that is appropriate.

•Collaboration Students see themselves as belonging to a collaborative community. They learn to value each other’s contributions and build upon one other’s ideas.

•Effective communication Students learn to communicate complex thoughts effectively and to deliberate with others on matters of intellectual interest and common concern.

•Tolerance Students learn to be more considerate of cultural and individual differences, and to be respectful of others who may be different from themselves.

•Inclusiveness

Students learn to consider different points of view and to seek a wider understanding.

•Care By exploring their thoughts ideas and values together, students develop care and concern for each other.

Academic results

2002 Queensland Year 7 Tests Aspects of Numeracy and Literacy

nu mb er me as /d ata sp ac e sp el ing wr itin rd g g/ vie wi ng

800 780 760 740 720 700 680 660 640 620

Buranda SS State

2006 Queensland Year 3 Tests Aspects of Literacy and Numeracy

700

630

680

buranda

state

buranda

state

ing sp ell

g wr itin

ng vi ew i

ac e

d

ing sp ell

itin g wr

iew in g

ac e

rd g/v

sp

er

/da ta me as

nu mb

rac y

iti n

ell in sp

nu me

rd

wr

wi ng g/ vie

sp

& m en t

re m ea su

state

600

an

570

sp

580

490

in g

500

620

ad

590

re

510

640

/d at a

600

660

g

520

g

610

ce

530

da ta

620

nu m be r

540

m ea s

550

720

640

m be r

560

740

650

nu

570

660

er ac y

580

nu m

590

buranda

2006 Queensland Year 7 Tests Aspects of Literacy and Numeracy

2006 Queensland Year 5 Tests Aspects of Literacy and Numeracy

Buranda State School Literacy compared with the State

Year 2

1999

2000

2001

Year 5

2002

2003

Literacy Overall

Reading

0

0

0

0

-28

Spelling

Writing

-28

0

0

0

-28

Year 7

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

24

0

0

29

0

0

21

17

13

14

0

16

12

29

0

0

21

17

13

14

0

0

0

0

23

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

-12

0

0

0

0

17

13

14

Buranda State School Literacy compared with the State Year 2 Reading 1997-2007 Buranda State School

Year 3 Reading 2001-2007 Buranda State School

3

600

2.5

580 560

2

Buranda

1.5

State

1

Buranda

540 520

State

500 480

0.5 0 19 97 19 98 19 99 20 00 20 01 20 02 20 03 20 04 20 05 20 06 20 07

460 2001

Year 5 Reading 1998-2007 Buranda State School

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Year 7 Reading 1997-2007 Buranda State School 740

700 680 660 640 620 600 580 560 540 520

720 700

Buranda State

Buranda

680

State

660 640 620 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Cognitive gains at 2-year follow-up

K.J. Topping and S. Trickey, ‘Collaborative philosophical inquiry for schoolchildren: Cognitive gains at 2year follow-up,’ British Journal of Educational Psychology (2007), 77, 787-796.

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