With education starting to stray
away from the traditional ways, where students would just sit in their desks
and teachers would pour their knowledge into their heads is starting to take a
back seat. There are now types of learning that teachers can take to make
lessons be more engaging, fun, and help the students foster a sense of agency
over their own learning. Each individual learns in their own way and teachers
tend to teach the way that they were taught, but with these three types of
learning it will allow teachers to break out of their old ways and keep the
students engaged and performing well inside and outside the classroom.
Inquiry Based Learning
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Inquiry based learning is the first type of learning that
teachers can try within their classroom to help create fun engaging lessons for
their students. Inquiry is much more than simply asking questions and getting
the right answer. It encourages and fosters students to explore, research,
study, and investigate. (L. Lane, personal communication, March 14th 2015). It allows students to work together towards a
common goal of understanding while placing ideas at the center establishing a community
where students can share their knowledge, perspectives, and ideas among one
another. This allows them to constantly grow or develop their knowledge and
ideas through the guidance of their teachers and the support of their
classmates.
I have always been used to the
more traditional sense of schooling growing up. I cannot remember a time in
school where I have experienced inquiry based learning within the classroom. I
will definitely include it within my classroom in the future because it
promotes a sense of agency within the students learning, fosters community, and
develops investigation or research skills.
Here is an example of inquiry based
learning taking place within a science classroom. It is evident through this
video how effective it truly is for the students, as well as how engaging and
fun it is. Each student seems to be engaged and is taking agency over their
learning within a group environment. The question that is asked is “Would you
recommend to friends visiting from out of town that they tube in Boulder
Creek?” This was the driving question for these students to take on this
project by testing the water, determining if the physical settings were safe,
etc. It allows students to take a place that they know from one perspective and
change their views to look at it through a scientific lens (Edutopia, 2015).
Problem Based Learning
Problem based learning is another type of learning that teachers
can try within the classroom to help stray away from the traditional education
ways and make student experiences more meaningful. Problem based learning
permits learners to collaborate as a group guided by their teachers while they
research real world questions and produce solutions to real world problems in
an meticulous way (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014). Problem based learning is
a form of inquiry based learning lead by open-ended questions. Its focus is not
to just simply problem solve, but to allow students to collaborate while
identifying their own learning needs and to apply information to a problem
while in a group working with fellow students headed by teachers (L. Lane,
personal communication, March 14th 2015).
Here are the seven steps in problem-based
learning and what is required by the students and/or the groups:
As you can see these seven steps allow the students to effectively
engage within real world problems with their peers while developing their own
specific needs. This type of learning allows students to also investigate what
they want to within the real world. Teachers allow the students to choose what
interests them in the real world through an open-ended class discussion. The
final step could be one of the most rewarding steps in the student’s
development because when the students reflect back on their learning they are
able to analyze their strengths and weaknesses. This shows them where they can
improve while furthering their knowledge and development. Reflecting on
learning is essential in anything in life especially reflecting on learning or
action; it allows the individuals to reflect on past experiences and grow from
them.
Problem
based learning is another type of learning that I did not experience within the
classroom when I was in school. It is definitely one that I will be
implementing into my classroom in the future.
Passion Based Learning
Finally, passion based learning is another type of learning
that teachers can use within their classroom to make lessons more fun and
engaging. Passion based learning was
developed from Google’s “Genius Hour”, it encourages employees to spend 20% of
work time to be dedicated to a passion project. This concept of the Genius Hour inspires a love and fosters
intrinsic motivation for one’s learning, while guiding students through their
learning. Students during this genius hour must identify what they want to
learn about with a primary focus on big ideas. The project must involve a
research component and be shared with the public. There are no deadlines, collaboration
with peers is essential to build support/community, and creativity is
encouraged. In passion based learning educators facilitate the 60-minute
sessions and give continuous feedback to the students during the sessions (L.
Lane, personal communication, March 14th 2015). These sessions foster intrinsic
motivation and allow the student to learn what they actually want to learn. The
Genius Hour lets students take control while incorporating the development of
21st century learning skills. Students can develop their critical
literacy skills through the issues they face while doing these passion
projects. Passion based learning is a creative engaging way for students to
learn, I definitely want to incorporate Genius hour into my classroom in the
future.
References
E. (2015, August 18). Inquiry-Based Learning in the Science
Classroom. Retrieved March 27, 2016, from
http://www.edutopia.org/practice/inquiry-based-learning-science-classroom
