How does project-based inquiry foster
21st-century learners?
All through the school year in multiple courses, we focus on the project-based inquiry cycle: in ECI 620, we had teamwork discussing about global water issues; in ECI 546, our team focused on how the implementation of Plickers made a difference in a literature class; in ECI 524, I created a virtual unit plan about the impact of globalization on cultural identity. The aim of the project-based inquiry approach is to provide the opportunity to engage in what Newman, Bryck, and Nagaoka (2002) describe as authentic intellectual work, which is the “construction of knowledge through disciplined inquiry in order to produce products that have value beyond school”.
The PBI approach consists a lively cycle: Engaging in the compelling question, gathering and analyzing the information, creatively synthesizing, critically evaluating and revising, and sharing the work. Based on my understanding, project-based inquiry is a combination of project-based learning and the process of inquiry. Compared with traditional subject-knowledge based learning, project-based learning helps better prepare students for solving real-world problems. It is a kind of learning that break down the subject barriers and encourage teamwork. Inquiry, as defined by Edutopia, “ requires students to engage in active learning by generating their own driving questions, seeking out answers, and exploring complex problems. Research, though often a component of inquiry, addresses the process of finding answers”. To make it simple, the process of project-inquiry is a dynamic cycle of learning , starting from generating a compelling question to be answered.
While accomplishing the PBI unit plan for my ECI 524 course, I once had an email conversation with Dr. Long about my concerns and struggles in shaping the unit plan, which is how to effectively shape students’ thinking with appropriate and efficient scaffolding. His answer is that the PBI process is “a balancing act trying to ensure that inquiry learning experiences are structured in a way to support students' curiosity as well as allowing students to explore issues independently. As to what the exact proper balance between independent and teacher-provided research is: well that remains to be seen. Students are free to explore additional readings on their own.” Meantime, he mentioned that “the best inquiries are open-ended and can be answered with competing arguments, each with evidence-based claims.” In the open-ended process, the teacher needs to help students to use evidence and reasoning properly so that the students are able to come to the conclusion on their own. Different from the traditional subject-oriented teaching, the PBI process asks for cross-subject collaboration and aims at how to efficiently solve problems.
The PBI approach is much like the interdisciplinary approach in IB-PYP curriculum, which is implemented in the international classes in the Primary School of Beijing Royal School. To incorporate the PBI approach into other classes, it might be a good idea to invite teachers from the PYP curriculum to share their practice so that teachers could have a better image of how beneficial the project-based inquiry is to the students’ growth.
My PBI unit plan example:
https://globallearningpbiunitjingdai.weebly.com/
Action plan:
PD goals:
To help teachers better understand and implement the PBI approach.
Steps:
1. Advocate and introduce the PBI process in the school staff meeting;
2. Choose one grade to start the process; invite teachers from the PYP classes to share their practices;
3. Decide topics and learning objectives; encourage cross-subject collaboration;
4. Draft the unit plan /lesson plans /the graphic organizer;
5. Implement the process in a certain period of time;
6. Constant meet with involved teachers for progressive feedbacks; adjust the methods and procedure when needed;
7. All involved teachers participate in the student sharing phase; evaluate the whole process.
8. Share the work with all teachers in the school staff meeting.
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