Double Entry Journal #14

What are some challenges to inquiry approaches to learning?

One of the most significant challenges to inquiry-based approaches to learning falls on the classroom teacher. Many times the teacher is not knowledgeable or skillful when it comes to a nontraditional approach to teaching. This may cause the teacher to not succeed in offering proper scaffolding, assessment, and redirection as projects unfold.

Another challenge is that students may lack background knowledge or prior experiences in this approach to succeed. In anything a person does, it is difficult to fully achieve a task when using an approach that is unfamiliar.

Also, inquiry approaches to learning are student centered and involve cooperative learning. Often students find it difficult to work collaborately, manage their time and difficulty of the task, and stay motivated when problems arise.

What are the benefits of group work? Give two concrete examples from the reading.

Research shows that student group work outperformed individual student work at all ages. Students who employ cooperative group work also do better on later individual assessments.

“Cooperative group work benefits students in social and behavioral areas as well, including improvement in student self concept, social interaction, time on task, and positive feelings toward peers.”

Name one strategy to support group work and find an example of that strategy on the Internet and link me to it.

One strategy to support group work is Numbered Heads Together. I used this strategy once in Social Studies Methods class, but I have never seen it used in an elementary school setting.