Inquiry Models Used...
Whilst planning this unit of work, we have implemented two models
Inquiry: Jeni Wilson and Lesley Wing Jan's Inquiry Model
Thinking: Bloom's Taxonomy
Having applied these models in our unit of work will hopefully allow your students to grow and become successful learners and a chance to provide them with a rich and worthwhile unit. Explanation and their links to the unit are below.
Inquiry: Jeni Wilson and Lesley Wing Jan's Inquiry Model
Thinking: Bloom's Taxonomy
Having applied these models in our unit of work will hopefully allow your students to grow and become successful learners and a chance to provide them with a rich and worthwhile unit. Explanation and their links to the unit are below.
Jeni Wilson and Lesley Wing Jan Inquiry Model
For our iQuest we have mainly followed the Inquiry Model created by Jeni Wilson and Lesley Wing Jan (2003). Their model contains 6 stages that are simple and easy to follow in planning an inquiry unit. The 6 stages include:
For our iQuest we have mainly followed the Inquiry Model created by Jeni Wilson and Lesley Wing Jan (2003). Their model contains 6 stages that are simple and easy to follow in planning an inquiry unit. The 6 stages include:
- Tuning In: Here the students are tuned into the iquest with a series of videos and key questions to provoke their thinking. 'Pete the Panda' is introduced as a character who will be accompanying them through the iQuest informing them of their activities, work tips and motivational words. The introduction of their own personal glossary of key terms used throughout the iQuest is a task which will gather prior knowledge and share what they already know and prepare them for the vocabulary that is going to be used throughout their inquiry learning.
- Finding Out: In our iQuest 'Finding out' can be broken into 3 categories, throughout the whole of this section students are expanding their vocabulary, experiencing words they do not normally use. We hope providing this information is challenging their ideas and creating new values and beliefs. The 3 sections are:
- What is Endangered? - Here students learn about the differences between endangered and extinct. They start to learn of the many different species of endangered animals and their locations. They start to collect information and increase their knowledge on the topic. Students are using their thinking, creativity, classifying and sorting skills with the activities involved in this section.
- Causes - This section introduces the reasons why animals become endangered and/or extinct. The information provided is student friendly and explained in a non-offensive manner. After reading this section students should now be forging their values and beliefs and with the help of the fishbone organiser be able to generate new ideas and extend their thinking.
- Who is Helping? - This section of the iQuest continues to build on and expand their knowledge. The information starts to narrow down to Australia and further down to Victoria. It allows students to broaden their knowledge on campaigns and projects implemented in our state and country that are making a difference to endangered species, their habitats and other endangered environments. It also provides them with the knowledge of what aspects go into a campaign or project, how much they cost, what work is involved and how much work is needed.
- Sorting out: Throughout the iQuest students have had ample opportunities to sort out their information that they have learnt in the different stages of the iQuest. Through the use of timelines, concept maps, fishbone organiser and PMI charts students are able to demonstrate their learning and knowledge gained.
- Going Further: Here students create the Open-Minded Portrait. It allows for students to consolidate on all the knowledge and skills they have learnt so far. It also allows for further research and to finalise their values and beliefs on the topic. This section also allows students to choose their own topic that they find interesting and are passionate about. Having students write an open-minded portrait extends their thinking even further, putting them into a position that they would not normally think about and offer them a chance to raise issues about endangered animals. Hopefully students start to gain awareness of what is around them, start to think about others and the actions and behaviours they enact.
- Reflection: The PMI chart allows students to reflect and self assess on the whole of their learning throughout the iquest. A chance to reflect back on the skills, knowledge, values and beliefs they have gained throughout this iQuest. They make conclusions on their values and beliefs and 'make connections between ideas' (Wilson & Murdoch, n.d.). Students produce an awareness poster that demonstrates their understandings of what they have been learning throughout the term and a chance to produce a meaningful task to spread around their school community.
- Action: This last section gives students the opportunity to spread awareness to their local school community. They are now able to apply their values and beliefs and use the the skills and knowledge learnt outside the classroom. Students should now understand about cause and effect of awareness campaigns and protecting endangered species and their habitats. They understand the importance of voicing personal opinion to the community so it enables positive change for a positive future.
Blooms Taxonomy
Alongside the Jeni Wilson and Lesley Wing Jan's Inquiry Model we have used Bloom's Taxonomy to help boost student thinking. We used Blooms Taxonomy as it is a straight forward guide to help build student knowledge and thinking processes. It allows for scaffolding students thinking about tasks and eventually teach them higher order thinking skills. It is a cognitive learning process. With the thinking and questioning skills learnt through using blooms taxonomy we hope that these skills can be successfully used outside the classroom with challenges students may face in the future. Below is an illustration of how the activities in our iQuest link to each of the thinking processes in Blooms Taxonomy.
Alongside the Jeni Wilson and Lesley Wing Jan's Inquiry Model we have used Bloom's Taxonomy to help boost student thinking. We used Blooms Taxonomy as it is a straight forward guide to help build student knowledge and thinking processes. It allows for scaffolding students thinking about tasks and eventually teach them higher order thinking skills. It is a cognitive learning process. With the thinking and questioning skills learnt through using blooms taxonomy we hope that these skills can be successfully used outside the classroom with challenges students may face in the future. Below is an illustration of how the activities in our iQuest link to each of the thinking processes in Blooms Taxonomy.