Project-based inquiries really start with the end in mind – the Action is a given. [⇒ Ends Planning]
In these inquiries, students know what it is they will do with the knowledge they have gained. Many of us engage in this kind of inquiry in our day-to-day life, which makes these contexts very authentic.
There is a strong sense of Purpose driving the investigation and the final project is often practical and tangible.
Through the duration of the project, essential skills and broader understandings can still be gained. Even a small project like creating a school worm-farm can lead to bigger understandings about Sustainability.
Many school activities lend themselves beautifully to project-based inquiries. Special events, camps, performances, exhibitions, gardens – all these things can be the 'action' that occurs through an inquiry process.
Knowing what the Inquiry sets out to achieve can be a powerful motivator for learning. [⇒ Advance Organizer]
Students have a Goal and a real Purpose for their learning. Here, we are not waiting to decide what action to take – the Action is the Inquiry.
What is most important about this kind of project-based inquiry is that teachers are careful to identify the understandings, skills and dispositions that lie within it. The project itself is the context for *Learning*. While the task of designing, creating and managing an effective worm-farm is wonderfully motivating for students, it is the teacher' s role to help students demonstrate what they have learned about, for example, the role of decomposers in an ecosystem, the reason why waste needs to be managed and the life cycle of living things (depending on the learning goals established from the outset). Teachers are also responsible for considering the skills that need to be made explicit in this context. For example, students may be learning how to better manage themselves in a team, how to evaluate something they have designed, how to set up a system for monitoring progress or how to use language to persuade others.
Some examples of project-oriented inquiries:
* Students design and make a vegetable garden in the school grounds. * Students design models to take to the school board – sharing their ideas for the new playground. * Students take on the responsibility of designing, making and evaluating the props for a school production. * Students work in teams to investigate, write, film, produce and edit their own short films for a class or school film festival. * Students design a website to promote the school. * Students create a classroom museum to show others about changes in the local area * Students redesign the canteen menu
Sample questions to drive project-oriented inquiries:
* How can we attract more native birds and animals to our garden? * What kind of canteen menu should we have at our school? * How can we communicate our learning at school to others in the wider and global community? * What do we need to do to make a successful puppet theatre? * How can I create an artwork to promote wellbeing? * How can we redesign assemblies to better involve the Parent Community? * How can we plan a successful camping trip? * How can we create an enclosure to keep our classroom pet healthy and happy? * How can we create and sell something at a profit so we can contribute to our favorite charity? * How can we redesign the playground for greater fitness and fun? * How can we build an energy efficient vehicle?
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