#Contexts for inquiry book free#

In my classroom, we begin in a Structured Inquiry model, transition to a Controlled Inquiry unit, move on to Guided Inquiry, and if all goes well, conclude in Free Inquiry. The Types of Student Inquiry act as a scope and sequence to support learners in their journey toward Free Inquiry. Inquiry is most successful when strongly scaffolded. How Are the Types of Student Inquiry Helpful? Student agency over learning comes through this selection of resources and the summative assessment.Īnd finally, in the deep end of the inquiry pool, Free Inquiry allows learners, with the support of the teacher, to construct their own essential question, research a wide array of resources, customize their learning activities, and design their own summative assessment to demonstrate their learning. In Guided Inquiry, the teacher further empowers student agency by providing several essential questions, having the students select the resources they will use to research their answers, and allowing them to choose how they will demonstrate understanding.

All learners typically demonstrate their understanding using the same summative assessment.

Learners unpack several resources predetermined by the teacher to provide valuable context and rich meaning relative to the essential questions.

In Controlled Inquiry, the teacher provides several essential questions. In Structured Inquiry, the teacher also controls specific learning activities, the resources students will use to create understanding, and the summative assessment learners will complete to demonstrate their understanding. In the shallow end of the Types of Student Inquiry pool, Structured Inquiry gives the teacher control of the essential question, the starting point-for example, “What defines a culture?” or “What is the importance of the scientific method?” These questions are not answered in a single lesson and do not have a single answer, and, in fact, our understanding of an essential question may change over time as we research it.