Fig 1: (Top Left) 10 Characteristics of the Inquiry Classroom (Top Right) The Inquiry Teacher (Bottom Left) The Power of a Provocation (Bottom Right) The Inquiry Cycle. Retrieved from: Mackenzie, T. (n.d.). tmac. Sketchnotes. https://www.trevormackenzie.com/sketchnotes.

Fig 2: The Connections Between Tinkering, Engineering, and Making. Retrieved from: Good To Know Network. (2021). What is Tinkering? And How Can it be used to Encourage Deeper Learning? https://www.good2knownetwork.org/g2k-info-hub/2021/6/17/what-is-tinkering-and-how-can-it-be-used-to-encourage-deeper-learning.

Fig 3: Tinker, Make, and Innovate Process. Retrieved from: The Exploratory. (n.d.). A Learning is Open Toolkit. What is Tinkering? And How Can it be used to Encourage Deeper Learning? Learning is Open. http://learningisopen.org/toolkit/tinkering-making/.

Fig 4: Tinkquiry (Tinkering + Inquiry) Retrieved from: Macoun, P. (2022). Tinkering and the Design Cycle – a powerful combination. Transition Zone. https://philmacoun.ca/tinkering-and-the-design-cycle-a-powerful-combination/.

Tinkering is an approach that involves messing around with various concrete materials, trying out different things before finding a solution in making an artifact, whereas, making is a process approach where students learn to make something they did not know how to make before (Holbert et al, 2020). Through making, tinkering, and engineering they develop new skills and computational thinking. “Success is in the doing and failures are celebrated and analyzed and problems become puzzles and obstacles disappear” (Kelly, 2012).

“When students are encouraged to wonder, they tap into their creativity and begin to trust their ability to generate insights, make connections, and enhance their own learning” (Harris, 2015). Following children’s questions wherever they may lead can increase divergent thinking and encourage children to think more deeply about a specific topic. Children can learn a lot from asking questions. Their wonders provide a window into their thinking, making their thought processes more evident as they analyze and share discoveries, make meaning and connections, notice patterns and trends and demonstrate a deeper understanding of the concept. Exactly what they learn depends on how they are guided through the learning process and how their questions are answered. Positive responses from the teacher encourage more questions and creates a climate for creative exploration where students are able to evaluate and converge on a solution or generate multiple solutions. Teachers in this scenario act as facilitators. They place emphasis on dialogue, investigation, and inquiry and give students ample opportunities to evaluate and re-evaluate as they construct their own knowledge throughout the learning process (Campana, 2011).

References

Campana, A. (2011). Agents of possibility: Examining the intersections of art, education, and activism in communities. Studies in Art Education, 52(4), 278–291. https://doi.org/10.1080/00393541.2011.11518841

Good To Know Network. (2021). What is Tinkering? And How Can it be used to Encourage Deeper Learning? https://www.good2knownetwork.org/g2k-info-hub/2021/6/17/what-is-tinkering-and-how-can-it-be-used-to-encourage-deeper-learning.

Harris, P. (2015). What Children Learn from Questioning. Questioning For Learning , 73(1), 24–29.

Holbert, N., Berland, M., & Kafai, Y. B. (2020). Designing constructionist futures: The art, theory, and practice of learning designs. The MIT Press.

Kelly, R. W. (2012). Educating for creativity: A global conversation. Brush Education.

Macoun, P. (2022). Tinkering and the Design Cycle – a powerful combination. Transition Zone. https://philmacoun.ca/tinkering-and-the-design-cycle-a-powerful-combination/.

The Exploratory. (n.d.). A Learning is Open Toolkit. What is Tinkering? And How Can it be used to Encourage Deeper Learning? Learning is Open. http://learningisopen.org/toolkit/tinkering-making/.

Trevor Mackenzie. Trevor MacKenzie. (n.d.). https://www.trevormackenzie.com/

How do we begin the process of inquiry-based learning?

• Engage students prior knowledge.

• Identify stimulating themes.

• Use prompts that encourage students to personalize knowledge through analysis.

• Provide time to think and build a capacity for other connections.

• Ask more profound questions.

• Encourage critical thinking to achieve a deeper level of reflection: metacognition.

• Provide cooperative learning opportunities where students are not required to think in isolation from other students.

• Instruct students on the values of responsibility and respect, and help develop their capacity to express their point of view and see others’ points of view. This requires inclusivity, self-regulation, socialization, and ownership.

• When assessing learning look at the way they are using the strategies and look for evidence of their thinking. To access their thinking evaluate their questioning technique.

• Gradually release responsibility as students independently utilize the skills and strategies for acquiring knowledge and understanding.

Fig 5: Types of Student Inquiry. Retrieved from: Mackenzie, T. (n.d.). tmac. Sketchnotes. https://www.trevormackenzie.com/sketchnotes.

Conclusions

The process of students’ learning and the depth of their cognitive engagement-rather than the resulting product- is what distinguishes projects and inquiry-based learning from busywork and makes their learning more meaningful. For any projects to be meaningful students must perceive the work as personally meaningful and it must fulfill an educational purpose. The project work must also incorporate (1) A Need to Know (2) A Driving Question (3) Student Voice and Choice (4) 21st Century Skills: collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and the use of technology (5) Inquiry and Innovation (6) Feedback and Revision and (7) A Publicly Presented Product (Larmer & Mergendoller, 2010).

When we invite students to engage in thinking, neuroscience shows that their brains actually undergo a physical restructuring. Inquiry-based learning does not just teach the curriculum content but rather teaches students the process of critical thinking, which they will need to navigate their future. “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but rather those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn” (Bennett, 2015, pg. 389). We therefore must teach, reteach, and model patterns of critical thinking for students if we wish to create both literate and thinking students who are prepared to meet future challenges (Bennett, 2015).

Reference

Bennett, M. (2015). The invisible hand of inquiry based learning. Childhood Education 91 (5), 388-389. DOI: 10.1080/00094056.2015.1090854

Larmer, J. & Mergendoller, J. R. (2010, September). Seven essentials for project-based learning. Educational Leadership 68 (1), 34-37.

Trevor Mackenzie. Trevor MacKenzie. (n.d.). https://www.trevormackenzie.com/