Reflection on ‘Understanding Enquiry-based Learning’ Peter Kahn and Karen O’Rourke

Why I read the paper? Following the reading from Kirsten Hardie on ‘Wow: the power of objects in object-based learning’ I had several questions in mind and felt that the OBL is a specific tool in a larger technique. In her references she mentions Kahn and O’Rouke’s paper on Enquiry-based learning.

My own personal reference I had on OBL / EBL was in a workshop offered by the academic support at UAL by Richie Manu ‘Maintaining Curiosity’.

An exercise stayed in my mind where we got given random objects. In pairs we started to ask questions about the object. The questions started with surface level questions about the object, then started to highlight various aspects of the object.

I had curiosity on how EBL / OBL can make my teaching practice more relevant and can enhance the learning experience of my students.

After reading the title, introduction, and chapters of the paper I had following questions about EBL

1. What are approaches to EBL?
2. How can I ensure or guide the learning to help students to achieve the Learning Outcomes they need to achieve?
3. What tools and techniques are important to facilitate EBL?
4. How can I establish and design a EBL session successfully?
5. What do I need to know about facilitating EBL?
6. How to assess EBL Learning Outcomes?

Making it relevant: How and where can EBL be useful for the students at FAD and in design? What are practical ideas for workshops and sessions?

Reflection to question 1. What are approaches to EBL?

There was not much mentioned in detail. From an online video following various levels of enquiry got highlighted: What is Enquiry based learning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u84ZsS6niPc

Levels of inquiry

Structured, teacher mainly directs the enquiry. Teacher provides question, give step by step instructions that can help the students to discover the answers. This helps the students to develop the ability to conduct open-ended enqury

Guided, teacher generally chooses the question. Students have more responsibility on the method and direction of enquiry. Teacher guides the enquiry through feedback or further questions

Open, The students take the lead in guiding the question and methodes. Teacher takes on the supportive role. Requires higher order thinking

Coupled inquiry i.e. Guided + open according to the need of the students.

Reflection to question 2. How can I ensure or guide the learning to help students to achieve the Learning Outcomes they need to achieve?

• The tutor will broadly determine such factor as the time available, the nature of any interactions with peers and access to resources. In addition, the person facilitating the enquiry may find that they need to intervene to ensure that it remains relevant.
• the nature of the product that are required from the process will significantly influence the learning that occurs during the process

Reflection to question 3. What tools and techniques are important to facilitate EBL?

• Support students in concentrating efforts where they need to undertake further work is part of the tutor’s work that facilitates the learning process.
• Tools of facilitating EBL
• small groups of learners
• fostering appropriate environment where learning can take place
• advice, opinion and guided needs to be available from tutor at times
• Balance of enough tutor intervention and not too much
• Tools to facilitate EBL
• regular, specific and comprehensive feedback from peers and tutor

Reflection to question 4. How can I establish and design a EBL session successfully?

• In small groups EBL is the best support. Students can support each other and reflect, guide, motivate through asking questions
• If using student groups, allowing time for them to ‘gel’
• Explain the role of the facilitator
• The starting point for an EBL session needs to be a clearly defined enquiry open enough for enquiry to take place. Freedom is essential for genuine enquiry to take place.
• Teach tools to students that can help them navigate in EBL such as: time table sessions, interactive lectures, workshops, research session, peer assisted study schemes, peer assessment and feedback sessions

Reflection to question 5. What do I need to know about facilitating EBL?

3 and 5 are very similar questions

Reflection to question 6. How to assess EBL Learning Outcomes?

– assessment needs to align with the range of abilities that are being developed in the EBL

-Self-assessment by students should be generated as a natural product of the enquiry rather than a separate task

– assessment criteria need to reflect the nature / area of enquiry as well as the method of enquiry

Other -> relevant for ‘Learning for Sustainability’ workshop evaluation:

Knowledge can come from many different sources. There is no hierarchy in teaching. The teacher is facilitating the learning. The information comes from many different sources. The students can find their own way of learning and ‘truth’

‘All of us hold a key to loads of information. We are all sources of information as much as the bookshelves and the tutor.’

Additional information

What is Enquiry based learning

The student is engaging with the content that they learn

Constructive Theory, Construct own knowledge through experience

Ask questions, investigate solutions, create new knowledge as they gather information, discuss their experiences and discoveries and reflect on new knowledge

What is the teacher’s role?

Teacher acts as a facilitator,

Develop an open-ended question (devised by student, teacher or both) relevant to topic of the curriculum, design exploration type activities that activates prior knowledge

• Students than discuss questions and investigate in research
• Present and discuss
• Reflect on learning

Making it relevant: How and where can EBL be useful for the students at FAD and in design? What are practical ideas for workshops and sessions?

• Get pairs of students to source an object they are curious about. Place on table, students draw and describe object, walk round, students write questions on posted notes, from there the students expand their own questions, brainstorm where they can find various information, HW do research, group feedback

Note: project needs to set clear task, requirements, outcome

Questions following from the text

How to facilitate EBL?

What different types of questions are there?

What are techniques to help students to formulate questions that facilitate their learning?