Week+6+Journal

Week 6: Professional Development Journal

It is believed that project-based, inquiry-based learning is critical in engaging students in the learning process. I would agree with this statement. By taking ownership and accountability for their own learning, students search for their own meaning. The article "Inquiry-based Learning," was interesting as it provided information on student questioning which is a significant component of learning.

I found that this questioning is comparable to socratic dialogue, whereby students pose questions and discuss the deeper issues in tackling complex problems and situations. Here is an interesting article on the rules of engagement in socratic dialogue: [] It is important to remember that participating in socratic dialogue is not a debate where there is a winner and loser. Instead, participants seek to uncover the entire issue from various angles and perspectives.

I think a major factor in developing critical thinking activities for students is the time element. Due to the emphasis in districts on state testing, often project-based learning is treated as "filler" activities as time permits rather than the primary learning activity. This is a major disconnect between theory and the reality of the classroom. Test pressures impact every facet of education, and as such, education and learning opportunities sometimes suffer. Until the fear of test failures is no longer a factor, project-based learning will suffer.

Finding time for project-based learning could help students expand their knowledge. However, first teachers must believe that by using an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning, students will still be able to pass the tests. Once testing is no longer an issue, students will be able to expand their learning. In order to adopt inquiry-based practices, teachers must believe that using a problem or inquiry based approach can in fact increase student achievement on state tests. Here is some interesting research supporting the concept that state testing has contributed to the lack of inquiry-based approaches in the classroom: []