Tell me more . . .

Here we go again! It’s been awhile since I took a course at Wilkes --- several months, in fact [the last one was with Dean Shareski in April 2015], so it’s taking me a while to get up to speed.  Still, I am excited to be taking another class, especially since this is my last course but one in the program.

The conversations my peers & I shared this week about Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) helped focus the topic.  Many of us share the same questions & reactions.  At first, I considered IBL as just another flavor of Project Based Learning.  While I’m not able right now to discuss the finer points of how each differs, I do feel that I’m beginning to get the gestalt, if only in a non-thematic way.

One thing that I need to be aware of is not to let my disagreements with Dewey’s epistemology to completely color what he may have to teach me about classroom pedagogical techniques & strategies.  His is an instrumental view of truth --- if it works, it’s true --- which has taken our culture down Alice’s rabbit hole. We have yet to emerge.  But, that’s a discussion for another day.

There are several perhaps more immediate issues that I need to study if I’m to benefit fully from the course:

• What types of institutional & curricular changes need to be made so that teachers can implement IBL for 150+ students in different sections of the course.
• How do you overcome student resistance to IBL?  Students know how “to do school;” most prefer direct instruction because that’s all they’ve ever known &/or because they’re focused on the grade instead of on learning.
• Is IBL appropriate for every learner in a college prep setting?
• What does an authentic assessment look like in IBL?  Are quizzes, tests, essays, research papers, etc., completely verboten/

These are a few things that I need to settle so that I can fully appreciate the potential of IBL. So, it’s a good thing that we’re in the first week & there’s plenty more to come.