Inquiry Based Learning: Step One--Choosing a Topic

I was talking with my principal last week, lamenting the fact that I started my blog too early. I won't have students again for another 11 weeks, so all I am writing about is what I have been learning from my research. She commented that I am "building my knowledge base," and that other people may be interested in learning from that as well.  I hope that is the case, but even if it isn't, I agree that it will be helpful to have a written record of what I have read and learned.

I just finished reading these two books, which explain the process for conducting an effective inquiry.  In this post, I am focusing on step one: Choosing a Topic.

Choosing a Topic

When considering a topic for inquiry in kindergarten, it is important to choose something that all the children can relate to. At this age, their range of experiences is limited, so it is important to consider what is close to a child's immediate daily reality in order to plan a successful inquiry. For example, children this age know very little about the Amazon Rain Forest, but know a lot about their own school playground. 

By observing and listening carefully, we can determine what is interesting to the children in our classroom.  If nothing seems to present itself, we can stimulate their interest through provocations. If you are not familiar with provocations, put simply, they provoke. They provoke thoughts, discussions, questions, interests, creativity and ideas. They can also expand on a thought, project, idea or interest. Provocations are open-ended and, wherever possible, provide for a means of expression. The beautiful thing about provocations is that they allow for multiple entry points into the activity, so they are automatically differentiated for all learners. Provocations can be as simple as a photo of a rock sculpture next to some pebbles or as elaborate as a table with a book on robots and resources to make upcycled robots. Often though, provocations are simple and displayed beautifully to provoke interest. They are usually created as an option, not a required activity. You can find numerous examples of provocations using a simple Google search.

Optimally, the topic of inquiry will come from the children themselves, but occasionally, a topic will be initiated by the classroom teacher. This may be the case if you want to be certain to cover a certain curricular concept via the inquiry approach.

In her book, Becoming Young Thinkers (pp. 52-53), Judy Harris Holm suggests that a topic will probably work well if the teacher can answer yes to the most of these questions:

• Is the topic anchored in children's own experiences, and does it help them understand and appreciate their own world?

• Does the topic add enough value to the children's experience to justify the educational time devoted to the topic?

• Are there items and processes within the topic that encourage children to examine things closely and to observe with accuracy?

• Does the topic provide opportunities for children to use a variety of skills during investigation.

• Are there experiences related to the topic that would enable children to develop intellectual dispositions such as curiosity, creativity, problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork?

• Does the topic provide opportunities for children to represent what they have learned in a variety of ways and to develop skills in representation?

• Is this a topic that is more concrete than abstract?

• Is there an abundance of firsthand, direct experiences and real objects that young investigators can manipulate?

• Can children do their own research with minimal assistance from adults? Can it be researched without relying only on secondary sources like books, the Internet, or video?

• Are there authentic artifacts and processes that children can study firsthand and not be dependent on adult's models, interpretations, photos, drawings, and other secondary source material to learn about the topic?

• Does the topic have related field sites nearby that can conveniently visited and even revisited?

• Is the topic culturally relevant to the children and their families?

• Will there be opportunities for children to solve their own problems and do their own higher-level thinking including analyzing, evaluating, and creating?

• Do the children find the topic engaging and interesting?

• Does it further the children's core understanding of the curriculum, and does it help children meet age-relevant standards?

Once a topic has been chosen, the teacher can create an anticipatory planning web to determine whether the topic is viable and to determine opportunities to integrate required curriculum into the inquiry. An anticipatory planning web also allows the teacher to think about what she/he already knows about a topic and to identify unknown content.  In addition, the teacher can identify possible project activities. Here is a blank anticipatory planning web that I have created, based on one I saw on Darla Myers' blog, Inquiring Minds: Mrs. Myers' Kindergarten:

On the back of the anticipatory planning web, I have a list of all of our state standards, so I can refer to them and highlight ones I feel may be covered through this inquiry. Here is what the back of my anticipatory planning web looks like:

The anticipatory planning web is prepared by the teacher without student input.  If the teacher determines the inquiry is viable, the next step involves determining what students already know about the topic and what questions they have.  I will address this step in my next post.