K-W-L Charts as a Literacy Strategy

The K-W-L Chart is a useful literacy Strategy that helps the student connect what they already KNOW, what they WANT to know about the topic, and then finally what they LEARNED about the topic. For this week's readings about inquiry based instruction, I will being using this strategy.

What I already KNOW: 
1.) Inquiry based instruction uses discovery and trial to teach the students.
2.)  It is student directed learning rather than teacher directed learning.
3.) There are different degrees of inquiry based instruction.

What I WANT to learn: 
1.) I want to learn better how to facilitate this method of instruction.
2.) I want to better relate my lessons to real-life scenarios.

What I LEARNED:

Wow, the readings really covered a lot! Meyers noted that inquiry based instructions allows learners to take charge of their learning. It is most beneficial when it is viewed relevant to the students and connects to past experiences. The readings also focused on the teacher's exact role, which was helpful to read. This included promoting student dialog, intervening to clear misconceptions, and transitioning between small groups and classroom discussions. The reading, "An Inquiry Primer," focused on inquiry learning being related to the scientific method. It also discussed different forms, including structured inquiry, guided inquiry, open inquiry, and the learning cycle.

The reading, "Simplifying Inquiry," presented a very interesting technique to help facilitate this type of instruction, called scaffolding inquiry. Since this method can be difficult for many students to grasp, it was suggested that throughout a school year, the lessons grew from low level inquiry to later a high level of inquiry. That way, the students gain understanding and confidence as they begin learning through the inquiry based method.