"Too often we give children answers to remember than problems to solve' - Roger Lewin As posed in chapter 2 of Fogarty's "Invite! Excite! Ignite!' How can we teach less and have students learn more? If, I could only recall the hundreds of times I've sat at my kitchen table with by course book and lecture notes in from of me, repeating important concepts in my head and out load until it became second nature. I could still vividly picture myself in that situation, but you know what I can't remember? The important concepts I spent hours learning by heart. So, what did spending all that time, repeating definitions serve me? Well, probably a good grade on my midterm or final. But, did it really serve me in the long run? I think this is exactly that the quote and chapter 2 of the book attempts to discuss. I think this idea also related to the topic discussed in chapter 3 titled, 'trust the learner."
In the beginning of chapter 2, the author goes on to introduce the concept of "inquiry learning." The idea behind inquiry learning is quite simple, and once you truly understand the concept the benefits are enormous for students. As opposed to arguably more traditional methods of teaching, where the teacher presents a series of facts, the student is given a problem or question that they are required to solve. So, in this case the teacher acts as a facilitator in student- learning. In this scenario, the learning experience is shared between the student and the teacher (Inquiry-based Learning, p.2). As argued in chapter 3, teachers are often quick to provide students with answers. But, the idea behind inquiry-based learning is that students are responsible for their learning. In the opening paragraph of the chapter the author notes "let him/her struggle a little and figure things out on his/her own" (Fogarty, 2016, p.35). I find a lot of value in this quotation. I can be the first to say that last year in my practicum I hated, no detested seeing my students struggle, and I was often quick to jump in and save the day. But, what I have learned is that students, with some prompts, will eventually figure it out. When you see a student finally figure out a difficult problem on their own, the expression on their face is priceless, and that as a teacher is the best reward. I think this is exactly what the author is trying to allude to in this chapter when he claims "trust the learning." It is important to know your students' strengths and weaknesses, but also trust that they can succeed. Reference: Inquiry-Based Learning. (n.d.). Capacity Building Series K-12, (32), 1-8. Retrieved September 29, 2016, from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/CBS_InquiryBased Fogarty, R. (2016). Invite! Excite! Ignite! Teachers College Press, New York: NY.
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