“Schools which produce stimulating learning communities offer learning experiences that blend knowledge, skills and thinking processes”. (Harada and Yoshina, 2004, p. 1)

The changing nature of classroom teaching and instruction has meant that there has been a shift towards including more inquiry based learning (IBL) practices. This essay synthesises the information from the sources in the annotated bibliography, giving a brief introduction into the benefits of IBL pedagogical practices regarding IBL and the role of IBL in relation to teaching history.

No longer is education solely concerned with teaching centred practices; rather, educators have learnt that when students are engaged in flexible and stimulating activities that enhance independent learning, they are more likely to feel engaged and confident when it comes to school work and assessment.  Murdoch (2006) believes that inquiry-based approaches within the classroom enable students to develop their inquiry minds, and that certain strategies can be adopted that allow students greater independence when it comes to searching form information and forming opinions and valuable judgments.   Practitioners have also recently recognised the benefits of developing information literacy and ITC skills in order to enhance IBL.  In Ulusoy’s paper (2012) he outlines the benefits of using the Internet within history classes, however he also highlights the need for educators to continually update their technological skills and knowledge.  Carroll (2012) also highlights within her research paper, the potential of an ICT rich pedagogy within the History classroom and how certain practices involving ICTs and History pedagogy can be inter-twined to create effective and sustainable teaching methods.  Whilst it is important to understand the benefits of IBL and ICT practices within the classroom, how might an educator apply these pedagogical practices into their classroom?

Many educators may know about IBL, however some are often at a loss as to how incorporate IBL practices within the classroom. FitzGerald’s research paper (2011) applies the Guided Inquiry method and Kulthau’s Information Search Process to her year 11 Modern History class, demonstrating how certain practices can be incorporated to enable IBL within the classroom.  Providing examples along the way, FitzGerald successfully emphasises the types of activities and tools you can adopt within a class to enhance guided inquiry and help students to become successful independent learners.  Wiersma (2008) and Lehamn (2010) also demonstrate certain IBL practices that have been adopted History classrooms, noting the importance of developing student responsibility, especially in regards to interpreting and analysing historical documents.   Taylor and Young’s Making History: A guide for the Teaching and Learning of History in Australian Schools (2003) is a valuable source of information recommended to all History teachers.  Each chapter details specific aspects and practices within history, from evaluating sources, building historical literacy to how ICTs can be used within History classes. 

When planning and implementing for IBL within the classroom it is always useful to consult current curriculum documents to see how IBL interacts with the curriculum.  The Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) Senior Modern History Syllabus (2004), provides a valuable insight into how IBL practices have been developed within the Modern History Curriculum.  Each unit is designed around an inquiry topic along with details on how to structure the process of inquiry.  Stages include identifying historical issues; designing sub-questions; reflecting on research processes; speculating about primary and secondary sources and forming considered historical judgments (QSA, 2004).

Finally, how do educators assess how IBL practices and guided inquiry is working within a classroom?  The SLIM Toolkit (Todd, et al, 2005) specifically addresses the need for teachers to assess students learning through guided inquiry, and whilst the toolkit has been designed specifically for school libraries, it is still an extremely pertinent tool to use within the classroom. Callison (2006) and Kuhlthau’s (2007) information search process models, are also excellent tools to use within the classroom that enable students to track their search stages and to reflect on how well they have completed certain tasks.   Reflection is a key stage within inquiry learning as it allows students to learn from their mistakes and enhances independent learning as well.  

References

Callison, D. (2006).  Chapter 1: Information Inquiry: Concepts and Elements.  In Callison, D. & Preddy, L. The blue book on information age inquiry, instruction and literacy, (pp. 3-16). Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.

Carroll, K. (2012). Learning design and inquiry in Australian history classrooms. In C. Alexander, J. Dalziel, J. Krajka & E. Dobozy (Eds.) Teaching English with TechnologySpecial Edition on LAMS and Learning Design volume 3, 12(2), 36-50. Retrieved from http://www.tewtjournal.org.

FitzGerald, L. (2011). The twin purposes of Guided Inquiry: guiding student inquiry and evidence based practice. Scan Vol 30 No 1 February 2011 Retrieved from http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/schoollibraries/assets/pdf/guidedenquiry.pdf

Harada, V. and Yoshina, J. (2004). Chapter 1: Identifying the inquiry-based school. In Harada, V. and Yoshina, J. Inquiry learning through librarian-teacher partnerships, (pp. 1-10). Linworth Publishing, Worthington, Ohio. 

Kuhlthau, Carol C. ; Maniotes, Leslie K. & Caspari, Ann K, (2007). Chapter 2: The Theory and Research Basis for Guided Inquiry. In Kuhlthau, Carol C. ; Maniotes, Leslie K. & Caspari, Ann K, Guided inquiry : learning in the 21st century, (pp.13 – 28). Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.

Lehman, K. (2010). Bring history alive with primary sources. Library Media Connection, 28(5), 30-31. 

Murdoch, K. (2006). Inquiry learning: journeys through the thinking processes. Teacher Learning Network13(2), 32-34. Retrieved from http://www.kathmurdoch.com.au/uploads/media/inquirylearning.pdf 

Queensland Studies Authority (QSA).  (2004).  Senior Modern History Syllabus. Queensland Studies Authority, Queensland.  

Taylor, T.  and Young, C. (2003). Making History: A guide for the Teaching and Learning of History in Australian Schools. Retrieved from http://www.hyperhistory.org/images/assets/pdf/complete.pdf

Todd, R. J., Kuhlthau, C. C., & Heinström, J. E. (2005). School Library Impact Measure (SLIM): A Toolkit and Handbook for Tracking and Assessing Student Learning Outcomes of Guided Inquiry through the School Library. Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries, Rutgers University. Retrieved from http://leadinglibrariesprimary.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/slim_toolkit-handbook.pdf 

Ulusoy, K. (2012). A study about using internet in History lessons. Educational Review Vol 7 (4). P 72-82.  Retrieved from http://www.academicjournals.org/ERR/PDF/Pdf%202012/January/26%20Jan/Ulusoy.pdf

Wiersma, A. (2008). A study of the teaching methods of high school history teachers. The social studies99(3), 111-116.