Inquiry-based Learning (Inspired, 2Rivers, etc.)

[Anonymous]

I was searching for information about DC schools and their different education approaches (experiential, Montessori, play, etc.) and just came across this video produced by EuroNews. It features Inspired Teaching which has an inquiry-based approach that "makes kids' voices the most important in the room."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SObkuW3uUsI

From what I've heard, 2Rivers uses a similar approach. What other schools (charter or DCPS) do this. It seems montessori-like, but the classrooms in the video seem noiser than the montessori classrooms I've visited.

Any insights? I'm considering different options for a future DC student. We still have a couple years.

[Anonymous]

Yes, CMI and Two Rivers use a similar approach. You'll likely find this in most non-traditional WOTP schools as well.

[Anonymous]

For those in inquiry-based schools, what do you like about it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, CMI and Two Rivers use a similar approach. You'll likely find this in most non-traditional WOTP schools as well.

What is a non-traditional WOTP school?

[Anonymous]

In a traditional school, the curriculum (therefore the teacher and standardized tests) are the focus of the school day. The teacher often stands at the front of the room and primarily gives instructions. The main goal is for kids to follow directions and learn the material. Like the catholic school I went to. Traditional schools can be any school - private or public.

In a non-traditional school (like Montessori or Inquiry), the focus is on the student. Students and their questions inform the curriculum and what happens in the classrooms. The teachers are more facilitators of learning that instructors. The children lead and the teacher follows in these classes.

[Anonymous]

IB is inquiry-based, so Yu Ying.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have positive reviews of this type of learning for early elementary especially? I thought I'd love it, but it's just too hard for my young child who is more of a concrete thinker to grasp the concepts through type of learning. I think it's better suited to fit older elementary/middle school students.

[Anonymous]

Capital City PCS also partners with the Center for Inspired Teaching, as does ITS (of course!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have positive reviews of this type of learning for early elementary especially? I thought I'd love it, but it's just too hard for my young child who is more of a concrete thinker to grasp the concepts through type of learning. I think it's better suited to fit older elementary/middle school students.

??? I don't understand your question. I found inquiry learning to be very concrete. My DC uses manipulatives or hands-on games for most of his learning. The teachers are given flexibility to make learning individual for each student by asking them questions and tailoring lessons to each child's (or the whole classroom's) needs. Inquiry works great for early elementary school. Kids normally ask a lot of questions about their world. With inquiry, teachers are told to answer each question and delve deeper to teach expanded concepts. The teacher can then use whatever he/she thinks will communicate the concepts best - playing a game, writing in a journal, reading a specific book, doing art, etc. I like that it's concrete but flexible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have positive reviews of this type of learning for early elementary especially? I thought I'd love it, but it's just too hard for my young child who is more of a concrete thinker to grasp the concepts through type of learning. I think it's better suited to fit older elementary/middle school students.

??? I don't understand your question. I found inquiry learning to be very concrete. My DC uses manipulatives or hands-on games for most of his learning. The teachers are given flexibility to make learning individual for each student by asking them questions and tailoring lessons to each child's (or the whole classroom's) needs. Inquiry works great for early elementary school. Kids normally ask a lot of questions about their world. With inquiry, teachers are told to answer each question and delve deeper to teach expanded concepts. The teacher can then use whatever he/she thinks will communicate the concepts best - playing a game, writing in a journal, reading a specific book, doing art, etc. I like that it's concrete but flexible.

The way it works at DC's school is that they give a subject and then ask the kids to come up with questions, respond to other's questions, and sometimes discuss them as well. The teacher doesn't answer questions. It involves a lot of critical thinking which my child just isn't ready for.

[Anonymous]

This concerns me. I'm thinking an inquiry based approach may be excellent for my child and am eagerly watching my inspired teaching lottery number. Is there any way me and my child could visit for a day and I could watch her participating?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This concerns me. I'm thinking an inquiry based approach may be excellent for my child and am eagerly watching my inspired teaching lottery number. Is there any way me and my child could visit for a day and I could watch her participating?

Never heard of a public school shadow day below 5th or 6th grade (and those are student only only) but you should call and ask.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a traditional school, the curriculum (therefore the teacher and standardized tests) are the focus of the school day. The teacher often stands at the front of the room and primarily gives instructions. The main goal is for kids to follow directions and learn the material. Like the catholic school I went to. Traditional schools can be any school - private or public.

In a non-traditional school (like Montessori or Inquiry), the focus is on the student. Students and their questions inform the curriculum and what happens in the classrooms. The teachers are more facilitators of learning that instructors. The children lead and the teacher follows in these classes.

Are any schools "traditional" in the way your describe anymore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This concerns me. I'm thinking an inquiry based approach may be excellent for my child and am eagerly watching my inspired teaching lottery number. Is there any way me and my child could visit for a day and I could watch her participating?

If you'd like to chat with a parent who has kids in the same grade as your child about how inquiry-based learning works at ITS, send an email to the family association ([e-mail]) with your child's grade and a few of your questions.

I am a parent at the school and have found this description of how the "4 I's" are implemented to be true to our experience: http://www.inspiredteachingschool.org/school/the-4-is/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In a traditional school, the curriculum (therefore the teacher and standardized tests) are the focus of the school day. The teacher often stands at the front of the room and primarily gives instructions. The main goal is for kids to follow directions and learn the material. Like the catholic school I went to. Traditional schools can be any school - private or public.

In a non-traditional school (like Montessori or Inquiry), the focus is on the student. Students and their questions inform the curriculum and what happens in the classrooms. The teachers are more facilitators of learning that instructors. The children lead and the teacher follows in these classes.

Are any schools "traditional" in the way your describe anymore?

+1 -- especially in early education.

When we were entering the pk3 lottery (2014), almost every ECE program (charter, DCPS, private) had elements of experiential learning. Some programs were more heavily oriented around the concept, but every program we looked at had an experimental component. My sense was that "experimental learning" is now fairly widely embraced.

I think the programs start to diverge in the upper grades (3rd+) as testing starts and the focus shifts towards testing outcomes.