Inquiry and Project Based Learning

Inquiry-based learning is a strategy to use in the classroom that involves students in their own learning and encourages questions. It steers students away from just memorizing facts that the teacher lists and starts discussions. Along with project-based learning in which students are encouraged to explore their interests through research, students are no longer just sitting in their desks copying definitions and forgetting everything they learn the minute the test is over. Instead, they are learning with a more hands on approach that takes their own interests into consideration and puts everything in real world perspective through research.

In the unit that takes a look at how we impact our world, students will look at the big picture and how our choices effect our environment through research and observations. They will take that information and answer questions like; how they can be good citizens to help out their own community, how is our world effected by pollution, and how can we all work together to improve our planet.

These question will all evoke their own set of question that the students will look into using several forums of media and their own observations. The information gathered by the students during this lesson will bring the outside world into the classroom and will ignite problem solving skills.