The Inquiry Block
A. Syllabus
(Fall, 1991 - Spring, 1992)
The Inquiry Block is a single 9 credit-hour course encompassing what has traditionally been three separate 3 credit-hour courses:
C&I 330: Principles and Practices in Mathematics Education
C&I 340: Principles and Practices in Science Education
C&I 345: Principles and Practices in Social Studies Education
The Inquiry Block integrates across subject areas, and as part of the Year Long Project, integrates theory and practice through intensive and extended teaching experiences.
This document discusses the course textbooks, course assignments, and grading policy.
Also see Course Description.
Instructional Team
Instructor
Office
Telephone
Electronic mail
Bertram (Chip) Bruce
387 Education
244-3576 or
333-0227
chip-bruce@uiuc.edu
Barbara Gillespie
Flossie Wiley School
384-3670
Patricia Stoffel
Prairie School
384-3628
Ellen Baranowski
esbg8737@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
Jack Easley
260 Education
333-3770
jeasley@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
Judy Davidson
333-2552
Meeting Times and Places
Time/Day
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
morning
C&I/Media
2 Wiley
(8:00-11:00)
classrooms
classrooms
classrooms
video
187 CRC
(9:00-12:00)
afternoon
classrooms
Language & Literacy
2 Wiley
(12:30-4:30)
classrooms
Inquiry
2 Wiley
(12:30-4:30)
C&I seminar
26 CRC (12:30-2:30)
CRC = Children’s Research Center, 51 Gerty Drive, Champaign; Tel: 333-2552
Wiley = Flossie Wiley School, 1602 South Anderson, Urbana; Tel: 384-3670Texts for the Course
There are five required texts for the course, selected from among a large number of excellent books available for learning about the teaching of mathematics, science, and social studies. While each of the books has its limitations, they all share several characteristics that we feel make them well worth studying.
They are all written by teachers reporting on their own experiences in developing curricula, teaching, and evaluating student learning. Rather than presenting abstract guidelines or methods, they describe what can really happen in a classroom. This means, of course, that it is important to remember that none of the classrooms described will be exactly like any other classroom, and what worked well in one setting may need to be reshaped to fit another situation.
Each book contains many examples of student work and talk. This is consistent with their general emphasis on child-centered learning. Having detailed examples of student work and talk makes it easier to examine the learning activities critically to see how different students learn.
Each book expresses a point of view. While all of the books support teaching that is child-centered, integrated across subject areas, and inquiry-based, there are important differences among them.
A. Whittaker, D. (1986). Will Gulliver’s suit fit? Mathematical problem-solving with children. New York: Cambridge University Press.
B. Doris, E. (1990). Doing what scientists do: Children learn to investigate their world. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
C. Gamberg, R., Kwak, W., Hutchings, M., Altheim, J., & Edwards, G. (1988) Learning and loving it: Theme studies in the classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
D. Paley, V. G. (1981). Wally’s stories: Conversations in the kindergarten. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
E. Rogers, V. Roberts, A. D., &Weinland, T. P. (1988). Teaching social studies: Portraits from the classroom (Bulletin No. 82). Washington, DC: National Council for the Social Studies.
There is also one highly recommended text. It is an inexpensive guide to a vast array of resources for teaching. While we may not discuss it much directly, it could prove to be invaluable when you are on your own as a teacher.
F. National Science Foundation (1988). Science for Children: Resources for Teachers. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
As the course proceeds, we will develop a packet of additional materials that will serve as an additional text. We want the course to be responsive to your needs and special interests. We may select an additional text through the bookstore as well.
Course Assignments
A. Videotaped lessons. During the period in which you are a student in the Inquiry block, you will also be a teacher in three classroom settings. An important assignment is to prepare a lesson, teach it, videotape it, evaluate it, view it with your cooperating teacher, log it, and present it to the class. The first lesson will be primarily a Language and Literacy lesson, the second, primarily an Inquiry lesson, and the third, one that integrates elements of both blocks. Elements of Curriculum and Instruction will underlie all three lessons. All three lessons might involve some degree of integration. Details of the videotape project are described in the syllabus for the Language and Literacy block.
B. Focus unit. A second major assignment is to develop a unit of instruction that incorporates aspects of all three instructional blocks: Language & Literacy, Curriculum & Instruction, and Inquiry. A detailed description of the focus unit project is in the Language and Literacy syllabus.
C. Collaborative project. There are a set of activities that would be worthwhile for anyone in the class, but cannot all be done well in the time we have. Accordingly, each of you will do only one of the following options. In each case, the project will be to produce something of value to the class as a whole, though the people doing the project will undoubtedly derive the greatest benefit.
The projects are all to be done collaboratively. Working in groups will make it possible to do more extensive projects and the collaboration should lead to mutual learning through dialogue. Working in a group over a long period will also allow us to reflect on the benefits and the challenges of collaborative learning.
The projects we have identified thus far are listed below. Other projects may emerge as the semester proceeds. Two groups might work on the same project.
a. Preparation of a packet of materials to be an additional text for the course. This group will read a number of articles on mathematics, science, and social studies, and select from among them a small set that seems most valuable for this particular class. The group will write an introduction to the packet, an annotated bibliography, and short introductions to each article selected. Issues such as the needs and interests of other class members, the limitations of the textbooks, ideas that have arisen in class discussions (or should have arisen), formatting, and cost should all be considered.
b. Classroom research. Many teachers are becoming researchers in their own classrooms, studying the processes of learning and learning more about teaching, curriculum, and evaluation. Sometimes this research leads to presentations at conferences and articles in magazines and journals, but it often contributes simply to a deeper understanding of the classroom.
As a teacher in three placements and an observer in other classrooms, you will have many opportunities to observe children learning. You will also be participating in developing new materials for teaching. You will also be a participant in an experimental program (the Year Long Project) that itself might benefit from more critical study. This group(s) will learn in depth about the special forms of inquiry required to study teaching and learning by carrying out its own investigations. It may use techniques such as surveys, interviews, or observations. It will have to consider carefully issues such as how to observe, how to define researchable questions, how to do helpful research, and how to preserve confidentiality.
c. Software. There are many worthwhile computer programs now available for teaching. Many of these are inspiring to children; many help to make the abstract concepts of science, mathematics, and social studies more accessible. The UIUC has an extensive software library and special packages, such as microcomputer-based laboratory software and hardware that students can use to conduct science experiments. This group will examine a set of software and produce an annotated bibliography discussing the value of a selected subset and how and when to use theses programs in a classroom. The bibliography should include ordering and price information. The group will also demonstrate selected software for the class.
d. Videotapes of classrooms. There are now many excellent videotapes of classrooms that show a variety of approaches to teaching across many topic areas. These tapes are a valuable resource for learning to teach. This group will examine a set of such videotapes and select a small set for the class library. The group will log the videos, identifying the most useful segments and explaining why they were chosen. The group will make a class presentation showing excerpts from the videotapes.
e. Films and videos. There are thousands of worthwhile films and videos now available for teaching. Many of these are inspiring to children; many help to make the abstract concepts of science, mathematics, and social studies more accessible. The UIUC has extensive holdings of films and videos and others are available through the Urbana and Champaign schools and from individual faculty members. This group will examine a set of films and videos and produce an annotated bibliography discussing the value of a selected set of these materials. It will discuss how the materials can be used in teaching. The bibliography should include ordering and price information. The group will also make a class presentation showing excerpts from selected materials.
f. Class publication. This group will use software such as word processors, scanners, graphics programs, and publishing programs to produce a newspaper, magazine, book or other publication for the class. The publication could include examples of children’s work, discussions of issues of teaching and learning, descriptions of the placement sites, and other items relevant to the course and the classroom participations.
D. Participation in interdisciplinary kit development team. At the Wiley school, a number of teachers are engaged in a project to develop interdisciplinary kits for teachers. A special focus is on addressing the needs of multicultural and low-income students. There is also a focus on parental involvement in the teaching and learning process.
The Wiley school teachers have invited the participation of Year Long Project teachers in this kit development effort. For you this will mean the opportunity to work in a small group consisting of 3-4 Year Long Project students and one experienced teacher to design innovative classroom materials. You may be able to try out some of the kit materials in your three placements. It may also be used as the basis for your Focus Unit.
A proposal for State funding of this kit development has already been submitted. If the proposal is funded it will mean that greater resources will be available for constructing and duplicating the kits. If it is not funded, we will proceed anyway on a tighter budget, learning how to develop "budget kits".
E. Short assignments. In addition to the four major projects described above, there will be a variety of regular short assignments. These will include development of mini-units, responses to readings, problem-solving activities, interviews with students in your classrooms, and observation reports.
F. Class participation. As you will soon discover, the class will depend upon your active participation in carrying out hands-on learning activities, discussing readings, reporting on classroom activities, and raising questions. Participation will be judged, not on right or wrong answers, but on willingness to wrestle with difficult questions and to provide evidence for what is said.
G. Final exam. A survey similar to the one you fill out in the beginning of the year will be given in February. The final exam will be selected questions from the February survey.
Grading
A total of 300 points are distributed among the various projects for the Inquiry block (C&I 330/340/345) as shown below. A letter grade for C&I 330 will be assigned at the end of the Fall 1991 semester. Grades for C&I 340 and C&I 345 will be given during the Spring 1992 semester.
Project or product
Due Dates
Points
A. Videotaped lessons
Inquiry lesson
Integrated lesson videotape
Nov. 18, 1991
Feb. 4, 1992
20
20
B. Focus unit
Feb. 14, 1992
40
C. Collaborative project
Feb. 27, 1992
60
D. Interdisciplinary kit development
Feb. 27, 1992
40
E. Short assignments
-----
40
F. Class participation
-----
40
G. Final exam
Feb. 27, 1992
40
Total
-----
300