Photo by Ameen Fahmy on Unsplash
Through this inquiry project, my understanding of inquiry technique has expanded immensely, which also contributed to the update of my personal philosophy for education. The world requires students to problem-solve to further their learning, so they can prepare for the shifting and complex world. That is the reason why we need to facilitate the shift from traditional pedagogy to the inquiry-based learning technique. Friesen and Scott (2013) argued that students develop competencies through a process of inquiry and discovery. Through the inquiry-based learning technique, teachers foster the natural curiosities of students and plant the seeds of life-long learning, which is my personal philosophy of education. Schools and teachers cannot protect students permanently, however, they can help cultivate students’ competencies by motivating their curiosity through the inquiry-based learning technique (Friesen & Scott, 2013; Mikroyannidis et al., 2013)
In my inquiry project, students take the role of explorers instead of a passive role as it encourages them to explore how the different cultures shape the Canadian society where they belong to. This inquiry project is to help students be aware of the historical development of Canada as an immigrant-friendly and multicultural country. Through exploring the history in Canada, the question I have been curious about for a long time has been partly addressed. The question is why racism and discrimination are existing in Canada. From social media, we can always see some cases or events which have negative event in developing a peaceful and equal world. I was always wondering why differences can lead to those negative outcomes. However, by doing this project, my confusion has been partly addressed.
Moreover, the big challenge I have encountered when designing this course is to understand the big idea of social studies in relation to the BC curriculum as I do not have any experience in BC as neither a teacher nor a student. When I designed the project, I was confused where to start. But by following Jodi’s instructions and feedback, the picture of my project had been clear to me. Furthermore, the most success within my inquiry project is that I gave insight into the origins of discrimination and racism in Canada. I investigated that the reasons why the first early Chinese came to Canada and listen to their stories, and I learned something new through my investigation. For example, I learned that early Chinese immigrants came to Canada to look for jobs. Then they paid for the head tax to bring their families to Canada, which was not fair. When I acknowledge the history, it will deepen my interpretation. In other words, it helps me have a broader and deeper understanding of the diverse and complex world. That’s the trait of the inquiry-based learning approach, and it is also the purpose of my inquiry project. I hope my students can break down their stereotypes of a different culture or ethnic group and have a deep and comprehensive understanding of the world. Bai (2005) argues that school is where students start learning formally, and they will encounter myriad challenges and difficulties. As a teacher and educator, it is our responsibilities to navigate our students adapting the current situation and be emphatic to those who have a different cultural background.
If I were to plan this project again, I might dig into the history a little bit more such as including the River Valley civilizations. In addition, I might incorporate some psychology subject into my project as racism and discrimination is a very sensitive topic. It might cause some uncomfortable feelings to students, so it is crucial to be supportive of those students who have some mental health problems. As a teacher, we need to lead students how to address their issues. Inquiry-based pedagogy is not a new trend, and it has been implemented in schools widely around the world. However, I am still wondering if it could be applied to all kinds of the subject at school. For example, how can it be applied in language arts programs as it explicitly requires students to use organizational processes and tools?
In the end, I would like to appreciate Jodi and all my peers who gave me helpful and positive feedback during the class. At the beginning of this class, I was confusing about the inquiry-based learning approach and how to start my inquiry project., but Jodi’s feedback navigates me to narrow down my topic and find an appropriate idea for my project. My peers pointed out the unreasonable parts of my inquiry project. Also, when I did the introduction of my inquiry project, they showed a great interest in my topic, which encourage me to complete my project. I appreciate it.
References
Bai, H. (2005). What is inquiry? In W. Hare & J. P. Portelli. (Eds.), Key questions for educators (pp. 45–47).
Friesen, S., & Scott, D. (2013). Inquiry-based learning: A review of the research literature. Alberta Ministry of Education, 32.
Mikroyannidis, A., Okada, A., Scott, P., Rusman, E., Specht, M., Stefanov, K., … & Chaimala, F. (2013). weSPOT: A personal and social approach to inquiry-based learning. Journal of Universal Computer Science.