Move from fact to creativity. Teach explicitly first. Help students move through application, creativity, and synthesis to personalize their learning.
I incorporate inquiry based learning frequently in my classroom. For example, I often start class with a guiding question that sets up the learning goal for the day. In a recent introductory acting class, I asked my students what they thought memorization was. The range of responses allowed us to construct a mutually understood definition of memorization; together we discovered that there was a range of demonstrated ability that may count as memorization from the robotic recitation to the elegant prosody of a practiced performance. A second example of my inquiry based instruction rests in the heart of my content. Theatre is often about possibilities. Imagination and creative approaches to the content are required. Throughout my years of teaching and leading in schools, I have found that students demonstrate more learning when the responsibility for creation rests in their hands.
Associated Links: Student Feedback – Improvement Based Learning – Collaboration
David Orace Kelly 