Discovering the Difference: Inquiry Learning vs Project Learning Again
- suem0114
- Oct 12, 2017
- 2 min read
I have been busy exploring Project Based Learning (PBL). Dr Chris Campbell from Teacher explains that Project Based Learning may also be confused with Problem Based Learning which I think must be another name for Inquiry Learning.
Both are student-centred pedagogies, both involve solving a problem.
Problem based learning involves learning about a topic through a series of open problems in one subject. The students often work in groups in a quite structured way and the topic, goals and outcomes are set with the help of the teacher. This quite commonly would be used in mathematics.
However, Project Based Learning is a pedagogy which involves investigation of a complex real-life goal involving more than one discipline, for example, the evaluation and improvement of the playground. The goal is largely set by the students who devise ways in which to investigate and learning is achieved through the investigations and research, using higher order thinking.
The NSW Dept of Education describes Project Based Learning. "The Project is typically framed with a driving question that is open ended and promotes students to investigate, research, collaborate, and present their findings to an authentic audience."
Now here is a "nuts and bolts guide" to designing a unit of work which I intend to use to help me design my future PBL units.
After getting my head around these differences, I thought perhaps Inquiry Learning was the same as Problem Based Learning. So I read another article from the Teacher magazine written by Jo Earp who was interviewing Professor Simone Reinhold.
It seems that I may be right. Prof. Reinhold described an example of Inquiry learning in the subject of maths. She described it as a problem, usually a scenario, which involved multiple steps which may be approached in different ways to reach an answer. She recommended a sequence of students first exploring the problem through discussion and investigation, the discovery of patterns, solutions, variations. Students need to document their progress through the investigation. The students then need to describe their reasoning and justification of their findings. This where the verbalisation skills I have previously explored in a previous post are so very important.
After reflection, I think I have used Inquiry Learning activities in the past. I have tip-toed into the realm of PBL with upper primary students, whose skills I was very familiar with in my Language Other Than English lessons but I have yet to embark on a whole-term multidisciplinary PBL.
It is evident throughout my research that students need to be adequately prepared in some ways, for example, explicitly modelled mind maps, vocabulary clines, yet allowed the freedom to explore and investigate in their own way. With careful planning in the form of provision of adequate resources, grouping considerations and careful observation of the adequacy of necessary skills, I feel this is a very exciting adventure.
Please contribute your experiences or thoughts to the forum. I would love to hear your stories!
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