Balls that won't bounce and students that don't sit still

Balls that won't bounce and teachers that won't sit still

The prior article, How we learn – inquiry learning, introduced the theory of inquiry learning. This article offers an example of inquiry learning in action.

Kurt Moore, reporting in the Marion Ohio Star, shared an inquiry learning success training teachers at Harding High School.

During the current summer break, the teachers spent a week in a teaching skills workshop. Workshop instructors, led by Ohio State University-Marion physics professor Gordon Aubrecht and Bill Schmitt from the Science Center of Inquiry, told the teachers how to guide students as they search out topic information while still making room for the students to own the learning.

Teacher Scott Cameron confessed that he expected boredom but instead “we got something completely different.”

The impetus for the training comes because students graduating from Grant Middle School into Harding High have been successfully engaged in inquiry learning.

In one example, Aubrecht told how middle school science students were challenged to design balls that would not bounce. “All kinds of interesting things happen when you just play,” he said.

According to Aubrecht, the main advantage of inquiry learning is that students are required to think on their own. “To have kids be successful on these tests they have to be able to think. If you don’t have experiences, you don’t know anything.”

Certainly, many students entering a lecture echo Cameron’s expectation of boredom. Also certainly, students who must sit and listen to a lecture are not required to think.

The difficulty with inquiry learning may come mostly from trainers, teachers, and presenters. It is a scary thing to let go and ask the students to come up with the answers.

But as Cameron explained, “those that cease to think cease to live.”

In most situations, a ball that won't bounce isn't living up to its potential. Our participants are a lot like those balls. Encourage their energy and curiosity to "bounce" around the subject. You may be surprised how high they can soar.

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Lenn Millbower, the Learnertainment® Trainer and former Disney training leader, helps trainers, teachers, and speakers keep their learners awake so the learning can take through one-on-one coaching, keynotes and seminars, open enrollment workshops, instructional design consulting, and his published works.