Chapter 5 Reflections

Reflecting on What I Know 

1.  How can I get my students to ask questions about the research they are conducting?
 Students should be taught strategies for self-regulation in order to help them "read, develop questions, and answer questions as they strive to gain understanding" (Lowther and Morrison, p. 126).  Self-regulation can be supported through the use of think sheets.  Think sheets can take many forms but in order to promote asking questions, I would develop a think sheet that focuses primarily on questions students should be considering as they conduct their research.  This will give them the tools necessary to reflect upon their work and ask questions to build a deeper meaning of the content.



2.  How can I teach my students to solve problems?
 Students should follow the steps in the NTeQ problem solving process to ensure they have completed all components to solving a problem.  The steps are listed in Table 5.2 on page 135 and include defining the problem, identifying what is known about the problem, identify what needs to be known, identify data that need to be collected, determine how the data needs to be manipulated, generate possible solutions, determine how to evaluate each solution, select the best solution, and present findings.  If students are unfamiliar with these steps, then I could provide them with a sheet to refer to each step and coach them along until they are comfortable with the process to complete it independently.



 3.  I've never used an inquiry-based approach, much less computers - so how is a teacher supposed to do both of these at one time? 
I think the best thing a teacher could do would be to familiarize themselves with both things independently.  For example, take time to research and plan inquiry based lessons to become confident with the process.  Then, familiarize yourself with computer functions and programs that would be useful when teaching those objectives that you have already planned lessons for.  After you have learned several computer functions, determine which ones should be used when integrating technology into your inquiry-based lessons.  In my opinion, if  you focus on too many things at once, then you will become overwhelmed and lose motivation to continue with the process.  If you take your time to truly understand and practice each thing, then you will become more successful writing integrated inquiry based lesson plans.  This process will help you become a more distinguished teacher and help your students increase achievement.

References

 Lowther, D. & Morrison, G. (2010). Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom: Skills for the 21st Century. Pearson Education, Inc. Boston, MA. USA.