I am a very big fan of students learning at their own pace, self-guided learning, investigating things that interest the class or each individual student. I think Inquiry-based learning is an extremely cutting edge way to not only engage learners but create passionate learners. When students can relate to topics and get excited to complete assignments or research they will retain information better. As a student, I was extremely interested in the food production unit which inspired me to be a vegetarian. For weeks on end, I would tell my parents every night what I learned and how interesting it was, why meat production is bad for the environment, etc. This shows that the more interested a learner is the more passionate they are, the more they will want to learn and the more they will retain.
Going to PSII and getting to see students working on things that interest them in all variety of subjects is amazing because it allows students to be engaged. The grade level the students were working at was at par to a public school if not above. The school had many students getting credits and attending university-level courses in grade twelve. The students could inquire about any aspect of a subject and have the support of their teachers and administration in making their questions happen. Students had a variety of resources provided for them to aid in their studies and help further them with connections and outsider insight. PSII overall offered amazing insight and resources into the world of inquiry. I will use many of the techniques and resources such as the rubrics or lesson plan ideas provided for us by the school. I cannot wait to be able to teach my classroom about inquiry-based learning.
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