Developing Enquiry Skills

Alan Parkinson Secondary Curriculum Development Leader

Geographical AssociationTony Cassidy

Kirk Hallam Community Technology College

“But why ?”• Questioning is part of basic

human curiosity• It starts early...

“A curriculum, to be truly educational, will lead the

students to unanticipated, rather than predicted,

outcomes”John McKernan

Enquiry: more than just curiosity about what’s out there...

“If the curriculum is a cake, then

enquiry is the baking

powder that makes it rise...”

John Widdowson

ask geographical

questions

justify conclusions

creative ways of using and

applying geographical

skills

plan enquiries solve

problems and make

decisions

essential skills and processes in geography that pupils need to learn to make progress

QCA (2007a) Programme of study: Geography key stage 3 http://www.qca.org.uk/secondarycurriculumreview/subject/ks3/geography/index.htm

National Curriculum(Geography)

http://daviderogers.blogspot.com

Enquiry? ‘In my opinion geographical enquiry is

poorly understood but is at the heart of

geographical thinking. For me it is the framework that

geographers use to understand the complex

world’

Tom Biebrach

‘To me the point of an enquiry is to find an

answer that you don't yet know. You can only

have a worthwhile enquiry if you have a

worthwhile question that is capable of being

answered’

Ian Murray

‘Finding out why and how‘

Head of Humanities Harry Carlton School

…enquiry must be part of every

lesson…

Famine : Google Images : WikipediaA famine is a widespread shortage of food that may apply to any faunal species, which phenomenon is usually accompanied by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Famines in modern time are typically linked to overpopulation, as the number of humans exceeds regional carrying capacity.Historically, famines have occurred among the poor because of agricultural problems such as drought, crop failure, or pestilence. A famine can be made worse by increased human population, war, or economic policies which place the poor at a disadvantage.[1] Epidemics can reduce available labor. Changing weather patterns, the ineffectiveness of medieval governments in dealing with crises, wars, and epidemic diseases like the Black Death helped to cause hundreds of famines in Europe during the Middle Ages, including 95 in Britain and 75 in France.[2]

[3] In France, the Hundred Years' War, crop failures and epidemics reduced the population by two-thirds.[4] Although most famines coincide with regional shortages of food, famine infrequently has occurred amid plenty or on account of acts of economic or military policy that have deprived certain populations of sufficient food to ensure survival.

Enabling global learning....Questioning the world

G2: two enquiry based articles in recent weeks...

QCAGeographical enquiry•requires the development of a range of investigative skills both inside and outside the classroom•emphasises the importance of geographical questions as a focus for teaching and learning activities•requires pupils to undertake sequences of enquiry, as well as learning to develop their own enquiry sequences•emphasises the need for pupils to develop a range of subject-specific skills, together with more general personal, social and study skills•requires pupils to become skilled at communicating and presenting geographical ideas in a variety of ways to different audiences

Who lives in a place like this ?

Liz Taylor – Homerton College, University of Cambridge

ENQUIRY QUESTIONSTG Article: Summer 2008

(delegates have copy)

1. Question must have ‘pith’ and ‘rigour’

2. Sufficient knowledge-building must take place to be able to provide a

good answer3. Over time, pupils should develop enquiry sequences, as their research

skills develop

“There are no right or wrong answers...”

Margaret Roberts – GA President

What does enquiry look like ?

TASC – wheelDifferent stages

Some possible enquiry questions...The ‘HOOK’

(Animoto.com)FREE account for educators...

Starting it simple… asking questions.

Every lesson should involve enquiry- students are

presented with key questions to be answered as they ‘travel’ through a

lesson.

http://transl8it.com/cgi-win/index.pl

How did Hurricane Katrina form?

whch areas did it fx?

wot impact did it hav?

wot lessons cn b learnt frm Hurricane

Katrina?

Starting it simple… asking questions.

Adding comments/thoughts with speech bubbles

in PowerPoint.

Starting it simple… asking questions.

Adding comments with the record sound tool in PowerPoint.

A soundscape can be produced.

Surrounding the image with

questions- on paper, IWB, or by

PowerPoint.

Using these questions and

comments to produce creative

writing/presentations or as a starter for ‘formal’ enquiry.

Hot seating the character.

Using my senses.

Toilet roll

First Aid kit

Paper work

Insect

Repellent

Host Gifts

Sun cream

Starting it simple…asking questions.Which country

and why?

Starting it simple…asking questions.

Which country and why?

Starting it simple…asking questions.

How’s school different?

Starting it simple… validating sources.

How many trees were felled in the Great UK Storm of 1987?

•Teacher generates questions.

•Students asked to find the answers, but validate them through a number of sources.

Starting it simple… developing presentation techniques.

Linking home, school and the global.

Leading through the cycle… Teacher leads students through the process of

enquiry.

New techniques are introduced.

• Questionnaire•Mapping of good

and bad management.• Annotating photos taken with their mobile phones!• Environmental

audits.

How well managed is our lake?

Connecting to the global…•Links with Toyota

City.•Students and

teachers both go on yearly exchanges.•Students and

teachers follow the curriculum during their visits.

•In Geography we ask them about school

life!•We have also developed email

links.

Would we like schooling Japanese style?

A more complex approach…

Key Stage 4 Students write to

Wanda Lust, who’s

planning to lead an

expedition to

Antarctica, she asks their advice.

A more complex approach…

Andrew Cooney, the youngest person to walk to the South Pole works with students for

an afternoon.

http://www.andrewcooney.co.uk/

The audience… students produce a presentation. Students are

given six lessons to produce a

response to Wanda.

They are supported with Internet links

via our Intranet and external

blog.

Andrew is also happy to have

questions emailed to him.

A more complex approach…Wanda

reappears later asking whether Coke

is an ethical company.

Students like the

continuation of

character.With thanks- Raise my Voice- Fickr

www.flickr.com

Using the Net…

We sometimes take the opportunity to encourage staff to contribute to our enquires, via the department blogs. This may also

encourage a wider response from a global audience.

Deciding on appropriate formats… One aspect of developing a successful

enquiry is the range of

presentation options that

can be used to enthuse

students.

Formal writing

Presentation

Movie

Website

Newspaper article

Letter…

Citizenship Project- What’s special about our area?

Enquiry and actions...Tying enquiry to participation:

investigationStudent-centred enquiries...

Earth Hour Video – 2 minutes long...

What would enquiry involve ?

How about enquiry questions that you have used ?

Controlled Assessment“one big enquiry”....

With thanks to:David Rogers, Priory School, Portsmouth for slides 8, 9

and 10 Liz Taylor – Teaching Geography article – Summer

2008

http://www.geography.org.uk/projects/gtip/thinkpieces/geographicalenquiry

- Gill Davidson

Margaret Roberts & GA colleagues