The focus this week was on connecting curricular goals to inquiry. Once a goal is established, teachers must make certain that the students have a solid base of facts necessary to understand the concept. Knowing the facts will help them in understanding the relationships between the facts. This is turn will help them to realize the larger concepts. Making an inquiry requires students to look at the variables within the questions, and knowing the facts, discerning quetions that can be investigated.
The discussions and readings have helped me to see the importance in asking questions that promote inquisitive thought. In one discussion, a classmate asked a question that I could relate to and consequently I began to wonder what the answer might be. It is in a good question that students are encouraged to seek out the possibilities. They will then begin to ask more questions and search for answers.
One of our goals as educators is to help our students become life long learners. A life long learner constantly seeks out new knowledge by asking questions.
I would like to know if teachers can force themselves to step back from the questions and not lead their students to answers. As educators we are often very controlling in our lessons, often because of the pressures of time, but our students will never ask questions on their own or seek out their own answers if we don't give them room to do so.
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