Learning Log #1 “Invitation to inquiry”
“Everybody has a world, and that world is completely hidden until we begin to inquire. As soon as we do, that entire world opens to us and yields itself. And you see how full and complex it is.” ~ David Guterson
I am so excited to be able to start my Teacher-Librarianship courses once more. This semester, I am taking two courses related to Inquiry-based learning and the type of resources I can use in our Library Learning Commons to encourage exploration and inquiry. I can’t wait to jump in with both feet and start gathering ideas!
Of course, as you already know from my previous blogs, I always panic at first and this assignment is no exception.
I must admit that I was a little overwhelmed at first just thinking about what I wanted to do for this first assignment. Our job was to choose out of four choices: a discrepant event (an unexpected outcome to a science experiment), a Place-Based learning project (Biology, Geography and Social Studies), a historical thinking project (History), and a visual representation (literacy).
What did I do and what were my conclusions?
I looked at all the choices carefully and even tried a couple before I made my decision. You see, I have always loved the idea of inquiry…I am a hands-on/visual type of learner so this method has always appealed to me. I also love science and it just never ceases to amaze me how one hypothesis can turn into an endless number of possibilities. So naturally, I ended up choosing a Discrepant Event from the Science World website.
The experiment I chose is called “Candles.” This experiment studies the states of matter in a fun and creative way. By the end of it, I would have observed the various states of matter, created a hypothesis and tested said hypothesis using multiple variables.
Before I even began collecting the materials needed, I tapped into my prior knowledge. What do I know about the States of Matter?, How will that knowledge help me come up with different predictions and will my predictions be correct? I also enlisted the help of my 9-year-old daughter to see how different or similar our hypothesis would be.
So, what do we know about matter?
Well to start, there are three states of matter: Solid, Liquid and Gas. Each state is composed by a certain number of particles that are either close to one another (solid) or spread out (gas). We also know about the processes that take place during the changes of matter. There is solidification, which is the process of either freezing or removing heat from liquids and allowing them to become solids . Then there is melting or Fusion, where we add heat to solid matter thus becoming a liquid. We also talked about evaporation and condensation, the first being the process where a liquid becomes a gas, and the latter being the opposite effect (where gas becomes a liquid.)
After discussing all this we decided to watch an instructional video to further refresh our memories. You can watch it below if you also need a little refresher!
After watching the video and tapping into our prior knowledge we got to work.
We collected our materials and placed them on the counter. The picture below shows what we needed.
Wax (we chose beeswax) a pot with water
3 Wooden rods 3 wicks
A crayon scissors
3 glass jars a measuring cup
A small plastic bowl vanilla (this was added at the end of the experiment)
Cinnamon sprinkles
The next step was to read some of the key questions the experiment gave us and start creating our hypothesis. I quickly made an observation sheet for us to use during the experiment to make it easier for us to keep our thoughts in order. I will share a photo of our findings and drawings later in the post. We also came up with more questions we hoped would be answered by the end of the experiment. Some of them are:
1) Why do we need boiling water to melt the beads?
2) Will the wax change colour If we add crayon shavings, cinnamon and sprinkles?
3) Will the smell of the wax change if we mix other things to it?
4) Will the sprinkles dissolve like they do in water?
Our initial prediction was that “the wax will melt and the colour might change once it becomes liquid. If we add crayon shavings, the wax will change colour and it will smell like crayons (Jar A). Cinnamon will make the wax change colour as it mixes with the hot wax and the final product will smell of cinnamon (Jar B). The sprinkles will also melt, and the wax will change colour. Adding vanilla to the wax will change the smell of it (Jar C).”
Now that we were ready, I placed the pot with water on the stove and we waited for the water to boil to place the measuring cup with the wax beads inside and observed what happened.
Figure 1-3: Picture 1 shows the wax beads as we placed them in the boiling water. Within minutes, the wax started melting (picture 2) until it became a liquid (picture 3).
As the wax melted, we quickly set up our three testing jars. Jar A had crayon shavings at the bottom, jar B had cinnamon, and jar C sprinkles.
Once the wax was ready we added it to each jar and made observations. To make it easier for us and to go back in case we needed it, we made a video of each of our jars as we poured the hot wax. I have attached them below in case you would like to see them.
Jar A
Jar B
Jar C
Watching the wonder in my daughter’s eyes (and my son, as he decided to join us) was amazing! There were many “Aha, I knew that would happen!” and “say what?!” moments. The best part of the experiment for me was once they both started asking more questions, why did the vanilla stay suspended between the two layers of hot wax? How is it that the sprinkles did not dissolved in liquid wax but they do in water? Why did the wax dissolved so easily but the cinnamon needed us to mix it with a wooden rod?.
I could just see the inquiry-based mindset at work! Carol Kuhlthau (2009) couldn’t have said it better when she said that children learn by “being actively engaged in and reflecting on an experience, building on what they already know, being guided in higher-order thinking at critical points, interacting with others, and using different modes of learning.” Just by doing this experiment we came up with a list of new questions we did not know we would have! In other words, more questions were created than answers! The kids started talking about adding even more variables to different jars and see what would happen. Below are pictures of our finished product
Figure 2: Wax with crayon shavings. The crayon shavings turned the wax red
Figure 3: Wax with cinnamon. The cinnamon turned the wax brown
Figure 4-5: wax with sprinkles and vanilla. The sprinkles stayed at the bottom while the vanilla remained in the exact place it landed when it was poured.
By the end of the experiment, we went back to our earlier predictions and discussed why some of them were wrong and why we think so. Our conclusion was that “when wax is in the liquid form, we can mix certain things. This depends on how small the things are and how these things respond to heat. The crayon shavings are made out of wax so it was easier for them to melt and mix in with the liquid wax (we did not need to use a wooden rod to mix it). The cinnamon was a little bit harder to mix but in the end, using the wooden rod, we were able to mix it up with the wax. We did find that some residue was left at the bottom of the jar. It was harder for the sprinkles to dissolve as it seems that the wax created a little cocoon around them and because they were colder that little cocoon solidified faster than its surroundings protecting the sprinkles from further mixing with the wax. We also think that same principle applies to vanilla. The reason why it did not mix was because it was cold, so the surrounding wax solidified when the vanilla touched it. not even mixing helped dissolve the vanilla because the surrounding wax was already cold and solidifying, making it harder to mix the two substances together.” Our main conclusion was that heat plays a big role when matter changes from one state to the next.
As promised, here is a picture of our Observations sheet. I will be happy to share with others, just send me a message and I can forward it to you!
So, how is this activity inquiry-based learning?
I was very eager to see if the experiment I had chosen followed the inquiry-based learning approach. Most of my experience with IBL has been very structured where the teacher chooses the topic and students follow the teacher’s lead as they engaged in the project together. The readings this week also made me realized that what I had experience in the past fell under the “fact-finding” category rather than inquiry.
So, is there a rule of thumb or steps we could follow to assess whether inquiry is happening in our classroom or not? Fontichiaro suggests “four hallmarks of inquiry” we could use to see if inquiry is present, “each of these could be woven into a research project in different ways, at different points.” (2015).
Using these hallmarks I started thinking about the experiment, was there inquiry-based learning involved? Yes, there was! We did have some key questions to get us started but, in the end, we came up with our own set of questions. Furthermore, we did not have uniform results as we decided which variables to change. Doing this gave us room to “both discover and synthesize (our) idiosyncratic journey without shoehorning the results into identical presentation templates.” (Fontichiaro, 2015.) Critical thinking during our experiment also played a very important role, by using our prior knowledge we were able to analyze and evaluate the information gathered by our observations. We were then able to reflect and give possible reasons as to why the different variable behaved a certain way and create even more questions. Finally, we were able to bring those ideas together and create a new theory/hypothesis which we will test out next weekend!
Furthermore, Barbara Stripling states that “inquiry is a process of learning that is driven by questioning, thoughtful investigating, making sense of information, and developing new understandings.” (2008). She further adds that “it (inquiry) is cyclical in nature because the result of inquiry is not simple answers but deep understandings that often lead to new questions and further pursuit of knowledge.” Our candles experiment fits that category to a T. Not only were we left with a lot of very interesting questions regarding components surrounding our experiment, but we also gained a lot of new knowledge we did not possess prior to this activity. The experiment also took it a step further by encouraging us to change variables and observe what happens.
How could the School Library Learning commons be inserted into this kind of activity?
If I were to do this activity in our SLLC I would start by providing a variety of both digital and printed materials which would allow students to access their prior knowledge and start creating questions on their own. I would create a multimedia wiki pathfinder to provide a safe and curated place for students to explore. Printed and digital material will be curated to reach as many types of learners as possible, audiobooks, picture books, nonfiction material, are examples of that. To further extend this activity, I would have various experiments kids can do at home with their grown-ups and discuss with them their results.
I also like Debbie Miller’s strategy to start the inquiry process, this involves “creating a large model of a manila folder by taping two pieces of poster board together and dividing the “folder” into 4 quadrants. The top two quadrants are “what we think we know” and “questions.” The bottom two are “what we learned” and “misconceptions.” (Miller 2010) Students are then invited to write on sticky notes their prior knowledge, questions they have, observations and findings; they then add them to the folder for the class to see. The stickies get moved to the various quadrants accordingly. I like this method because it physically shows students how information moves in their brains and how research can help clarify and replace incorrect information they may have had.
Phew…that was a lot to take in wasn’t it?!
Finally, I want to leave you with my three personal objectives for LLED 469.
One of my main goals this year is to start creating a collaborative culture within my school. I want to start working with teachers in creating a learning-centered environment where students are given the opportunity to develop “an inquiry stance with more emphasis on asking good questions than finding the answers.” (Stripling, 2008)
My second goal is to learn how to provide as many tools as possible to further close the gap when it comes to equity and inclusion. I want to be able to reach all my learners and to do so, I need to be able to provide information that is easily accessible by all learners, whether it be at home or at school.
My last goal is to learn how to properly select resources that will encourage deep thinking. Is there a criteria I must follow? How can I create a list of resources that can be accessed by everyone?
I’m very excited to embark on this new adventure! I know it will be overwhelming at times but, as we all know, the only way we learn is by taking risks!
Until next time,
The Duchess of Bookington
References:
Favorite Inspiring Quotes ~ The Inquiring Mind. (n.d.). Trans4mind.com. Retrieved September 11, 2022, from https://trans4mind.com/quotes/inquiring-mind.html
Fontichiaro, K. (2015). “What’s Inquiry? Well, I Know It When I See It.” School Library Monthly, 31(4), 49–51. https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=321d77f7-5b63-4de7-90d3-77b9fef80e3e%40redis
Fontichiaro, K., & Green, J. (2010). Jump-Start Inquiry: How Students Begin When They Don’t Know: Part of a special issue: Envision the Future. School Library Monthly, 26(5), 22–23. https://web.s.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=0ca02e20-62c2-4f68-830b-8cf0efc0965a%40redis
Pappas, C. (2014, June 18). Instructional Design Models and Theories: Inquiry-based Learning Model. ELearning Industry; eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/inquiry-based-learning-model
Resources. (n.d.). Science World. https://www.scienceworld.ca/resources/?pg=0
Smile and Learn - English. (2020). States of Matter and Changes of State - Science for Kids [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNvElea-124
Stripling, B. (2008). Inquiry: Inquiring Minds Want to Know. School Library Monthly, 25(1), 50–52. https://web.s.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=90881efd-673f-4357-ac4b-8f18a9441108%40redis
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