Inquiry-Based Learning and Computational Thinking: A Powerful Blend
Some subjects have a reputation for being “boring,” but it’s often not the fault of the subject. Oftentimes, it’s the way the subject is presented. One student may see history as a rich tapestry of stories interwoven into the past, while another complains that it’s “just dates.”
The idea of “When am I ever going to use this?” shouldn’t just be a throwaway joke. Some educators are taking that question at face value, explaining how skills beget skills. Sometimes memorization is necessary to scaffold later learning, like how learning verb conjugations helps students speak Spanish.
That said, once baseline knowledge is achieved, how can teachers shift students’ ways of looking at a subject?
Computational Thinking, Meet Inquiry-Based Learning
Computational thinking (CT) is one way to change how students approach a subject. Whether through introducing reflection into lessons to get students to reconsider their feelings on a subject or by deconstructing subjects into thematic topics, thereby shaking up preconceived notions of what “history” or “math” is, CT can be a useful classroom tool. Even better, CT helps students to pick up compsci skills that can bolster professional learning.
One aspect of CT that’s often overlooked is that it’s a problem-solving framework, not necessarily a cry for everyone to learn how to code. While coding can be useful in applying CT skills to interesting problems, where does that interest come from?
Enter “inquiry-based learning,” or IBL.
IBL isn’t a new idea, although it’s relevant to today’s classrooms due to its student-centered approach. When students approach problems they’re interested in, they have the agency to tackle topics that are relevant to their lives. This interest can fuel mastery, which in turn can fuel enthusiasm.
Essentially, IBL asks students to develop a question that interests them, then to dive deep into researching the answer. IBL can be applied to different subjects, and it is primarily driven by curiosity. Particularly for older learners, who might be stuck in a standardized testing rut, curiosity can spark engagement with learning.
Blending Computational Thinking with Inquiry-Based Learning
Since CT is a framework, not necessarily a problem to be solved, and since IBL is a solvable problem, not necessarily a framework, there is a good balance between the two ideas. A student who has developed a question per IBL’s methodology can then use a CT tool or concept to begin analyzing and “inquiring” said question.
The synergy between these two ideas can be powerful, giving students the free rein to not only pursue something they like but also giving them a chance to develop problem-solving and analytical skills.
In a history class, for example, perhaps an IBL project has students coming up with a topic of interest: football, makeup, fantasy novels, video games. From there, they could be given a menu of CT methodologies: deconstruction, pattern recognition, algorithmic thinking, what-if experimentation. The IBL charge is to analyze the history (the subject) of their interest (the question). The CT framework gives students a way to go about analysis.
If one student chooses to deconstruct makeup, the history lesson may involve beauty norms of cultures through time. If another student applies pattern recognition to video games, they may see how genres develop and change, or even how the video game canon both breaks and shifts cultural norms.
Going back even to the intersection between CT and code, analyzing media with the Wolfram Language could give students the chance to apply creative algorithms or to take a more “distant” look at their favorite things.
The ensuing historical research from this IBL-CT tag-team could be both novel and engaging, teaching students vital technical skills while also keeping them interested and involved in class activities. Although creating such open projects can prove challenging to grade, rubrics can help to clarify expectations, as with projects created through project- or problem-based learning (PBL). Moreover, the initial involvement on the teacher side can make the prep-to-student learning ratio overwhelmingly positive.
For Further Inquiries…
As IBL isn’t a new idea, there are a number of resources online sharing ideas on how to apply IBL to your lessons. Search for “inquiry-based learning” on Edutopia, for example. This post on the Mind/Shift blog goes deeper into IBL, offering concrete tips and launching an IBL project in your classroom.
As with any new educational tool or framework, you can add IBL to your classes in small doses. Let students explore a topic of interest for a daily reflection. Make a book report open-ended. As students get more used to the idea, or you finish teaching them the foundations of your curriculum, you can then introduce analytical tools or CT (as with lesson plans from Computational Thinking Initiatives) to add depth and richness to your students’ inquiries.
About the blogger:
Jesika Brooks
Jesika Brooks is an editor and bookworm with a Master of Library and Information Science degree. She works in the field of higher education as an educational technology librarian, assisting with everything from setting up Learning Management Systems to teaching students how to use edtech tools. A lifelong learner herself, she has always been fascinated by the intersection of education and technology. She edits the Tech-Based Teaching blog (and always wants to hear from new voices!).
