Learning+Model+Article

Inquiry teaching or learning is very student centered, students come to conceptual understanding themselves and are responsible for their learning. This model is based of John Dewey’s philosophies that the learner comes first and the important use of inquiry in teaching. In inquiry teaching, students take on more responsibility in the classroom. Students are more responsible for what they need to learn, how to learn it, using resources, and assessing their progress. Instructors guide and support students while at the same time allowing students to determine what is best for them. Instructors are also there to make sure students stay on track and do not take on too much or slack off. Using this method in the classroom provides students with the opportunity to take ownership for their education, which can really help in the long run. In inquiry teaching, the course is question driven, instructors begin general to provide a starting point, and it is about creating questions that can be researched. Instructors teach students the skills they need to research, access to resources students may need, like internet, library, textbooks, etc., and provide ways that students can monitor and present what they learn. Lastly, instructors are there to be a resource to students and to be a model of effective inquiry. Four basic themes should be addressed in the classroom: time, space, resources, and safety. Students may need more time to work because they are not just being told what to take notes and work on. There needs to be space for resources and for students to work without constantly running into each other. As mentioned earlier, students need to have access to resources in the classroom or at the very least within the school building. Of course, as in any classroom, students need to feel safe, so they can adequately work and present their findings. Activity Theory involves teamwork and socialization over individual work and isolation. There is conscious activity that is directed towards a specific goal. Activity is directed to answer the why, what, and how questions Vygotsky is a main proponent of this theory and the basics of this theory is that “knowledge, learning, and activity cannot be separated” and all need to be incorporated in the classroom. Four various aspects of the whole activity, according to Learning-theories.com, are object-orientedness, internalization/externalization, mediation, and development. Object-orientedness deals with the objective properties that will lead to an outcome, such as knowledge, experiences, and physical products. Internalization is the process of turning external activities into internal ones and externalization is the process of turning internal activities into external ones. Internalization is the individual way of processing information and relating it to reality. When internalized action is failed or needs to be rethought, the use of externalizing helps to clarify by collaborating with others. Human activity is mediated by tools that are created during activity, these tools influence “the nature of external behavior and also the mental functioning of individuals” and help social knowledge. Lastly, development is a research methodology that combines active participation and monitoring changes. These aspects create an integrated system. Inquiry Teaching/Learning and Activity Theory both involve working with other people within the classroom and in the environment to learn. With Activity Theory it is more of a guided socialization and Inquiry Teaching gives students more responsibility and ability to work on concept themselves and with their peers. I personally like the Inquiry Teaching over Activity Theory, I have trouble following Activity Theory and I like that in Inquiry Teaching allows students to take ownership of their learning. I see inquiry courses as project courses, students create a question within the constraints of a topic and research, and rather than the instructor assigning a single method of presentation, students can have choices of of they wish to present the information they've learned.
 * Inquiry Teaching/Learning**
 * Activity Theory**
 * Comparison**

http://www.queensu.ca/ctl/goodpractice/inquiry/index.html http://www.queensu.ca/ctl/goodpractice/inquiry/why_teach.html http://www.queensu.ca/ctl/goodpractice/inquiry/strategies.html http://www.learning-theories.com/activity-theory.html http://www.educ.utas.edu.au/users/ilwebb/research/activity_theory.htm
 * Resources for Inquiry Teaching/Learning**
 * Resources for Activity Theory**

http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=5FB4213A9EEF11DD8EE8000423CF385C
 * Inquiry Teaching Commercial**