Reading Review Part A- Inquiry Based Learning

I have decided to focus on Inquiry Based Learning for my reading review assignment.  This is a topic that I have been exploring little by little but have not taken the time to really dive into.  There are teachers in my school that do IBL on occasion but I would like to establish some guidelines and a framework so that all teachers feel comfortable using IBL. I feel that IBL is an opportunity for students to explore various topics by having more choice and by becoming more engaged in their learning throughout the process. It also allows teachers to be more flexible and to have a more personalized approach to learning so that individual needs and learning styles can be taken into consideration.

My end goal is to create a user-friendly website for teachers so that they can easily assist their students throughout the IBL process.  I would like to incorporate technology along with literacy skills to make sure that students are well supported at every step.  My school currently has an iPad cart and we will be purchasing a Mac book cart by the end of the year.  I’m hoping that with my website teachers will feel comfortable using this technology on a regular basis, especially when doing research or projects.  I also hope that this site will assist in collaborating with teachers so that they understand the process and consequently will be open to collaborating with me. 

Some topics that I plan on exploring further are:

•      Research models especially Points of Inquiry created by the BCTLA
•           Websites or apps that will facilitate the different steps of Inquiry Based Learning
•           Website evaluation and critiquing
•           How to effectively search for information online (key words, use of different search engines)
•           How to use Non-Fiction Reading Power and Non-Fiction Writing Power by Adrienne Gear to assist in projects
•           Finding planning sheets and rubrics for IBL that are easy to use
•           TL and teacher collaboration using IBL
  
  I know that Inquiry Based Learning has a lot of different aspects to it so I may be adding or combining some topics.  Let the research begin!