Enquiry
Based
Learning
QCA’s description of independent
enquirers
Young people who process and evaluate
information in their investigations, planning
what to do and how to go about it.
To engage fully in enquiry based
learning students need to engage
in the following processes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Questioning
Planning
Revising
Imagining
Reasoning
Making Links
Communicating
Discuss
• Gains for students
• Gains for teachers
• Possible pitfalls
TEACHING HIGHER ORDER THINKING
Cognitive conflict
and challenge
Metacognition
Bridging and
Transfer
TASC
THINKING
ACTIVELY
IN A
SOCIAL CONTEXT
TASC
THINKING:
- can be improved
- can cope with complexity
- a range of thinking strategies can
be developed
TASC
ACTIVELY:
- ownership of learning
- part of decision-making
- empowered
- aware of long-term goals
- motivated
TASC
SOCIAL:
- interaction
- sharing
- cooperation
TASC
CONTEXT:
- relevant
- linked with real life
- culturally meaningful
Some possible contexts:
- Design and technology
- Planning a teddy bear’s picnic
- A summer production
- A school council research project
- A science investigation
Assemble from memory
Note links and ideas
Extend through questions
Baseline for learning
What do
I know
about
this?
Clarify purpose of task
Establish criteria for success
What is
the task?
Examples of excellence
How many
ideas can I
think of?
Suggest ideas and methods
Collect a variety of evidence
See different perspectives
Find a new way
TASC TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE THINKING
How do the ideas
link?
What are we trying to
do?
How many ideas
can we think of?
What do other
people think?
1 2
Which is the
most important?
What is the
opposite
view?
3
What are all the
factors?
What will
happen if?
Which is
the best
idea?
Plan the task
Give reasons for choices
Select key ideas
Plan presentation medium
Prioritise
Let’s do
It!
Carry through a plan
Monitor progress
Change direction
See the next steps
Evaluate against criteria
See ways to improve
Carry out improvements
Reflect on the task
Opportunities for change
How well did
I do?
Real audience
Explain and share
Celebrate the process of
learning
Present in different styles
Let’s tell
Someone!
Reflect on performance
Transfer skills
Retain new knowledge
Articulate new skills
What have
I learned?
Comments made by teachers at the end of a
whole school TASC research project
• ‘The children researched and worked with such
enthusiasm’
• ‘We became aware that some children needed
more structure and guidance at first because
they were not used to working in such an open
ended way. We needed to assess the degree of
structure necessary and the withdraw the support
as they became more confident’.
• ‘The TASC wheel gives the children a structure for
the different stages of their thinking. It is flexible,
sometimes we use the whole wheel, sometimes
one part when there is a need’.
TASC is just one tool that can support
schools to develop enquiry based
learning.
• Philosophical Enquiry
• BLP’s ‘building the habits of…’ guides
• ???????Share
TASC Websites
NACE
http://www.nace.co.uk/tasc/tasc_home.htm
Webquest
http://www.webquestuk.org.uk/TASC%20WH
EEL/Wheel.htm