ECS210
Curriculum
Inquiry Projects
CurrInquir
Possible Topics:
Social Justice
Technology
Inquiry
Inclusive Education
What is a family?
Curriculum
Building a Community of Learners
Moving Beyond the ‘Holiday
Curriculum’
Aboriginal Content & Perspectives
1. You will explore the implications for anti-oppressive orientation
and curriculum design for teachers and learners, especially
around issues of equity.
Equitable Resources
Talking about Sexism
Environmental Education
Anti-racism
GLBTA Youth in Schools
Creating an Anti-Bias Learning
Environment
Multiculturalism
Poverty in the Classroom
Socially Active Students: Social
Action Projects in the Classroom
FNMI (First Nations, Metis & Inuit)
Ways of Knowing
Gender Equity
English as Additional Language (EAL)
Learners in the Classroom
No more bullying!
Treaties in the Classroom
2. You will work in interest-based groups to explore a social justice
topic as related to curriculum using technology throughout the
inquiry (content, process & product).
3. The 3 key areas to weave together for your project are:
 Social Justice Topic
 Saskatchewan Curriculum
o 3 Broad Areas of Learning:
Sense of Self, Community & Place; Lifelong Learners;
Engaged Citizens
o 4 Cross-Curricula Competencies:
Thinking; Identity and Interdependence; Literacies;
Social Responsibility
o Areas of Study (Subjects) Outcomes & Indicators
o Treaty Education Outcomes & Indicators
 Technology Integration (content, process, product,
environment)
4. Process for Inquiry:
 Explore, Brainstorm (choose topic)
 Design Questions (essential & guiding)
 Shape Inquiry (build framework)
 Research, Curricula Connections, Resources, Planning
 Synthesis of Learning (reflections, questions)
 (Re)Presentation: Create an online space and prepare &
deliver an engaging in-class presentation which will include an
experiential component (learning experience, lesson plan or
learning centre that participants experience)
ECS210 Inquiry Model
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
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Explore curriculum as written: Broad Areas of Learning, Cross-Curricula Competencies,
Areas of Study outcomes & indicators and Treaty Education outcomes & indicators)
Explore the implications for an anti-oppressive orientation to curriculum design
Explore the implications of curriculum design for teachers and learners, especially around
issues of equity
Explore & integrate the use of technology
Understand that teachers can exercise a high degree of agency
Beginning the Inquiry Process
A. Initial Experience/Exploratory Phase
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Begins with an exploratory phase to define an interest-based topic
Builds background knowledge, experiences, interest, curiosity, wonder
Brainstorm and construct a concept web of possible ideas to inquire into
Focus: Concept Web & form interest-based groups in seminar
B. The Inquiry Question/Essential Question
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Examine the concept web to see what focus most ideas would connect to
Think about an essential question (the Big Idea) that will be the umbrella question for the study
This essential question:
o Fuels and directs the inquiry process
o Is a thing of wonder (question has no definitive answer)
o Is a puzzle and will continue to puzzle
o Remains a guiding influence at all times throughout learning experience
C. Guiding Questions:
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Think about some guiding questions that will help guide your thinking & background research
Guiding Questions:
o Support the essential question
o Break down the question into more manageable components
o Provide focus throughout the process
Focus: Write 3 or 4 guiding questions for your topic
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Shaping the Inquiry (Building a Framework)
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What are we going to do? What’s next?
How will we start to answer guiding questions?
What are areas to research, resources, other ideas?
Who is going to do what? (if working in group)
What will be the end result of our inquiry process? What will we offer? How will we (re)present
our findings? Our learnings? (unit plan, wiki, resource package...)
What is our framework? THIS is the proposal for the inquiry project.
Focus: Write your proposal
Inquiring: Final Phases
D. Research & Curricula Connections
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Become familiar with Broad Areas of Learning and make connections to your topic
Become familiar with Cross Curricula Competences and make connections to your topic
Explore subject/grade level outcomes & indicators that you will build learning
experiences/lesson plan(s) that connect to your topic (backmapping)
Build your own background knowledge on the topic based on the guiding questions
Find possible resources (books, websites, learning centre material) for learning
experiences/lesson plan(s) for students
Brainstorm different strategies to meet diverse student needs
Brainstorm possible instructional strategies and assessment tools
Develop learning experience(s) and/or lesson plans and/or learning centres
Focus: Creating meaningful learning experiences for your students to engage with your topic.
E. Synthesis & Reflection
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Make sense of what you’ve learned
Reflect on the essential question and gained understandings
What did you learn?
How will this project impact your planning and teaching?
What questions do you now have?
F. (Re)presentation
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What form will our (re)presentation take? (presentation form)
How will you use technology to share your inquiry project? (online space)
How do we see sharing our understandings & questions with our peers?
What learning experience will you include in your presentation?
How will you share your thoughts on your social justice topic and issues addressed?
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