Environmental Inquiry
(Resource: Natural Curiosity: A Resource for Teachers, 2011)
Inquiry Based Learning:
Inquiry based learning fosters a sense of wonder in the world around us. It places students’ questions and ideas at the heart of the learning process. Children are born naturally inquisitive, and as they grow they build upon their natural sense of curiosity by using their senses to explore and learn. This basis of learning does not stop once children reach kindergarten. Teachers have the opportunity to build upon this natural sense of wonder to help cultivate a love a learning, thus allowing students the opportunity to be fully engaged, life-long learners.
Teachers using the inquiry-based model are facilitators of knowledge: providing a rich variety of tools, resources and real life experiences to help students respond and reflect upon the world around them.
Inquiry based learning fosters a sense of wonder in the world around us. It places students’ questions and ideas at the heart of the learning process. Children are born naturally inquisitive, and as they grow they build upon their natural sense of curiosity by using their senses to explore and learn. This basis of learning does not stop once children reach kindergarten. Teachers have the opportunity to build upon this natural sense of wonder to help cultivate a love a learning, thus allowing students the opportunity to be fully engaged, life-long learners.
Teachers using the inquiry-based model are facilitators of knowledge: providing a rich variety of tools, resources and real life experiences to help students respond and reflect upon the world around them.
Experiential Learning:
Refers to learning in which students are interacting directly with objects in their environment by using their senses.
Emphasizes personal experience and reflection over text books or work sheets.
Encourages teachers to provoke student curiosity by providing open ended learning opportunities.
Promotes student questioning, experimentation, reflection, exploration, and wondering.
Refers to learning in which students are interacting directly with objects in their environment by using their senses.
Emphasizes personal experience and reflection over text books or work sheets.
Encourages teachers to provoke student curiosity by providing open ended learning opportunities.
Promotes student questioning, experimentation, reflection, exploration, and wondering.
Integrated Learning:
Refers to the integration of subject areas and how students make connections across disciplines.
The environment is seen as interconnected facilitating a deeper understanding of one topic by exploring it across multiple levels.
Uses students’ questions, ideas and interests as the catalyst for creating authentic learning experiences.
Refers to the integration of subject areas and how students make connections across disciplines.
The environment is seen as interconnected facilitating a deeper understanding of one topic by exploring it across multiple levels.
Uses students’ questions, ideas and interests as the catalyst for creating authentic learning experiences.
Stewardship:
Refers to how human actions directly impact how we can sustain our environment.
Fosters a deep respect and desire to protect our environment and its delicate balance.
Recognizes that we all have a responsibility to care for and protect our planet.
Refers to how human actions directly impact how we can sustain our environment.
Fosters a deep respect and desire to protect our environment and its delicate balance.
Recognizes that we all have a responsibility to care for and protect our planet.