Concept-Based Inquiry in Action: Strategies to Promote Transferable Understanding(Corwin Teaching Essentials)

About the Book

"This is exactly what my school needs right now to support colleagues to build on the foundations of our written concept-based curriculum and to take-off our taught curriculum to the next - and highest - levels."
Neville Kirton, Deputy Head of Secondary
Colegio Anglo Colombiano, Bogota, Colombia

"Filled with strategies, illustrations, diagrams, and pictures, this book really gives you the insight you need to help students better understand what they are learning. So many great ideas that can be used in any classroom. A must read for all educators."
Amanda McKee, 9th, Algebra/Geometry, Secondary Certified Instructor/Mentor
Johnsonville High School, Johnsonville, SC

Create a thinking classroom that helps students move from the factual to the conceptual

All students deserve the opportunity to think conceptually. But seeing conceptual relationships does not come naturally to every student. How can teachers construct thinking classrooms where students can move from the factual to the conceptual level of thinking?

Concept-Based Inquiry in Action has the answers. In this book, the authors marry theory with practice to create a new framework for inquiry that promotes deep understanding: Concept-Based Inquiry. The key is helping students to inquire into concepts and the relationships between them using guiding questions developed by the teacher, the students themselves, or by the teacher and students together. Step by step, the authors lead both new and experienced educators to implement teaching strategies that support the realization of inquiry-based learning for understanding in any K–12 classroom.

The book and its accompanying website are rich with the resources necessary to facilitate the construction and transfer of conceptual understanding, including

• Numerous practical teaching strategies, aligned to each phase of Concept-Based Inquiry, that can be modified for diverse populations
• Visual notes that represent significant ideas discussed within each chapter
• Videos of instructional strategies and teacher interviews that show Concept-Based Inquiry in action in K–12 classrooms around the world
• Templates of graphic organizers, sample anchor charts, and blackline masters that support the use of teaching strategies in the classroom
• Planners that show how the phases of Concept-Based Inquiry come together in a unit

In a world filled with complexity, the role of the teacher as a facilitator of conceptual understanding has never been more pressing. Concept-Based Inquiry in Action provides teachers with the tools necessary to organize and focus student learning around concepts and conceptual relationships that support deep understanding.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by H. Lynn Erickson and Lois A. Lanning Acknowledgments About the Authors About the Illustrator Introduction Chapter 1: The Foundations of Concept-Based Inquiry Bringing Together Inquiry-Based and Concept-Based Learning Part 1: Exploring Inquiry-Based Learning Inquiry Approaches in Concept-Based Inquiry Part 2: Exploring Concept-Based Learning Concepts as Organizers The Structures of Knowledge and Process Disciplines Draw From Knowledge and Process Pause and Reflect Chapter 2: Concept-Based Inquiry A Model of Concept-Based Inquiry The Phases of Concept-Based Inquiry The Complexity of Inquiry Concept-Based Inquiry and the Inductive Approach Creating a Culture of Concept-Based Inquiry Pause and Reflect Chapter 3: Planning for Concept-Based Inquiry What Planning Steps Support Concept-Based Inquiry? How Can Teachers Enhance Their Understanding of a Unit? What Role Do Guiding Questions Play in Concept-Based Inquiry? What Do the Phases of Concept-Based Inquiry Look Like in a Unit? Pacing in Concept-Based Inquiry How Do the Phases of Inquiry Support Teacher Planning for Concept-Based Inquiry? What Are Approaches for Making Interdisciplinary Links? Connecting to the Phases of Inquiry Pause and Reflect Chapter 4: Engage Activating Prior Knowledge Using Engagement Strategies Using Strategies to Motivate Students Initial Questions, Initial Thinking Rethinking Our Use of Engagement Strategies Opinion-Based Strategies Experiential Strategies Discussion-Based Strategies Assessment in the Engage Phase Connecting Phases of Inquiry Pause and Reflect Chapter 5: Focus Using Concept Formation Strategies to Focus an Inquiry Concepts Provide Breadth and Depth Levels of Conceptual Thinking Effective Concept Formation Practices Concept Formation Strategies: Deductive and Inductive Approaches Choosing Concept Formation Strategies Assessment in the Focus Phase Connecting Phases of Inquiry Pause and Reflect Chapter 6: Investigate The Power of Factual Examples Case Study Approaches Focus on Skill Development A Preface to Strategies Assessment in the Investigate Phase Connecting Phases of Inquiry Pause and Reflect Chapter 7: Organize Making Meaning Using Organizers Cognitive Load Theory and the Importance of Organizing Representation and Conceptual Understanding Sharing Findings as a Community of Inquirers A Preface to Strategies Assessment in the Organize Phase Connecting Phases of Inquiry Pause and Reflect Chapter 8: Generalize An Inductive Approach to Generalizing Developing Strong Generalizations Scaffolding Thinking The Value of Recording Generalizations The Importance of Discussion A Preface to Strategies Assessment in the Generalize Phase Connecting Phases of Inquiry Pause and Reflect Chapter 9: Transfer Transfer That Deepens Understanding Testing and Justifying Generalizations Understanding New Events and Situations Predicting and Hypothesizing Applying Learning Taking Action Assessment in the Transfer Phase Connecting Phases of Inquiry Pause and Reflect Chapter 10: Reflect The Power of Reflection The Reflective Cycle Building Agency Reflection Throughout the Inquiry Assessing Reflection Throughout the Inquiry Connecting Phases of Inquiry Pause and Reflect Chapter 11: Concluding Thoughts A Vision for Thinking Classrooms Understand and Adapt Resources Resource A. Concept-Based Inquiry Glossary of Terms Resource B. Concept-Based Inquiry Planner Resource C. Sample Concept-Based Inquiry Planner: Industrialization Unit References Index

About the Author :
Carla Marschall is an experienced educator, curriculum developer, and pedagogical leader, who has worked in a variety of leadership roles in international schools in Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong, and Singapore over the past ten years. She currently works as the Director of Teaching & Learning at UWC South East Asia, with the mission to make “education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.” A certified Lynn Erickson Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Consultant, Carla is the co-author of Concept-Based Inquiry in Action (Corwin, 2018). Carla holds a Masters in Elementary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Masters in Applied Educational Leadership and Management from the Institute of Education, University of London.  Website: http://www.connectthedotsinternational.com/ Rachel French, MA Ed, Rachel is a full-time educational consultant and presenter. Through workshops and ongoing consultation Rachel supports schools around the world with the planning and implementation of Concept-Based Inquiry.  She also coaches and provides feedback to teams of teachers on curriculum development. She is experienced in aligning Concept-Based Inquiry and the IB programmes. Rachel is an international teacher, who has worked in schools in South America, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. She is a certified Independent Consultant, Presenter and Trainer with Lynn Erickson and Lois Lanning. Rachel has presented numerous workshops in Europe and Asia, including workshops with Dr. Erickson, Dr. Lanning and Carla Marschall. Rachel is also the director of Professional Learning International (PLI), a company she founded to support  international schools and educators in accessing leading professional development opportunities. Through PLI, Rachel French is now the sole provider of the annual Dr. H. Lynn Erickson and Dr. Lois A. Lanning Certification Institute for Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Trainers and Presenters. E-mail: Rachel_french@prolearnint.com Website: www.professionallearninginternational.com

Review :

"For all its pedagogical purity, concept-based learning continues, no doubt, to perplex in practice. This book synchronizes concept and inquiry-based learning, demystifying the theories that underpin them and providing a wealth of practical classroom strategies that, ultimately, serves to deepen students’ conceptual understandings. This is exactly what my school needs right now to support colleagues to build on the foundations of our written concept-based curriculum and to take-off our taught curriculum to the next - and highest - levels."

"I feel that this is a book that is timely and needed for a clearer picture of Concept-based Inquiry in action.  This is a manuscript that educators would be able to pick up, understand, and apply into the classroom." "Filled with strategies, illustrations, diagrams, and pictures, this book really gives you the insight you need to help students better understand what they are learning. So many great ideas that can be used in any classroom. A must read for all educators." "It’s not every day that you read educational literature that you know will immediately have an impact on developing and improving your teaching practice. This book is like a guide that will lead you through the steps to becoming a better Concept-Based teacher. It is a book that teachers will take to planning meetings, have open, and refer to everyday. Just as a travel guide leads you too new discoveries this book will lead you to new discoveries with Concept-Based Inquiry. With this book you will see change and success in not only your teaching practice but also the understanding that the students will have in their learning."