Using Inquiry in the Classroom: Developing Creative Thinkers and Information Literate Students

Using Inquiry in the Classroom: Developing Creative Thinkers and Information Literate Students provides an overview of inquiry learning and the importance of developing creative thinkers and information literate students in twenty-first-century education. The text explores how learning can be directly applied in a classroom setting using real world application through technology oriented activities. Coffman showcases WebQuests, Web inquiry, telecollaborative, and problem-based activities with examples and skill-building exercises for readers to implement in their lessons for use in their classrooms. Using this guide, readers will work through strategies for effectively integrating technology into a teaching and learning environment so students gain maximum knowledge and understanding of core concepts. Plus, the content is personalized so that the reader can create activities and lessons for their specific curriculum needs.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: What is Inquiry? Chapter 2: Designing Instruction for Creative Thinking Chapter 3: Embedding Information Literacy into your Course Chapter 4: Setting up an Activity: Tying Good Questions to Objectives Chapter 5: Creating a WebQuest Chapter 6: Creating a Web Inquiry Activity Chapter 7: Creating a Telecollaborative Activity Chapter 8: Creating a Problem-Based Activity Chapter 9: Inquiry and Creativity in Assessments Chapter 10: Inquiry in Education Using Technology Chapter 11: Learning at a Distance Appendix: Resources About the Author

About the Author :
Teresa Coffman, PhD, is an associate professor of education at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. She instructs pre-service teachers as they work toward initial licensure and a Master’s degrese in Education.

Review :
This book serves as an excellent primer for teachers on the value of inquiry learning as a teaching modality. Coffman clarifies the importance of inquiry learning under the umbrella of self-directed knowledge construction. Engaging Students through Inquiry-Oriented Learning and Technology offers teachers both the theoretical underpinnings of inquiry learning as well as practical takeaways of activities that can be put to immediate use in the classroommmm Engaging Students through Inquiry-Oriented Learning and Technology is easy to read and follow, even if you are not a teacher. One of the most important things I learned was to be a guide and to not set too many limits for the students. Web inquiry allows students to take charge in their assignment and is more focused on them finding information online than having the teacher post Web sites for the students to use. These activities make students think and will keep them focused on finding answers that they need. I have to make my hook interesting in order to keep my students motivated and interested in the topic. What a great resource! Coffman makes the reading easy to understand but gives plenty of information and detail; her knowledge of the subject matter comes through without impeding the reader with many technical terms. What I thought about when I read Engaging Students through Inquiry-Oriented Learning and Technology is how little I really understood about Web-based inquiry. This text gives me some innovative ideas for my own web-based activity. Wow! After reading Engaging Students through Inquiry-Oriented Learning and Technology, I have a much better understanding of a Web inquiry activity. When designing and developing my web-based lessons, I will remember to keep the ideas interesting. I want to hook students and get them actively involved in their learning. The more my lesson intrigues students, the better their learning and development of ideas because they are truly interested and want to learn more. When students analyze and synthesize their own ideas, they don't get the ideas of a filtered textbook; instead they create meaning from what they are discovering. In the web-based inquiry activity, my job is to assist students and be their support when they have problems not guide their every single movement. Textbooks provide a good solid source to use in the classroom, but too many teachers use them as their only source. Why would you not use the Web when it has so much valuable information right at your students' fingertips? Engaging Students through Inquiry-Oriented Learning and Technology really helped me to understand all the good things that come with using technology in the classroom. This book serves as an excellent primer for teachers on the value of inquiry learning as a teaching modality. Coffman clarifies the importance of inquiry learning under the umbrella of self-directed knowledge construction. Engaging Students through Inquiry-Oriented Learning and Technology offers teachers both the theoretical underpinnings of inquiry learning as well as practical takeaways of activities that can be put to immediate use in the classroom The inquiry-oriented activities discussed in Coffman's book allow students to be active and engaged in their own learning. This approach to educating twenty-first century learners is exactly what students need to be competitive in this global marketplace! The use of WebQuests, Web-based inquiry, and telecollaborative activities provides students with the hands-on learning they need to be twenty-first century citizens. Students in today's classroom not only need to be engaged, motivated, and interested in learning; they also need to apply their knowledge to the world they live in. . . . I would highly recommend this book to any practicing teacher who wants to do more in the classroom than just lecture and who sees the benefit of real-world application to stimulate theoretical, textbook learning. This book is an excellent resource for educators who want to engage students into higher order thinking, problem solving, and creativity through inquiry-oriented learning and technology. I would highly recommend this book because it is easy to understand and offers a theoretical view and a pragmatic perspective. The inquiry process is fundamental to learning and, therefore, to teaching. Coffman (Univ. of Mary Washington) provides theory and practical ideas for engaging students in creative thinking and problem solving through the use of inquiry strategies and technology tools. The first three chapters define, explain, and provide the rationale for the combination of these three concepts as an integral part of classroom teaching. The author then provides step-by-step directions for successfully integrating inquiry, creative thinking, and information literacy skills. Four chapters specifically address inquiry strategies based on information literacy activities such as webquests, telecollaboration, and problem-solving activities. Coffman provides guidance for incorporating inquiry and creativity in assessment. The book finishes with a brief discussion of distance learning and the importance of inquiry in that setting. Anyone who seeks to improve instructional skills, whether a novice or an experienced teacher, should have this book in his/her professional library. Summing Up: Recommended.