Module 3 EDU6526
The Inductive Model and Inquiry-Based Learning are proving to be difficult for me to integrate into my current or future teaching of music. From what I gather, the Inductive Model is primarily being used for “sociology, anthropology, economics, and political science, as well as history and geography”(Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007, p 168). I do not know the name of the curriculum, but the Inductive Model seems to be the model for the Social Studies curriculum in Lake Washington School District. Most of the lessons begin with one or more study prints which the students are supposed to look at and describe. Then they usually make lists of the objects they see in the picture and categorize them. I talked to several teachers and it is new this school year and it seems to be ineffective for teaching the information. It is very surface-level information and does not require the students to think critically. Dell’Olio & Donk (2007) have even stated that “the Inductive Model’s effects on student achievement have received little study”(p.168). I am not implying that only effective strategies are studied and therefore the Inductive Model should not be used, but that there are so many other effective strategies which have been studied extensively and have been proven to be effective.
The Inquiry-Based Learning model is a completely different story. I have also seen this being used in the classrooms I’ve substituted for and the results are great. Lake Washington School District also uses Inquiry-Based learning and I have seen the effectiveness. The students are engaged in their learning, they are required to think critically, and they are not only learning information but skills necessary for life. The science kits are probably extremely expensive to create, but to have the students learning so much, it is not surprising that the districts and parents believe it is money well spent. Dell’Olio & Donk (2007) have stated that “students’ understanding of the major concepts in mathematics and the social and natural sciences, their positive attitudes about learning these disciplines, their skills in cognitive processes and systematic investigation, and their ability to analyze and evaluate the global impact of social and scientific progress are dependent on their substantive experiences with inquiry learning in school”(p. 347). I also refer to Marzano (2001) who found that generating and testing hypotheses had an average effect size of .61 which is quite significant.
