iLabs: Supporting Teacher Inquiry

Bertram (Chip) BruceLibrary & Information Science

U. of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignJune 15, 2010

Abstract

Inquiry-based teaching means engaging students in active learning based on their own experiences & questions. The inquiry cycle of asking, investigating, creating, discussing, & reflecting enables a deeper, more meaningful kind of learning. Inquiry teachers do best when they in turn can learn through a teaching community of practice. The Inquiry Page and Community Inquiry Labs are web-based tools to support those communities for both teachers and students.

Introduction to...

inquiry-based learning

community of practice

Inquiry Page => Community Inquiry Labs

Engaging students in active learning based on their own experiences & questions

Process of asking, investigating, creating, discussing, & reflecting

What is inquiry-based learning?

Inquiry cycle

Pedro Alibizu Campos High School

Ingredients for sofrito

Planters for each municipality

Learning by all participants

Community of practicefor teaching & learning

Lesson planning using the inquiry cycle

Resources for inquiry teaching & learning

Partner projects

Collaborative teaching & learning community

Inquiry Page

Why Community Inquiry Labs?

University supported: no cost, non-commercial, no data mining, no ads, no spam

Participatory design

Inquiry unit builder

Community of practice: community access, sharing, cloning,

CITES Academic Technology Services

College of Education

Graduate School of Library& Information Sciences

Links

Inquiry Page: inquiry.illinois.edu

CILabs: cilabs.illinois.edu

More on inquiry and the Campos High School: go.illinois.edu/frogs

References

Benson, A. P., & Bruce, Bertram C. (2001, August). Using the web to promote inquiry and collaboration: A snapshot of the Inquiry Page's development. Teaching Education, 12(2), 153-163.

Bruce, B. C., & Bishop, A. P. (2002, May). Using the web to support inquiry-based literacy development. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 45(8), 706-714.

The Community Inquiry Lab Collaborative (2004, March). Community inquiry labs as effective community informatics tools. In Peter Day (ed.), Building & bridging community networks: Knowledge, innovation & diversity through communication, Brighton, UK.

Bishop, Ann P., Bruce, Bertram C., & Jones, M. Cameron (2006). Community inquiry and informatics: Collaborative learning and action through ICT. Journal of Community Informatics, 2(2).

Bishop, Ann P., & Bruce, Bertram C. (2009). Community inquiry and collaborative practice: The iLabs of Paseo Boricua. Journal of Community Informatics, 5(1).

Bruce, Bertram C. (2009, April). "Building an airplane in the air": The life of the inquiry group. In Joni Falk & Brian Drayton (eds.), Creating and sustaining online professional learning communities (pp. 47-67). New York: Teachers College Press.