Related links
Geogaction
Spatialworlds website
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
Humsteach blog
GeogSplace blog
Follow Spatialworlds on Twitter
Email contact: manning@chariot.net.au
Where am I?? Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'
In two previous Spatialworlds postings I explored the nature of geographical inquiry and the importance of asking questions. In this posting I will explore the need for and nature of inquiry questions in the curriculum documents of the Australian Curriculum: Geography.
“The purpose of an inquiry question is more
important than its form. They are about meaning-making and not knowledge
acquisition.” Wiggins and McTighe
A
contentious aspect of the development of the Australian Curriculum: Geography
has been the need and desirability of developing inquiry questions throughout
the F-10 curriculum. Over the past two years, they have been in, then out, then
in and then … etc. The reason for this
vacillation lies firstly in the conflicting views over the inquiry questions.
One argument against them is that they will unnecessarily guide the approach
(encourage a teacher directed approach) to the curriculum and take away the
opportunity for students to develop their own inquiry questions. On the other
hand, some have thought that the inquiry type questions are necessary because
they will provide a source of inspiration for teachers to develop high quality
geographical inquiry which may be beyond students in the first instance and be
required to guide the ‘non-geographer’ geography teacher. The other reason for
the in and out scenario for the inquiry questions is that it is extremely hard
to develop high quality questions which focus on conceptual understandings
rather than just finding answers to content.
This
impasse set me on a quest to find out what is being said about developing high
quality inquiry questions. This in turn led me directly to the learning design
and backward planning gurus of Wiggins and McTighue.
The
following thoughts have been inspired by their work, my own experience in
schools and as a curriculum writer in developing ‘questions beyond the
worksheet’. It is certainly worth having a good read of their work on learning
design and consider the need to start with the end in mind. In the case of the Australian Curriculum: Geography, that end in my view should be the Achievement Standards.
If I
was to develop the Inquiry questions for the year levels of the curriculum the
question should be crafted to:
· inquire into the big ideas and understandings
of the year level
· provoke discussion as an open question (never
to be a closed question inviting a yes/no response)
· limit reference to specific content. To do so
one needs to blur their eyes to the content. And focus on the
learning/assessment requirements (achievement standards in the Australian
Curriculum).
· involve a degree of contestability – making
balanced judgements based on content studied
· make connections to prior learning and possible
future connections in the curriculum narrative.
· stimulate and focus thinking,
· not require prescriptive answers.
· provide opportunities to open up inquiry with
multiple pathways of thought
· not be a checklist of the facts to learn.
· enable the students to extend the question
and in turn own the inquiry.
· focus on meaning-making and understanding and
not the recall of facts
· the question should raise further questions –
not just an answer.
· be rhetorical to promote thinking.
· 3-4 fundamental understanding questions per
unit.
· accessible in terms of language to students
and the ‘non-geographer’ teacher.
· recognisable in the Content Descriptions and
Achievement Standards of the curriculum.
· identify the relevant concepts for the unit
in the questions.
· be conceptual and abstract requiring the
teacher to model and develop contexts to demonstrate – not teach them through
content questions.
In
essence the questions developed must be crafted so that the teacher can understand
them – hence these questions are primarily focussed on the teacher to design
their program.
To
help with developing ‘more than worksheets’ questions I have gathered this list
of lead-in phrases – they may serve to steer us away from the ‘teacherly’questions as Wiggins and McTighe call them.
To what extent…?
What makes …?
How can ...?
When is it …?
Why should …?
Why would …?
How does …?
How do you know …?
How is …?
What do …?
When should …?
When is …?
How would …?
What should …?
How much does …?
Is there a …?
How well …?
In what ways might …?
What would happen if …?
Under what conditions …?
On balance …?
Why …?
Why would one say that …?
Why do you think that …?
How would you respond …?
Who is …?
Evaluate …?
Analyse…?
How accurate is the …?
How well can …?
