Now departing Question Two:
What are the possible challenges encountered by teachers or students when implementing inquiry learning in the primary school classroom?
Entertainment
Multimedia makes any topic more interesting, when you can find the right thing. I found searching on YouTube, however, a real challenge, as video titles did not feature my key concepts. Simple searches proved more effective than complex ones, for example:
was better than:
Basic video content is great for building background knowledge on subject areas.
In answering my inquiry questions, it was not so helpful. Popular, search-friendly topics (e.g. zoo animals) may provide information.
As with other platforms, YouTube filters results through video-specific conditions.
These include upload date and length, which can be useful when locating lesson content for specific time periods.
The Up Next feature doubles as a recommendations list, displaying a series of video closely related to the video currently playing.
It was through this area I discovered Empowering Students with Voice and Choice by John Spencer, a playlist of eight videos about inquiry-based learning.
Daisy-chaining from this playlist, I found a series of additional videos. My final selections were through recommendations and luck, rather than highly successful searches.
 The power of student-driven learning: Shelley Wright TEDx Talks – June 9, 2013 |
 The power of ummmm…. TEDx Talks – November 10, 2014 |
 The Possibilities and Challenges of Participatory Learning Environments thequietlibrarian – November 2, 2011 |
 The impact of inquiry based learning on students and teachers PrimasProject EU – July 5, 2011 |
YouTube is the regional airline of big brother Google, offering the basics of economy, plus free entertainment. Searching is simple, with focused key concepts drawing more content. Continual in-flight entertainment suggestions of varying length and quality suit many situations, and are great tools for building background knowledge or sustained classroom sessions. The crew, however, can be inexperience; anyone can upload any video, so always assess for authenticity and credibility. The diverse collection of academic, professional and home-made productions are fun, engaging and easy to digest. YouTube is always worth a flight, as you never know what delights await you!
How do you develop good questioning techniques in students?
What is the best way to get the right inquiry questions?
What is a good inquiry learning question?
The search flights have taken me to various destinations, but it is now time to make a final decision about where our journey will end. As a result, I have further redefined the question which will now be explored through the curation collection and safety card:
What are the possible challenges encountered by teachers when implementing inquiry learning in the primary school classroom?
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