Month: May 2023

edci335, Post 2, Group K

What is inquiry based learning? This comes from the idea that those who are doing the learning (students) should be involved in their learning and interacting with the materials/ideas and the process. This learning style and environment differs from the more ‘traditional’ teaching where a teacher simply tells the students what they need to know and what is important. Inquiry-based learning encourages the students to make connections with the real world and ask questions that can be explored and provide a deeper learning connection. 

In the construction industry this style of learning can be seen in how hands-on and physically interactive the job site is. There is more of an emphasis on making sure the work meets the building codes and regulations which has less of the inquiry-based learning style. However, there are some creative process situations where asking questions is needed to ensure all the parties involved are on the same page with how all the building components are going to function together. For example when looking at the door locking and access of an apartment building, putting yourself in the shoes of the future residents is crucial to understand how they might be moving around and accessing the different rooms/sections of the building. Asking questions like “how would I (being a resident) use my key fob to get to my suite, the amenity areas and visit a friend on a different floor?” These types of questions and situation based thinking create a better understanding of usage.

Inquiry-Based Learning & the Learning Blueprint

The decision of what building material to use comes down to what the capabilities of the material are. This can be better understood and explored when asking questions and being involved in both answering a question and learning about the subject at the same time. Materials have a set list of properties and tolerances and it is up to the selector to analyze those properties to determine the best approach for the specified situation. In the Learning Blueprint there are areas where critical thinking is needed to decipher codes and testing results to see the important decision making facts.

My best learning experience and one that changed the way I learned and went through school was in my high school grade 11 and 12 maths class. As someone who can generally pick up maths this class was the start of how I developed my own learning style. I had a teacher who was incredibly personable and eager to help, not only in class but anytime outside of class, I created a safe environment. As someone who takes pride in their work and places pressure on “perfection” asking for help and admitting to not understanding was not in my vocabulary at the time. The accepting learning environment made by the teacher is what changed the way I handle an issue. 

Too often it is easy to fall into the stream of “I don’t know anything”, “ I will never get this”, “ I am not smart enough, not good enough”. Which are all incorrect. The grade 11 class and teacher really challenged the way I approach a learning difficulty – and that is to bring it back to the basics. There is not one subject that can’t be brought back to the most simple of processes that can’t also be related to anything else. This led me to learn how to stop, say “I’m not sure what is going on here, where and when did I start getting lost on this concept” because my teacher, if you had a question would walk you through the problem and ask along the way at each step if the process made sense to you. This takes the negativity out of a blanket “I don’t understand, I’m dumb” statement and helps isolate exactly where something stopped registering. Which I really admire and am so thankful for this environment and learning how to stay calm and reflect on my own learning.

Moving forward in school I have had to apply this theory over and over, the art of how to approach problems and learning from what works and what needs more process time never stops. I can also say that this is not only how I approach school but also life tasks and problems.