C6: Evidencing the Inquiry

by Lu Gerlach

Looking Back

As we are looking to assess student understanding, are we considering the entire journey and not just content objectives?  Things to consider when looking back: 
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• ​Do students understand the WHY of the unit and how is this demonstrated? 
• Did they engage in a variety of inquiry thinking?
• Have we addressed the questions in our A-Z planner?
• Do students know how to ask a variety of questions?
• Have they gone through different stages of inquiry to stretch their thinking?

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To authentically assess a child, we need to see the big picture of student ability.  This is especially important with inquiry-based learning, since it tends to be more hands-on in nature.  How do we assess inquiry? How do we find a balance between collecting data on a child and evidence of student growth.  Do we know the difference?

Assessing Inquiry

The IB has defined assessment in the PYP as evidencing learning, which places less emphasis on summative assessment and more emphasis on formative assessment.  This is opposite of most curriculum focuses where there is a greater focus on tests that collect data points.

The IB came up with four dimensions of assessment, which includes: monitoring, documenting, measuring, and reporting on learning.. 
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Let’s take a deeper look at each of them.

​How are you varying the assessments you administer to your students? The PYP places emphasis on evidencing learning (monitoring and documenting) over data collection (measuring and reporting).  This is often in direct contrast to most government funded programs. 

How do we find a balance in a data-driven school?  We can show evidence of inquiry on our bulletin boards (inside and outside our classrooms), refer to prior learning, have students reflect more on their learning, take photos of learning and display them with a caption, and use rubrics and checklists.  This will provide some balance to all of the required testing that is beyond our control.

Here are some questions to help further guide your thinking process. 

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​This podcast ends our series on inquiry basics.  Inquiry is a continuously evolving process and I highly recommend you purchase The Power of Inquiry by Kath Murdoch.  Her book outlines the entire spectrum of how to consider inquiry in your classroom.  Unlike most books, you don’t have to read it straight through.  Her chapters focus on unique considerations when planning and teaching inquiry.  It’s a wonderful staff book club choice, because you can delve deep into one area of planning and apply it directly to your unit planner.  Get that one area fixed, then move onto something else.  Remember, this is not a race, but a journey of becoming better. 

If you are a more visual person we will be having a 5 DAY INQUIRY CHALLENGE to walk through our guides. Join our Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1177890089215736/

See you in our next episode where we’ll begin to talk about agency and action and their connection to inquiry. 
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Remember, hold on to that passion