Levels of Inquiry

When considering inquiry activities in schools, consider the experiences and skills of your students. There are four levels of inquiry (Callison).

Controlled. In a controlled inquiry, the teacher and/or media specialist chooses the topic and identifies materials that students will use to address their questions. Students are often involved with specific exercises and activities to meet particular learning outcomes such as retelling stories, evaluating sources, or comparing approaches. Students often have a specific product such as a Venn diagram, paragraph, or poster.

Guided. In a guided inquiry, student have more flexibility in their resources and activities however they are expected to create a prescribed final product such as a report or presentation.

Modeled. In a modeled inquiry, students act as apprentice to a coach such as a media specialist or classroom teacher. The student has flexibility in terms of topic selection, process, and product. The educators and students work side-by-side engaging in meaningful work.

Free. In a free inquiry, students work independently. They explore meaningful questions, examine multiple perspectives, draw conclusions, and choose their own approach for information dissemination.

What are your experiences with inquiry? Have you been involved with controlled, guided, modeled, or free inquiry projects as a student or teacher? How did you feel about each experience?

 

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