inquiry | ResourceLink

Inspired by the work happening at St Oliver Plunkett Cannon Hill (which you can read about here), I decided to undertake further exploration into how iPads might support inquiry learning. A followup post will take this one step further, focusing on using the inquiry learning process to frame workflows to stimulate deep and authentic learning.

The model of inquiry I chose to use was the LADDER model, which I developed several years ago in an attempt to create a model which had an easy to understand language that both students and teachers could understand.

What is LADDER?

The LADDER model takes it name from the stages of the process, which are not linear, but iterative, as learners work through the process of creating responses to the inquiry question. The stages are:Launch, Access, Develop, Demonstrate, Evaluate and Reflect.

Linking apps to the inquiry process

Let’s examine each stage of the model more closely, and identify apps which might be useful during this phase.

L = Launch

The launch is a time when an area for inquiry is established. Initiated either by curriculum demands or student interest, a topic or issue is introduced and students are immersed in the content and context of this. Students’ prior knowledge of the topic is elicited, and ideas and planning for how the inquiry will take shape occur with varying levels of teacher support. During the launch phase, apps that provide immersive material such as images and videos, as well as brainstorming and mindmapping apps come to the fore. Great apps for this stage include:

	The terrific TED Talks, inspiring and informative, terrific for inspiring questions and stimulating class discussion.
	A collaborative pinboard where ideas, images and more can be added – use as a ‘wonder wall’ or for brainstorming.
	Create beautiful looking flowcharts and mind maps to dig deeper into inquiry questions.
	Browse Wikipedia though a visual interface which makes breaking open concepts even easier.

A = Access

When the inquiry has been generated, students need to access content knowledge and sources of additional information to meet the demands of the inquiry and to further clarify their thinking. Formal teaching of concepts and content may occur during this time also, so that students have the skills necessary to make links between the new content knowledge they are gaining and their prior experiences and understandings. If the students are being required to present their learnings in a genre or format which is unfamiliar to them, explicit teaching of this may also begin at this stage. Accessing and sharing information begins at this time, and so some of the apps useful during this phase include:

	Use the Google Earth app to access geographical and natural science information.
	The Skype app allows students to interview others from all over the world, for exceptional primary source information.
	Accessing information includes understanding all of the terms used throughout the investigation – this dictionary app makes it easy.
	Product and company information is often accessible through QR codes on packaging. Alternatively, engage students in their search by creating a QR Code scavenger hunt.

D = Develop

When the information has been gathered, students can begin to develop their responses to the inquiry, and organise the information into the form required for presentation. At this stage students would be researching, designing and constructing their responses to their chosen inquiry. The role of the teacher is as guide, assisting students in developing a plan so that their approach to the inquiry is divided into manageable steps, and continuing to teach skills as they are required as part of the process.

	Skitch allows annotations over images, documents, maps and more. Great for developing plans and designing innovations.
	Evernote is an exercise book on steroids. Use it to keep notes, record lectures, add photos and to share information with others.
	Plan out a storyboard using the terrific comic creator app. This could form part of the inquiry response.
	Create new music to be added to movies, to play behind presentations or to express understandings of concepts and ideas in song.

D= Demonstrate

By this stage, the students should have created some kind of response to the inquiry, and will be readying themselves to present their findings, research or constructions to the intended audience. This part of the inquiry process involves students communicating, sharing and presenting their new knowledge and understandings. The mode of presentation depends upon the inquiry. This stage may not form the major assessment piece – depending upon the ways of working that the curriculum is focusing on, other parts of the inquiry may form part of the assessment.

	Use the Videolicious app to create short videos to capture demonstrations of learning.
	Creative Book Builder makes it easy for students to create their own ebooks to present their inquiry through.
	Embed a video into a poster, book cover, painting or more, using Aurasma, the augmented reality app.
	Pic Play Post combines photos and video – students can photograph their work, make a short video of themselves explaining or performing it, and combine the two to post online on a learning management system or webpage.

E= Evaluate

The evaluation stage is a vital and often overlooked part of the process. It is where students participate in self and/or peer evaluations and where what has been learnt is discussed. Students need to honestly evaluate their actions and take time to consider the strategies chosen and how effective they were.

	Using Dropbox is an effective way of exporting student work into a shared space for easy evaluation by teachers and peers.
	Goodreader is a powerful tool to collate student work and to annotate pdfs, allowing teachers and peers to add feedback and improvements to student documents digitally.
	E-Clicker is an interactive polling tool, where one user may send out questions to multiple other users who can respond in real time. Excellent for checking understanding of concepts and for gathering students’ honest evaluations of their learning and their thoughts about the learning process.
	Evernote could be used at almost every stage of the inquiry process. Used as a digital portfolio, it makes collating student work for evaluation easy and efficient.

R=Reflect

The inquiry process is a cycle where each inquiry builds upon the skills developed in the previous one. Therefore at the end of each inquiry, students and teachers should take time to reflect upon the understandings and skills gained, and plan for future inquiries. Students may reflect upon processes and procedures that they would change if they were asked to complete a similar task in the future, and teachers could reflect upon the success of the inquiry and changes that might the process an even more effective learning strategy in the future.

	Simply using the camera app that comes native to iPads and iPhones is a powerful way of creating a reflection of learning. If a student takes photos at each stage, they will have a great record of their learning to reflect on and to base changes for next time upon.
	Invite students to tweet their reflections using a shared hashtag. These can be collated using a tool such as Storify, to gather a whole class picture of the successes and failures, and how the process may be improved next time.
	The VoiceThread app allows students to create a narrated slideshow. Multiple students can add their narration to a single image, allowing for reflections to be compiled and shared with others.
	Blogging throughout the learning process is a terrific way to build reflective strategies throughout the inquiry. Kidblog is terrific for younger students, as teachers manage the accounts and there is minimal personal data required.