A Guide to Implementing Community of Inquiry in K-9 Courses
A Focus for Design
The redesigned British Columbia Ministry of Education curriculum is based upon a "Know-Do-Understand" model in which curricular and core competencies are focused on to foster deeper learning through authentic tasks that engage students. Technology based learning and online courses are becoming more and more prevalent, however online courses often contain a particular emphasis on the content, focusing on what students are expected to know upon completion of each module. This guide is intended to support teachers in creating courses, or redesigning existing courses, in a way that balances the Know, Do and Understand components in order to best support students in achieving the spectrum of learning goals outlined within BC's redesigned curriculum. The focus will be on considering strategies that can be applied within elementary and middle school courses aimed at both blended and distance based learners.
Community of Inquiry as the Framework
BC's redesigned curriculum aims to prepare students for "lifetime of learning where ongoing change is constant" (BC Ministry of Education, 2015) through a concept-based, competency-driven approach. An inquiry based pedagogical approach lends itself well to this type of curricular model as students form questions through their demonstration of the core and curricular competencies. Inquiry-based instruction and similar formats such as problem-based and project-based learning are strategies for creating authentic learning environments in which students develop research skills, problem-solving skills, creative thinking and decision-making skills, and providing differentiation for students, aligning well with the goals of the curriculum (Doss, 2018).
Supporting inquiry processes in face to face classrooms involves social interactions and collaborative processes between the teacher and students as the students interact and engage with the learning materials and ideas, but how can this be translated to online learning environments? Interpersonal interactions, in particular negotiating social information and maintaining social connectedness, are a challenge inherent to online learning, but there are strategies to help mitigate this. Approaching online course development with the Community of Inquiry framework in mind is one such strategy.
"Technology is powerful, but only in the service of a powerful conception."
~Michael Fullan
Created by Melissa Mullis 2019