Guides and Suggestions for Classroom Implementation

Abstract

This chapter offers pragmatic and pedagogical design recommendations for carrying out inquiry-based learning interventions to inculcate twenty-first century skills in young people. Suggestions made in this chapter center on the inquiry project-based learning (inquiry PjBL) protocol described by Chu et al. (Developing upper primary students’ twenty-first century skills: Inquiry learning through collaborative teaching and Web 2.0 technology. Centre for Information Technology in Education, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2012b) as well as some other similar models currently in practice. This chapter brings to the fore particular roles that are expected of teachers who adopt such an approach, and presents case studies of specific activities used at a variety of grade levels and in different subject domains. Timetables are provided to illustrate possible scope and sequence details, highlighting the functions of collaborating teachers and school librarians. While several other pedagogies are addressed in the book, the general principles of this chapter as applied to Chu et al.’s protocol may be adapted. Areas that may be modified by educators, considering variation in one’s given implementation context, will also be discussed. This chapter aims to lay out guidelines that can be directly applied by those who wish to try out such models in their own environments.