J. G. Fabiano
Inquiry Can Take the Content Out of Education
By J. G. Fabiano
Mar 22, 2008 - 9:45:08 PM

Inquiry is defined by Webster as being, "a request for information and a search for truth or knowledge." He goes on to describe the concept of being, "a systematic investigation of a matter of public interest." The reason I bring up this definition is this is the time of our school year when our federal government mandates tests in order to find out if our students learned anything. This is also the time when the teachers are basically tested to see if they are accountable to what they try to do.

Many science curriculums are based on this concept of inquiry. They had to do this because many of the state science exams are based on the same principle. To the non-teacher this sounds like a wonderful idea and as its definition implies it is. The problem is the idea of inquiry had the content of what we were supposed to teach evolve into the process of how we taught it. This also sounds like a good idea but when the process overwhelms the content you basically lose the idea of teaching and learning because it is replaced by entertainment.

In my many decades of teaching I have watched new teachers evolve from sages on a stage to facilitators of fun. I have observed how students are now allowed to wander around the room during the class. I am told it lessens the stress of the class. I wonder how any instruction can take place in a class that does not pay attention to the instructor. But, remember I am a dinosaur.

I once observed a math class in which students were taught algebra by standing and using their arms and legs to simulate the variable "x". They then stood in a line in order to construct an equation. The whole process took about 20 minutes. I could have done this on a chalk board in 20 seconds. I also saw there was no right or wrong answers since each of the students has a unique brain and therefore the right to define reality. Since I teach chemistry, I may want to keep these specific students away from my laboratory.

During a seminar on inquiry based learning I kidded with a colleague by asking if the students were to learn anatomy and physiology by doing hands on examinations. My young colleague did not understand the joke. He then went on to tell me how during his biology class students used simple jingles, rhymes, and adages to learn human anatomy. In my mind's eye I saw myself running out of an operating room after I heard my surgeon start to sing.

I then started to think about other professionals that were educated through the process of inquiry based learning. How about a lawyer who begins his opening remarks to a jury by saying, "One is for sun, two is for shoe..." A pharmacist may start to sort pills by color instead of drug content. The neurologist may consult his or her portfolio for hand-drawn pictures of dendrites when making a diagnosis. Your dentist may ask if a milligram or a kilogram is larger before administering an anesthetic saying, "The math part of my brain never did work." The pilot on your next plane tells you that today the co-pilot is really a builder. The two of them are trading their talents, using a team approach in their professions in order to meet more needs of their clients. Finally your physical therapist informs you that he or she designed her own curriculum and therefore never studied your condition. However she is going to give it a try because it will make her feel good about herself.

Since this is also a time of year where school budgets are produced I learned that more money is spent on poster boards and on arts supplies than on books. Technology has gotten away from programs that instruct content to now becoming more like video games. Singing and dancing have become a part of every academic subject's curriculum. I actually tried that once. I played music as my students were entering my class. They asked me never to do that again because they told me it scared them.

The most terrifying part of inquiry based learning is it is happening in all of our schools. The concept of how a student feels about his or her learning is more important than what is actually learned. An argument for this is the teacher should be trying to produce life-long learners. As a dinosaur I would like to produce an intelligent human being who is motivated to learn more about what I planted the seed in the first place.

So this is the time of year when I have to take my students out of my classroom in order to show our government they can learn through inquiry based standards. I just hope there is some content involved in the tests. I also hope singing and dancing are not a part of the test because it will scare the heck out of my students again.

Jim Fabiano, a teacher and writer who lives in York, is a past recipient of the Maine Press Association's award for Best Weekly Column. You can E-mail Jim at: jfabino@maine.rr.com.