Inquiry Based Learning
Blue Mountain’s Instructional Focus of Science, Technology and Inquiry is the foundation of the high quality, research based instructional programming that is offered. The natural convergence of the Sciences, partnered with literacy and the Arts, provide students with an outstanding foundation of essential skills while integrating the development of problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, communication skills and the ability to collaborate to enhance their learning.
Inquiry
Inquiry education is where structure meets fluidity, where we create opportunities for students to be engaged in active learning based on their own questions. An old adage states: “Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand.” The last part of this statement is the essence of inquiry-based learning.
Inquiry implies involvement that leads to understanding. Furthermore, involvement in learning implies possessing skills and attitudes that permit you to seek resolutions to questions and issues while you construct new knowledge, thus supporting the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills. For students, this method of learning ends the listen-to-learn paradigm of the classroom and gives them real and authentic learning challenges and problems to solve. For the teacher, inquiry-based education ends their paradigm of talking to teach and recasts them in the role of a facilitator of learning, being engaged in the same quest for knowledge as the students.
Each Inquiry Unit and/or lesson uses the problem solving process to facilitate learning. Each unit starts with a Focus Question and provides opportunities for activities of questioning, investigating, creating, discussion, and reflection, steps similar to the Scientific Process.
http://pbl-online.org/
http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning
https://www.pblworks.org/resources-overview
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry
Science
A full time Science teacher will further enhance the Science and Inquiry component of our instructional focus. Every student will receive 60 minutes of enrichment in Science weekly from our Science teacher. Please contact our Science teacher at [email protected] with any questions!
Technology
Every classroom at Blue Mountain Elementary is equipped with a Promethean Interactive Whiteboard, interactive Slate, a voice lift system, student response system, and computers. In addition we have 3-computer carts equipped with Chrome books 1 iPad cart and an additional MacBook cart for school wide use. These tools support student learning as well as providing the development of skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century, a technology rich environment.
This Instructional Focus of Science, Technology and Inquiry, paired with a Highly Qualified staff, provides students with outstanding learning opportunities!