Curiosity for A&H

Curiosity as Curriculum: Inquiry-Based Learning in the Arts & Humanities

Nov 3

Your Coaches

Emily Sattler

Allison Keefe

World Languages

ArtMusic

Bookings

Bookings

Index

1. Curiosity Questions

2. Introduction

3. Structured Inquiry

4. Guided Inquiry

5. Open Inquiry

6. Your Turn!

7. Thank you!

Let's try it out!

Curiosity Questions

Click here to play!

• What are curiosity questions?
• These are questions that you generate before the lesson to get learners excited about the topic.
• They will probably get them all wrong!
• Then, you teach the lesson. The learners will be more engaged and listening for those answers.
• At the end of class, you ask the questions again to see if they can get them right.

Click here to read the article!

What drives learning in "real life?"

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is a student-centered educational approach that emphasizes exploration, questioning, and critical thinking. Instead of simply delivering facts or procedures, teachers guide students to investigate topics, pose questions, and discover answers through active engagement.

Phenomena

refers to observable events, experiences, or processes in the natural or human-made world that can be used as a starting point for inquiry, exploration, and learning.

Is this AI?

What's that black stuff?

Static Charge

Is that lightning?

Where is this volcano?

Reveal why!

Phenomena in Arts & Humaities

• Specific performance of a piece of music.
• Specific moments in a peice of music - motifs, cadences, bridges
• The same song performed by different people of instruments
• Important song, genre, or event that influnced music history

• Any painting to see the significance
• Color contrast
• How does art/color make you feel?
• Explore patterns

• Attending a cultural event or holiday celebration
• Watching a movie or TV show in a target language
• Going to a restaurant or community space where people are speaking or code-switching in a target language
• Reading a current events article or listening to music in a target language

The Inquiry Cycle

There are lots of ways to move through the cycle!

Ask

Reflect

Investigate

Create

Share

• Discussion Question
• Notice & Wonder
• Brain Dump
• Annotations

• Read a source
• Research using the internet or even AI!
• Observe something in real life or on video
• Experiment

• A definition
• A personal example
• A concept map or graphic organizer
• A song, play, or piece of art

• Silent Discussion or Message Board Post

• Pair up or small group
• Gallery Walk or Chalk Talk

• Write or record a reflection
• Provide feedback to another student
• Edit their own creation
• Ask new questions!

Structured Inquiry

What is structured inquiry?

• These do NOT have to be long activities!
• The goal is to get through the whole process, but that might not happen.

Teacher provides the question and procedure; students find the answer.

The Inquiry Cycle

World Language PhenomenaLearners watch as short clip from a film in the target language.

Ask

Reflect

Investigate

Create

Share

• Teacher asks learners to complete a short "scene analysis." This includes a summary of what they think is happening in the scene, and 2 unfamilar words they will need to find the definition for.

• Learners rewatch the scene carefully and make use what they know of the language with what they can observe to try to understand it.

• Learners write a short summary for what they believe is going on in the scene as well as create definitions for the 2 unfamiliar words.

• Students pair up and compare their theories with one another in a breakout room.

• They edit their summaries and definitions to submit on a microsoft form before the teacher shares the correct answer.

The Inquiry Cycle

Guided Music PhenomenaLearners listen to a short clip from Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 & Celine Dion's performance of "All by Myself"

Ask

Reflect

Investigate

Create

Share

• Learners create a concept map summarizing what they have learned about the relationship between these two songs using Padlet Sandbox.

• Teacher "plays" the sandbox creations for everyone in the class to see gallery walk style.

• Students reflect independently about whether Carmen was being "original in his work or not"

• Compare the melodic line in both pieces (teacher provides notation or audio visualization).
• Discuss how Eric Carmen adapted the theme.
• Explore the concept of musical borrowing and copyright.

• “Did you know the melody in ‘All by Myself’ comes from Rachmaninoff’s concerto? Why might a pop artist choose to borrow from classical music?”

Guided Inquiry

What is guided inquiry?

• This is most often what you do when learners analyze pictures.
• Example: How can color choices influence the mood or emotion of an artwork?

Teacher provides the question; students design the procedure.

The Inquiry Cycle

Art PhenomenaLearners look at the Georges Seurat"The Lighthouse at Honfleur"

Ask

Reflect

Investigate

Create

Share

• Teacher shows learners the picture: "The Lighthouse at Honfleur"
• Teacher asks "What do you notice"?
• "What do you wonder about how this was made?

• Learners create their own images using pointillism.

• Learners share their images with the class

• Learners compare their images to other examples of pointillism at the time.

• Think about how you could do this yourself? Let students think about the physical and digital tools available to them.

Need an example of Guided Inquiry?

Check out this activity called "Brave Ideas" based on a game from President Lincoln's Cottage. It's all about iteration and how to change ideas. The linked Genially is reusable, so feel free to remake for your class!

genially

Open Inquiry

What is open inquiry?

• This is probably what you think of when you think about inquiry
• Sometimes this looks like project-based learning, or big projects.
• Example: Choose a short story or scene (real or imagined). How can you represent it using only sounds (voice, objects, or instruments)?

Students formulate their own questions and methods.

The Inquiry Cycle

Open Inquiry

Ask

Reflect

Investigate

Create

Share

• Present an open-ended question or challenge with minimal instructions.
• Art: “Create a design using only one shape.”
• Music: “Express an emotion using rhythm.”

• You sit back and let them work it out!

• You sit back and let them work it out!

• Learners share what they created.
• In breakout rooms, they can share with a partner.
• They can post their findings on a Padlet

• What choices did you make and why?”
• “What surprised you during this process?”
• “What would you try differently next time?”

Example:Mystery Object Questions

• Students practice question formation by asking yes/no questions to identify a hidden object chosen by the teacher or another student.

Instructions:

• Choose a basic household object. Don't show the students!
• Students take turns asking yes/no questions in the target language
• Record questions and answers in chat
• First student to guess correctly becomes next presenter

Your Turn!

Take some time to think about where you can add in a bite size inquiry activity into a future lesson. When you have an idea, post on the Padlet!

Padlet Link

Thank you!

• Don't forget to log back into Frontline, complete the evaluation, and mark it as complete. Please complete this by tomorrow, November 7.
• Your Comet certificate will be emailed to you tomorrow afternoon.
• Don't hesitate to reach out to Allison or Emily for further assistance or ideas.