“You Have 25 Kids Playing Around!” Challenges in Inquiry-Based Learning in an Urban Second-Grade Classroom

• In Event: Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Teaching to Motivate and Empower Diverse Learners

Abstract

This qualitative case study explores the process by which a novice classroom teacher and culturally diverse second grade students practice collaborative, inquiry-based science/literacy learning in a classroom with a history of traditional, teacher-centered methods. Ethnographic observations and interviews, voice recordings of the lessons, writing samples, and curriculum materials informed the analysis. Results indicated that while student engagement with the content increased, the depth and the quality of learning still relied on teacher interventions. The classroom teacher, while realizing her learners’ high intellectual capabilities, struggled with sharing the initiative with children, especially when it challenged her beliefs about classroom processes. This study implies the need for creating foundations and resources for inquiry learning to support novice teachers in urban classrooms.

Author

• Zeynep Isik-Ercan, Rowan University