What is it?
Inquiry blocks are a way to preform projects through the answering of an open question which causes the development of an answer through the interest of the student. A single large question will leak into smaller ended closed questions that contribute to the main question. This process launches the students interests in investigation and emphasizes personal management in their findings.
Inquiry Block: 1 Human Capability
The first Inquiry block started off with a simple gathering of students where one another would pass questions and put them into categories that are relative to the questions issue. Despite in the past my interest in engineering, arts, and history, I wanted to started off on a different note. I wanted to begin to understand why people are the way they are and the question I grabbed was one of my own because it honestly fascinated me. Despite my interest, the topic layed pretty heavy on my mind, such to so that I ended up avoiding working on it despite my advisment's effort to keep me going at it. My open question was, why do we have so much potential yet we tell ourselves we are worthless? I did end with a conclusion that was filled with emotion, personal bias, and lacking research. This gave me a wake up to seeing that I might have been on a bad train headed in bad places and it was a time to get off. Click the image above to see more and my work about IB-1.
Inquiry Block: 2 Aircraft Design Process
I took a few steps back from the first Inquiry block measuring my success between that and works of engineering I had done in the passed. I settled on the question, How might I use the aircraft design process to make a flying vehicle so I can plan the Jet Bike? For context the Jet Bike is a project I had been working on before hand to create an ultralight jet in the configuration of a motorcycle. My progress on this project changed significantly compared to my previous with more and varying research that spoke deeply about the design process and why we design the way we do. In the end a short two to three minute long video would be constructed alongside a live narration that demonstrated my process of learning.
Guided Inquiry Block: 3 Talking Tics'
Talking Tics' was an experimental Inquiry block that focused around students having a question given to them and an investigation that would ensue from the students individually based upon a premade program. I believe it worked very well considering that it had been continued on. I discovered my political stand point from a new level rather than just a party. We created our own parties, made individual manifestos, and debated in part of our party. It was very entertaining and I learned a lot in comparison to the unguided Inquiry Blocks. The image above will link to a folder document that leads to various work and problems addressed.
Guided Inquiry Block: 4 Einfühlung
Einfühlung means empathy in German. The idea of this project was to actually do something for a people that would require empathy. To feel another persons pain. We found things we found important to ourselves and researched under certain topics, mine being freedom and liberty. I believe those are very important aspects of life and all should have these two things. This is an ongoing project that we I am still involved in. The image above will have links to the project page.