The Design of Scaffolding for Inquiry Learning

Abstract

Psychologists and educational scientists agree that students’ participation is the key to successful learning [1], a meaningful and effective learning process needs student to participate actively. Inquiry learning is such a learning way to promote students to construct knowledge and ability independently, and help them solve problems in activities which based on real situation and containing knowledge content. Inquiry learning aims to cultivate students’ critical thinking and innovative skills, which is also the ability requirement of talents in the new century. More and more scholars pay attention to the learning process and design of inquiry learning, because its learning effect is better than that of traditional learning, and its effect will be better if it contents scaffoldings. Scholars emphasize the significance of scaffolding and its role in the process of students' inquiry learning—–to support students and help them achieve the goal level from their existing cognitive, to complete the knowledge construction and ability improvement eventually. We used fact and case knowledge expansion diagram to design inquiry scaffoldings, which can help designers to characterize the thinking process of inquiry, determine the position and the content theme of scaffolding, and help teachers to clarify students' learning level and locate their inquiry position in the process of their inquiry. We designed two theme activities and implemented them to verify the feasibility of this technical method. This study found and verified the feasibility of this technology, we can provide technical support for inquiry learning activities and scaffolding design, assist teachers to master students' inquiry process, and let students participate in the learning process that meets the needs of talent cultivation.