Creating an Inquiry-Based Unit

The principal at our elementary school hired a consultant to work with our grade levels during a school-day workshop to learn more about creating and using inquiry-based units with our students.  During the morning session the speaker delivered some background information about inquiry-based learning and showed some examples.  After a break for lunch, each grade level was charged with creating two complete units of study for social studies or science that we would then use later in the school year.  The project timeline for the teachers included preparatory work prior to the workshop, attending the workshop and creating units, and finally the implementation of the units in our classrooms.

This project was a partial success in the sense that we developed a better understanding of inquiry-based learning.  We were not able to create two complete units, but we did get a start.  The two main reasons for this lack of success were:

• Lack of clear communication:  The literacy coach, who was the school liaison for the consultant, apparently did not explain the expectations or goals clearly to the grade levels.  The preparatory work that we completed prior to the actual meeting day to define and outline the theme for the units of study was not what the consultant was looking for and we basically had to start from scratch that afternoon.

• Lack of buy-in:  As with any type of change, there can be resistance.  Many of the teachers were less than thrilled to attend this workshop.  Using these units meant changing teaching models in the middle of the year.  There were concerns that with minimal training, teachers would not be prepared to change from a more teacher-direct approach to a student-directed approach.

Looking back at the workshop, there were some steps that the project manager (our principal) could have taken to enable her teachers to be more successful. 

• During the planning phase, the project manager (PM) ensures that the specific results to be achieved are clearly defined (Portny et al., 2008).  When determining the project scope and the objectives, I think that the goal of learning about inquiry-based classrooms AND creating two complete units of study was too aggressive and intimidating.  Prior to even attending the workshop, teachers were already overwhelmed regarding that goal.  After the workshop, teachers were left feeling that they did not accomplish the set task and now had the pressure of more work to complete on their own time to finish creating the units.

• During the initial phase of the project, the PM could have made more of an effort to create buy-in for the workshop and the teaching style changes that it necessitated.  Dr. Bligh cautions about this very idea in her video podcast, Transformational Leadership, by suggesting that one challenge is to get buy-in because change often feels imposed (Laureate Education, n.d.).  The teachers at my school did feel that this project and change was imposed on them without any input.  

• Communication is critical.  Portny et al. (2008) suggest that a common cause of project failure is poor team communications (p. 107).  Project managers should share key information with team members “in a timely fashion” (Portny et al., 2008).  More timely information from our PM and our literacy coach about the expectations, workshop agenda, preparatory work, and materials needed would have helped contribute to a more successful project experience.

We could consider this a long-term project because the initial expectations were that we would continue to use these units during subsequent school years and increasingly use an inquiry-based model rather than teacher-directed.  However, during the same year of the workshop, our principal was promoted to the district office, so we lost our PM not too long after the workshop.  In the podcast Practitioner Voices:  Barriers to Project Success, we learn about one project “headache” – when stakeholders leave or are replaced.  In this case, our PM was replaced.  What has this meant to the long-term success of these units and inquiry-based learning?  I know that my grade level has begun the shift towards more inquiry-based learning, but it has not been fully embraced.  With a new PM and lack of follow-up, the project really has fizzled.

References

Laureate Education, (n.d.). Practitioner voices: Barriers to project success. Retrieved from

https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4065699_1%26url%3D

Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d.). Transformational Leadership. [Video Podcast]. [With Dr. Michelle Bligh].  

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.