Organizaton: AskERIC
Description: With the increasing prevalence of inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning in history and science, new possibilities arise for authentic, situated learning activities. One such possibility is linking children's inquiry projects with ongoing community efforts at historic preservation and community development. This paper discusses one example project, and the multiple aspects of development at work within it. The paper relates how the author organized and led a series of after school club activities with 13- and 14-year-old youth, university students, and other educators, including an after school coordinator from a nearby middle school. The paper explains that, loosely following the model used by Fifth Dimension after school clubs, the clubs were tied to university courses in this case: a graduate education course, "Technology-Supported Inquiry Learning" and, in the second year, an undergraduate senior archaeology field seminar. The paper focuses on conceptualizing and tracing the simultaneous, parallel, and linked development of individuals and several communities of practice.
Age group or class level: Teachers
Inquiry into Local History as a Means To Foster Multiple Levels of Development (PDF)