The iNtegrating Technology for inQuiry (NTeQ) approach is a ten-step process that covers everything from defining the problem/specifying objectives to the last step, assessment. One thing that I find interesting is the text's insistence that "the problems need to come from the students' world so the students can relate to them in a meaningful manner." (Morrison & Lowther, 2010, p. 34). While I agree with the goal of having students relate to the problems, I think there is more than one way for students to relate or buy in to a topic. Taking an example from their immediate environment can be effective, but that is not always possible and could be quite limiting. Instead of always trying to draw on my students' life experience, I try to get them engaged by giving them some choice in the topics of their projects, and having them brainstorm the questions we will research. This worked well in a recent unit on the Solar System.
Morrison and Lowther make the point that simply using the computer can increase engagement and motivation. I think this is generally true, and it is one of the best reasons for using computers. Student motivation is critical, yet I think we don't address it often enough in professional development because it is so difficult to influence.
Computer use in the classroom can also be humbling for teachers, when the realization hits that our students' approach to life and learning is fundamentally different from ours (at least, those of us in our 40s and older!). I recently read an article about a study that showed college students learned more in a physics class taught by graduate students using interactive "clicker" technology than a class taught by a respected senior professor (Associated Press, Wilmington Star-News, 13 May 2011). A lot of our old assumptions about how students learn best have to be reevaluated in light of this kind of research.
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