21st Century Skills Development Through Inquiry-Based Learning: From Theory to Practice

This book presents innovative instructional interventions designed to support inquiry project-based learning as an approach to equip students with 21st century skills. Instructional techniques include collaborative team-based teaching, social constructivist game design and game play, and productive uses of social media such as wikis and other online communication affordances. The book will be of interest to researchers seeking a summary of recent empirical studies in the inquiry project-based learning domain that employ new technologies as constructive media for student synthesis and creation. The book also bridges the gap between empirical works and a range of national- and international-level educational standards frameworks such as the P21, the OECD framework, AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner, and the Common Core State Standards in the US. Of particular interest to education practitioners, the book offers detailed descriptions of inquiry project-based learning interventions that can be directly reproduced in today's schools. Further, the book provides research-driven guidelines for the evaluation of student inquiry project-based learning. Lastly, it offers education policymakers insight into establishing anchors and spaces for applying inquiry project-based learning opportunities for youth today in the context of existing and current education reform efforts. The aim of this book is to support education leaders', practitioners' and researchers' efforts in advancing inspiring and motivating student learning through transformative social constructivist inquiry-based knowledge-building with information technologies. We propose that preparing students with inquiry mindsets and dispositions can promote greater agency, critical thinking and resourcefulness, qualities needed for addressing the complex societal challenges they may face.

About the Authors:

Dr Chu, Associate Professor, is Head of Division of Information & Technology Studies and Deputy Director of Centre for Information Technology in Education at the Faculty of Education, the University of Hong Kong. He has over 250 publications in the areas of IT in education, information and library science, school librarianship, academic librarianship and knowledge management. His over 40 projects have amounted to more than US$ 6 million in grant funding. He has received his Faculty's Outstanding Researcher Award and Knowledge Exchange Award. 

Dr Reynolds is Assistant Professor in the School of Communication & Information at Rutgers University, and faculty affiliate of Center for International Scholarship on School Librarianship. Her research addresses the development of e-learning systems for formal and informal learning in a broad range of affinity spaces.  Publishing in the fields of information science, educational technology and the learning sciences, she has grant funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and has received two faculty department awards.

Miss Tavares is Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Education of the University of Hong Kong. She has published in the areas of 21st century skills learning, using educational technologies in promoting reading and writing, and social media in teacher professional development. She has received many awards in her teaching career, including her Faculty’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2016.

Prof. Notari is a Professor at the University of Teacher Education in Bern, Switzerland and an honorary assistant professor at the Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong. He has published books and journal articles in the field of information technologies in education.

Ms Lee is a secondary school English teacher in Hong Kong and a trained IB English Language and Literature teacher. She has published in the areas of 21st century skills learning, IT in education, and inquiry project-based learning.