Teacher page

AQUA

Why an AQUA? 

Although probably no one doubts the importance of activating prior knowledge, it is often neglected in history education. Not completely incomprehensible. Connecting to knowledge that often can be very different, is not an easy thing to do. In an AQUA, this prior knowledge is, through a tentative assignment,  made active in order to connect this knowledgde to a new task in which questions play an important role.

Not questions from the teacher, but questions from the students themselves. The expectation is that by asking questions and searching for answers students will get more involved in the learning process and their motivation will increase.

What is an AQUA?

In an AQUA students will first check what they already know about the subject (A = Activating prior knowledge), then they formulate their own questions (Q = questions). Finally, they seek answers to these questions (A=answer).

An AQUA is a activating teaching method derived from problem-based learning (PBL), but adapted to the possibilities and requirements of history education. The main principles are:

• Students learn with and from each other.

• Students are (partly) responsible for the questions or learning goals they set.

• Students are (partly) responsible for the execution of the task

• The products can (partly) differ from student to student or from group to group     

Metacognition is very important. The students reflect with each other and with the teacher on  questions as: what is expected of me, how do I execute the task, Am I on course, is my method successful, how can I improve process and product

Intensive cooperation within the group, that preferably consists from three to five students, is a prerequisite for a good result as is an intensive supervision of the teacher.

As described above, the initiative in an AQUA lies, for all three components, with the student. He activates his prior knowledge, he formulates questions and will seek answers to those questions. Nevertheless, it is also possible to lay the initiative only in the first two components with the students. 

The teacher may then take the initiative in searching for answers, for example through instructional courses or specific assignments. To motivate students continuously feedback to the student's questions is of great importance.

How does an AQUA work?

- Activating prior knowledge (A)

Students start, In groups of up to three to five, identifying what knowledge they all share of the topic. They do so by in reaction to a challenging problem or on the basis of a number of exciting, challenging sources.

- Formulation of questions (Qu)

After this, students will, in groups, formulate the questions which have to be answered. These questions mus be historical questions, relevant, of course, to the topic.

Over time the quality of the questions will continue to improve if the  teacher reflects on a regular basis with class and individual students on these questions.

Asking questions is probably one of the key historical skills. Yet there is another reason to spend much time and attention to the asking questons part. Working with self posed questions is much more motivating than answering questions formulated by the teacher or the textbook.

Of course, the teacher will monitor the questions of the students in order to ensure that the questions asked will lead to the achievement of the objectives. These objectives can be detailed or more broadly defined, depending on a number of factors:

If the students are preparing for a test or an exam, the questions asked and answers found must ensure a good preparation for the test or exam.

If the objectives are not very specific and the students work on a portfolio, insted for a test, there is more room for student-related goals.

- Finding Answers (A)
Students investigate their questions and search for answers which they will share with the other members of the group. The teacher must now not only ensure that the questions meet certain quality standards, but also monitor that the students find the right answers.

Description of the components of the AQUA

Part one

Students:

• are confronted with an enganging, ill-defined, problem or they have to study a selection of, preferably visual, sources.
• make an inventory of the knowledge they already have of the subject. They may use a wordweb, mindmap or conceptmap.
•  write down this knowledge (individually) in a (digital) file. They may use a wordweb, mindmap or conceptmap or a scheme (possibly mad by the teacher).
• will reflect on the their prio knowledge, do thave much or less prior knowledge

The teacher:

• encourages students to activate their existing knowledge and supports the students, if necessary, with (structured) schemes.
• suggests provocative questions to activate prior knowledge

Part two

Students:

• formulate a number of questions relating to the problem.  The answer to these questions need to fill gaps in their knowledge.
• provide the questions for assessment with the teacher.
• wonder whether the questions asked are really the most relevant (historical) questions (reflection)

The teacher:

• monitors that questions asked actually contribute to the required knowledge on the subject
• asks questions, as open as possible, to further the skills regarding formulating questions. Timing is important. The teacher should only help when the group asks for assistance or when the groupmembers are heading in the wrong direction.
• evaluates with individual students or the class as a whole on wakes a question a good historical question. 
• ensures that all group members contribute
• gives, where appropriate, feedback on the process of cooperation
• evaluates the submitted questions with a rating to underline the importance of asking good historical questions.

Part three

Students:

• determine what resources they will use. Some of the sources are required, other resources are optional and they may also find resources themselves.
• agree on who will research - in first instance - what question or  questions.
• search in multiple sources for information to answer their questions.
• select useful and reliable information.
• make notes, abstracts and, where appropriate, diagrams.
  make us, if desired, an electronic learning environment, a wiki or a weblog.
• ask fellow students, teacher or external experts for assistance, if necessary
• exchange information found
• determine whether they can, based on the information found, answer the questions asked. If necessary, new questions are formulated.
•  ask, if relevant, why they haven't found answers to all the questions.

The teacher:

• monitors whether students make effective use of resources.
• monitors whether the exchange of information leads to answers of sufficient quality.