Activities for Stage 3: Doing and making
If you'd like to suggest an activity to add to this list, please e-mail details to enquiringminds@futurelab.org.uk.
Consult the public
Correspond with an expert
Interviewing activity
Just write
Still-photo survey
Time-lapse video
Consult the public
Students may decide they need to undertake a public consultation about their enquiry topic. They might try to raise the theme in local newspapers, or hold an event which invites interested parties to come and share their ideas.
Correspond with an expert
Often, schools and teachers themselves may not have enough expertise on a student’s chosen topic to help them progress. It may be possible to identify a relevant ‘expert’ in this area, find contact details, and to encourage students to write a letter or e-mail.
Interviewing activity
Freelance writer Jerome Monahan has put together some resources designed to help students think about the kinds of questions they might ask in order to conduct a detailed interview, and explore how an article might be structured.
Open pdf version of Interviewing activity - 13 pages, 195kb
Just write
Researchers stress the importance of writing throughout the process of enquiry, since it helps to clarify and formulate ideas. So one approach is to encourage students to write down what they know about the topic they’ve been researching. The writing they produce during the course of the enquiry may form the basis for a final report.
Still-photo survey
Visual techniques can be an interesting way of capturing the nature of activities. For example, if students are enquiring into ‘risks and hazards’, they could take photographs that demonstrate these. Photographs provide interesting artefacts for analysis.
Time-lapse video
Students set up a video camera in a location to capture events over a period of time. The footage can be analysed as evidence to feed into the project. This approach is useful where students want to study change over time. For instance, setting up a camera in a school playground may provide interesting insights into the use of space by different groups within a school.
Use the 'enquiry cycle' to plan enquiry-based activities