Inquiry Role Approach: A Model for Counselor Involvement in Learning

The Inquiry Role Approach (IRA) is a strategy for classroom learning in which students work as 4-member teams and assume roles as Team Coordinator, Process Advisor, Data Recorder, and Technical Advisor. Cognitive as well as affective objectives are identified which relate to optimum learning and personal growth in the classroom. The counselor's knowledge and skill are used in the IRA classroom to achieve affective behaviors related to objectivity, openness, self-directedness, curiosity, and respect for others. In this series of 5 brief papers, the IRA group work approach is explicated in various of its aspects: (1) the counselor and teacher's re-defined role; (2) students' new behaviors in a student-centered classroom; and (3) the advantages and disadvantages of this new learning strategy. The final paper includes numerous comments, both positive and negative, from students involved in the IRA. (TL)