Community of Inquiry as a Response to Crisis

Face crisis is both a bewildering and empowering experience. Failure to overcome crisis leaves individuals staggering to find a solid foundation from which they mount the next attempt. Attempts are complete in a vicious circle as well as this process continues until a answer is ensured. Doubt and fear shake the ground of one's resolution to a great extent so long the crisis looms. Where individuals successfully navigate through their crisis, there they produce a magical weapon before them that remains in their arsenal till the next crisis inevitably arises. Community of Inquiry is the central methodology of the Philosophy for Children program (P4C). It deals with cognitive conflicts, problems and prevailing crisis among the participants of the Community of Inquiry. It promotes new knowledge by resolving those conflicts and crisis. A particular observation in this method is that participating in a Community of Inquiry (CI) is not merely for an individual to engage him with this process. This process is wide ranging which include many other aspects of individuals' involvement and they carry deeper meaning for this methodology. In this paper, an attempt is made to illustrate this point and to show how Thomas Kuhn's theory could be applied to the Community of Inquiry model. In vision of that goal, an analogical relationship between the two model is shown in the discussion. Role of the participants within the model is pointed out with clarity in order to make this model much effective. The role of a skilled facilitator in a Cl is also discussed to explain his or her importance for an effective Community of Inquiry.

Dewey mentions this situation as "doubt" or "uncertainty" and the integrationist- constructivists name the same situation as "cognitive conflict" or "disequilibria". Uncertainty and cognitive conflict arise in individuals mind from the very beginning of the interaction, which takes place among, the participants. But this situation later favors simultaneously the expression of the diversity of actions, ideas and solutions of the peers. Cognitive conflicts that are determined by the diversities in turn predispose peers to engage in the process of reflection. The Community of Inquiry is an effective pedagogical tool as it offers everyone in the classroom the opportunity to express themselves in an environment of trust and cooperation. It involves everyone in a dialogical process, which not only stimulates the imagination but also inspires his or her proper thinking and self-criticism. Community of Inquiry, as a matter of fact, sets a goal of making the participants aware and engage themselves together with a common problem It provokes individuals to direct their efforts towards the analysis of the problem and search for the relevant elements of solution. The Community of Inquiry not only encourages children for asking questions and to reflect on the meaning of the concepts relative to social and political contexts but also provide them with an opportunity to put their concepts into practice.
    
N-beam Dynamical Diffraction through X-rays aswell as Neutrons