The Inquiry Approach to Learning~
An approach to learning which uses the concepts of constructivism as well as intrinsic motivation is inquiry. Whereas inquiry is easily applied in science, and the new science series (FOSS) utilizes inquiry as its main teaching strategy, I try to infuse inquiry into the curriculum as much as is possible. As with constructivism, the inquiry learning strategy is student-centered and teacher-guided. The students are engaged in investigations which allow for extension and application of their knowledge. In these real-world types of situations, students acquire and analyze information, develop and support ideas, design solutions to problems and create products which demonstrate their thinking. The inquiry-based approach places students at the core of the learning process and teachers assume the role of facilitator and coach. This increases the quality and quantity of student involvement in the educational process which in turn increases student learning. Students become responsible for their own learning, a tenet of constructivism.
In inquiry based learning sessions, students are essentially engaged in open-ended activities which are student-centered. Often, the activities are hands-on and require students to use their background knowledge and experiences. The inquiring mind poses questions and creates answers with tentative generalizations. Students share the responsibility for learning with their group members and create thoughts based upon the interactions with those members. The process of inquiry involves the following:
- Observe a process or event
- Formulate questions based
upon observations
- Develop working ideas about
the event
- Devise a method for testing
those ideas
- Analyze and conclude the
concepts gained in testing the ideas
- Communicate the findings
to others
- Revise explanations as needed after interaction with others
Inquiry often does, and should, lead to the creation of new ideas with maximum learning occurring when the activities are "just right"-cognitively challenging, but still attainable. Thus, intrinsic motivation is also increased. Students need to understand a global society and are faced with changing technologies and information resources. Typical textbooks are poor models for collaborative inquiry and reflective practices. They also fail to draw upon students' backgrounds, thus students need to be presented the opportunities to examine situations and define the problems within them and then offer solutions to those problems. They need to become active in their learning, to understand the perspectives of others through collaboration and reflect upon their learning. Inquiry provides those opportunities and affords the following benefits:
- teaches problem-solving,
critical thinking skills, and disciplinary content
- promotes the transfer of
concepts to new problem questions
- teaches students how to learn
and builds self-directed learning skills
- develops student ownership
of their inquiry and enhances student interest in the subject
matter
For any question or problem, a learner should think of asking, investigating, creating, discussing, and reflecting as means for its resolution. The learner is viewed as an inquirer and develops knowledge through work on meaningful problems in real situations. Inquiry is a nice match for Gifted students who are able to create their own knowledge.
