INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW
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Rationale for Inquiry-Based Learning
What is the meaning of learning? Learning, as defined by Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (2002), is “the process of acquisition and extinction of modifications in existing knowledge, skills, habits, or action tendencies in a motivated organism through experience, practice, or exercise” (p. 1286 ). Inquiry-based learning fulfills this definition. Inquiry, as defined by Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (2002), is “the act or an instance of seeking truth, information, or knowledge about something” (p. 1167). While engaged in the inquiry-based process, learners are active and motivated, and through meaningful tasks are able to find and construct knowledge and engage in learning.
Authors and educators Owens, Hester, and Teale (2002) stated, “An inquiry-based approach may benefit students of all ability levels, but students who have been unsuccessful in school are often particularly well served” (p. 619). Baum, Renzulli, and Herbert (as cited in Owens, Hester, and Teale, 2002, p. 619) found that “student-centered inquiry projects have the potential to reverse patterns of underachievement in students.” This is inspiring for those students in the Early Intervention Program who continue to lack the necessary skills and rank below grade level.
Resources:
Educational Broadcasting Corporation. (2004). Concept to classroom: Inquiry-based learning. Retrieved July 5, 2005, from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index.html
Gove, P.B. (2002). Webster’s third new international dictionary of the English language, unabridged (3rd ed.)Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster Inc.
Hoover, W.A. (1996, August). The practice implications of constructivism. SEDLetter, 9(3). Retrieved June 30, 2005, from http://www.sedl.org/pubs/sedletter/v09n03/practice.html
Owens, R.F., Hester, J.L. & Teale, W.H. (2002). Where do you want to go today? Inquiry-based learning and technology integration. The Reading Teacher, 55(7), 616-625. Retrieved July 3, 2006, from Wilson SelectPlus database.
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