INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW
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What is Inquiry-Based Learning?
Based on the educational philosophy of John Dewey and the constructivist view, inquiry-based learning is multifaceted. Constructivism “says that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences” (Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2004, What is constructivism? para. 1). According to SEDL President and CEO Wesley Hoover (1996), “Two important notions orbit around the simple idea of constructed knowledge. The first is that learners construct new understandings using what they already know” (para. 3). Hoover (1996) further added, “The second notion is that learning is active rather than passive” (para. 4). In other words, students are not just idle receivers of information, but con-constructors in the search for knowledge.
Inquiry-based learning is defined by Grabe and Grabe (as cited in Owens, Hester, Teale, 2002, p. 617) as involving “finding sources of information appropriate to a task, working to understand the information resources and how they relate to the task, and then, in those cases for which some action is expected, applying this understanding in a productive way.” After reading through the material I have gathered on inquiry-based learning, I have concluded that in general, inquiry-based learning is composed of the following: questions, investigations, interpretations, presentations, and reflections. It is a kind of thinking cycle that is continuously in circulation. The learner is the focus and, whether working individually or collaboratively with others, is actively engaged in this cycle to construct knowledge.
Questions start the inquiry cycle and are at the core of inquiry-based learning. They are the principle component known as essential questions. These questions guide the inquiry process. Essential questions are open-ended and are not simple information finding questions. In order to answer the essential question, an investigation takes place, the second part of the cycle. The investigation is done through research using a variety of resources, as well as through experimentation.
The third part of the cycle is interpretation. Here is where the new knowledge found is contemplated and consideration is given to its application in answering the essential question. The fourth part of the cycle is the presentation. The answer to the essential question is prepared and made ready to be presented. As the cycle comes full circle, time is spent reflecting on the process, how knowledge was shaped, and then any new questions pondered. These new questions start the inquiry cycle again.
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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