It’s the same with inquiry-based learning. This approach encourages children to ask questions, share ideas, discuss concepts, and discover effective learning through experiments.
Instead of making learning one way, wherein the student continuously learns without understanding just to pass exams, more emphasis should be placed on building skills and having a deeper understanding of the concept. Time constraints in completing a predefined curriculum are also a setback for inquiry-based learning.
With this new method of learning, curiosity is generated among children through problem-based learning, in-depth investigation, and live projects that are conducted to create lifelong learners.
Grades do not define intelligence. Motivate your child to learn on its own! This is the best way of learning…
Why Adopt Inquiry-Based Learning?
Students’ Perspective: This is a new method of intellectual learning that is adopted by many schools. It invokes a better understanding of the concept wherein the students investigate or experiment in order to solve the problem through evidence-based reasoning.
Teachers’ Perspective: It focuses on shifting general curiosity to critical thinking wherein the children get their hands dirty to find relevant solutions. It might be time-consuming but it helps to develop skills by making it interesting. Also, this type of learning helps to build a strong base which is lacking in many children these days.
There are three types of inquiry-based learning:
1. Confirmation Inquiry – The students are equipped with the question, answer, and method of investigation. They need to discover how the method works by performing experiments and detailed research. This helps them to understand the work as they come to a conclusion by themselves.
2. Open inquiry – Students come up with their original questions and discover methods to find a solution. This also imparts better knowledge through discussion.
3. Structured inquiry – An open question and method are already provided. Students need to identify the conclusion using the method.
4. Guided inquiry – Students work in a team to design a method and find the desired solution to an open question.
Exploring, Experiencing, Discussing: 10 Benefits of Inquiry-Based Learning
To promote inquiry-based learning, policymakers are working to facilitate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) learning space in educational institutions. This space offers a cohesive and conducive learning environment for children.
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Still confused? Let’s understand how it can be helpful.
1. Develops Curiosity to Learn
“It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education”- Albert Einstein
Many think that inquiry-based learning takes you away from your curriculum. Instead, it makes your mind curious to understand the core of the concept through real-life examples. Start the day with a quick activity or play a video or documentary to fuel them with information that may ignite questions.
2. Builds Skills
It motivates them to develop brain-based skills that may help students to think outside of the box. In this competitive world, you need to have different abilities that make you stand out. It enables improving the mental capability for reasoning, planning, problem-solving, and abstract thinking catering to building a better personality.
3. Boosts Better Understanding
In this type of learning method, the student is at the center of learning. He/she comes with an open question, investigates the methods, and finds solutions accordingly. They have a detailed insight into the principles of learning.
4. Makes them Explorers
Learning is accomplished according to the children’s choice. They choose their style of learning and find a solution to questions which gives them a sense of ownership. They are experts in their own creations that help in enhancing their learning skills. This helps in building confidence and improves self-learning.
5. Promotes Student Engagement
Parents are running with books behind their children pursuing him/her to complete homework. However, inquiry-based learning hooks the children with real-life examples and experiments that help them to generate interest. Practical learning can make boring chemical reactions fun.
6. Enables Children to Come Out of their Comfort Zone
Students tend to be shy as they step into a different environment. They have no idea why they need to go to school. Thus, it is important to make learning interactive and interesting. Inquiry-based learning opens them to ask questions, discuss, investigate, collaborate, and contribute to finding conclusions.
7. Applicable in Any Classroom Setting
Inquiry-based learning can be useful in any classroom setting irrespective of grade and personal skills. This allows flexibility to meet the needs of all types of students. You can deliver exercises using unique content and distinct investigative methods depending on the grades.
8. Prompts to Ask Questions
Provoke the curiosity in your child; he might be a future scientist. Asking questions gives a confirmation that the child is in the loop. While at school or home, appreciate questions and make sure you answer them. Questions are the foundation stone of a child’s learning process.
Make sure you don’t get annoyed when he/she bombards you with questions.
9. Improves Access to Learning
About 98% of educators believe that class dialogues started with good questions can benefit the whole class.
Inquiry-based learning is comprehensive as one question can educate 20 other children in the class making space for more open questions. Groups working on a common experiment can boost leadership qualities.
10. Fosters Research Skills
With the help of inquiry-based learning, children are influenced by learning through interesting learning methods. This generates a willingness to understand concepts to the core through excessive reading or practical experiments.
4 Phases of Inquiry-based Learning for Teachers
Interaction
Use engaging and relevant media forms that can spark a question. It can be a research paper, digital media, documentary, or books anything informative.
Clarification
Clarifying the theoretical concepts of learning through parent-teacher support. Here, the parents and teachers need to present their clarifications about the concept.
Questioning
Herein, the students will share their ideas, and doubts in the form of questions about the content they have been exposed to.
Designing
Designing relevant solutions, actions, or products that can satisfy the questions raised by the child. This makes learning engaging and promotes two-way communication.
Inquiry-based learning is an effective mode of making learning meaningful and interesting. Learning is a never-ending process, let your child perpetuate into the pool of questions that will make him/her intellectual and ready for the future.
