Inquiry: What the mind wants to know

What is inquiry based learning?Inquiry based learning is where students learn or build on their knowledge by asking question. The more questions that the students ask the more they seem to learn about the subject. But the teacher does not answer these questions for the students, the student finds the answers, the teacher is the helping hand to student.
How does it differ from the traditional approach? Inquiry- based learning is about giving the student the chance to learn something and gain knowledge. If you want a student to learn what is inside of a frog, they could learn more by cutting the frog themselves rather than you the teacher telling and show them what it looks like from a book. The traditional way is showing them the book and teaches them what you know and other people know.
Learning information on your own is better and students remember more for fact that they saw it with their own eyes. Students change from time to time and do not learn the same. The traditional approach seems to be the way that most schools are teaching students but I believe that needs to change.
What does it have to do with my classroom?
If teachers were to use this in their classroom, student would be able to turn all and any information into knowledge. And when that happens your classroom is turned into a learning center for student. This also gives you the teacher the chance to be a helper in your classroom rather than the person just instructing. Student can come in your classroom with a different mindset.
What are the benefits of inquiry – based learning?
The benefits of inquiry based learning
- Students are able to take on problems and or projects
- Student are able to collect, observer information
- Students are able to develop useful problem – solving skills
These skills are very helpful to students when they get to college and when they enter the real world.
How has inquiry- based learning developed since it first became popular?
IBL has developed because there are more tools, strategies and research is now out that can be used on students to meet the needs of modern society.
What are some critical perspectives?
Everyone has their own opinion on inquiry –based learning, some people think it’s a waste of time and those students don’t learn enough information for the kind of test that students have to take at the end of high school. On the other hand some people think that it’s great and that student can learn more than they think and be better off at the end of high school.
As for me I think it’s great and it covers all learning levels of students. They can ask the question that they want to know and still learn the same thing that is required of them to learn.
How can I use inquiry- based learning in conjunction with other education techniques?
I like the constructivism theory; because it lets students construct their own understanding and knowledge. I can see inquiry based learning fitting in or working with constructivism because inquiry based learning is seeking information by questioning. The student is learning on their own, with guidance from the teacher. The students are developing information processing and problem solving skills.