Inquiry+Based+Learning


 * Inquiry Based Learning **
 * Virginia Vastag **[[file:Instructional Strategy.docx]]

**__Description of Strategy__** Children come into the world as very inquisitive people. When they encounter something new or interesting, they learn about it through observation and experimentation. Each experience that they have helps them build new knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Why should that change when they enter a classroom environment?

Inquiry Based Learning is an instructional strategy that is centered around using students’ natural sense of curiosity to explore the world. This is done in place of lessons that are focused on the memorization of facts presented by teachers or textbooks. Instead of relying on direct instruction to teach a subject, teachers encourage students to observe and investigate subject material in a way that supports application to real life situations. Students are given opportunities to take ownership of their learning while making decisions regarding the direction of their study.

According to Shih, Chuang, & Hwang (2010), “Inquiry-based learning is a concept which encourages teachers to allow learners to get in touch with authentic situations, and to explore and solve problems that are analogs to real life.” Inquiry based learning enables students to study content through engaging, hands-on exploration rather than having to learn through the memorization of facts that are read or simply discussed in a classroom. In doing so, students are able to make more connections between what they learn in the classroom and what they experience in the outside world. Consequently, students are also engaged in activities that require higher level thinking skills.

Jansen (2011) describes inquiry based learning as creating an environment in which “students use a wide range of resources to collaborate with others to solve authentic problems by thinking critically, actively creating content, and communicating with a wide audience.” Instead of teachers telling students what they should know, teachers have a responsibility to provide the materials necessary for students explore the topics and develop knowledge of their own. Since we live in a world in which we have an abundance of ever-changing information, it is important that students be taught how to make sense of information rather than memorizing bits and pieces of it.

Inquiry based learning also helps students gain metacognitive awareness because it forces them become actively engaged in their learning rather than being passive recipients of knowledge (Colburn, 2000). Over the course of their study, students will experience both successes and failures, which will all serve as meaningful learning opportunities. Just as successes and failures in early childhood can lead to meaningful learning experiences, those experienced in inquiry based lessons can provide memorable pieces of information.

**__Implementation__** Inquiry-based learning mimics the type of learning done by professional scientists and historians. Rather than memorizing facts, students must explore and investigate material and draw conclusions from what they observe. To use inquiry-based learning:


 * Teachers must engage students in a topic with a warm-up activity. During this time, teachers should encourage students to develop questions that they have regarding material. It is important that students participate in generating questions and searching for answers rather than passively receiving information that others have chosen to provide.
 * Teachers must provide resources that will allow students to explore the topic and find answers to their questions. The types of resources provided will depend on the topic of study. The resources can include materials that allow students to use their five senses. Alternatively, the resources could be informational pieces like encyclopedias, internet sites, or even people that the students can interview.
 * Students typically work in groups to conduct a portion of their research and inquiry.
 * Students should be given choices and freedom in the way in which they go about their investigations.
 * Teachers should use probing questions to help students delve deeper into study, but should not directly provide answers or explanations to questions.
 * Teachers must create a format for the students to explain their observations and the knowledge that they gathered. This could be a project, a table or diagram, a presentation, or a report of some kind.
 * Students should be given the opportunity to apply what they learned to real life situations.
 * Individual assessments should be used as well as those generated by groups of students.
 * As students explore information, new questions may arise. The teacher should allow students to modify their investigations so as to address new areas of interest.
 * Inquiry based learning requires more class time than direct instruction because it can become cyclical as new questions are generated.

**__Sample Lesson Plan__**

**__Matching Student Needs__** Inquiry based learning is a great strategy to use with a diverse group of learners. Shih et al. (2010) stated that the results of their research showed that, “instructional design for inquiry-based learning would not increase students’ learning burden for students at any learning level.” This means that students who might typically struggle were able to find ways of being successful at accomplishing their goals during inquiry based instruction.

The inquiry based learning project conducted by Shih et al. (2010) allowed students to “interact with their living environment instead of only reading in the classroom and listening to teachers.” Therefore, it helped many students because they were able to “learn by doing and seeing instead of by memorizing.” Many students become bored, restless, or unable to focus during typical lecture based lessons. Using an inquiry based approach allows for more engagement and motivation for learning which in turn makes the experiences more memorable.

While using inquiry based learning, teachers have an opportunity to reach out to more types of learners. Field trips and investigations involving movement can be used to meet the needs of kinesthetic learners. Sounds, music, and recordings can be used to meet the needs of auditory learners. Pictures, diagrams, charts, and models can be used to meet the needs of visual learners. Also, hands-on experimentation and manipulation of materials can be used to meet the needs of tactile learners.

**__Four Ideas for Practical Application__**
 * · One suggestion for using inquiry-based learning is to use the many features of “Google.” Lamb and Johnson (2010) outline the many tools that Google offers for research and inquiry. In addition to using Google for a web search,
 * Students can search for:
 * Government documents at []
 * Websites from other countries (for example, [|http://google.ca] will allow a student to search sites from Canada)
 * Blogs at [|http://blogsearch.google.com]
 * News articles at []
 * Books at [|http://books.google.com]
 * Scholarly articles at [|http://scholar.google.com]
 * Patents at []
 * I mages at [|http://images.google.com]
 * Videos at [|http://video.google.com]
 * Maps at [|http://maps.google.com]
 * Satellite images of Earth at [|http://earth.google.com]
 * Students can collaborate, create, and communicate using:
 * Google Chrome, [] for enhanced web features
 * iGoogle, [] for creating customized resource pages with helpful tools and gadgets
 * Google Reader, [|http://reader.google.com] for web feeds, class blogs, and online journals
 * Google Calendar, [] for class calendars and events
 * Gmail, [|http://gmail.com] for free e-mail accounts
 * Google Talk, [] for online collaboration and video conferencing
 * Google Does, [|http://docs.google.com] for word processing and document sharing and storage


 * Another suggestion is to combine inquiry-based learning with the use of digital devices. PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and cellular phones can allow students to have personal access to information and tools over the course of their research and inquiry. Shih et al. (2010) conducted research on a group of fifth grade students learning about the Peace Temple of southern Tainan. Each student was given a mobile devise to help him or her investigate the temple on a field trip. The researchers concluded that “By using mobile devises, students can have a more customized learning pace and process, and can receive individual attention and learning guidance.” Their research showed that the use of wireless handheld devises enhanced the thinking abilities of their participants, provided scaffolds for learning, and facilitated peer cooperation and interaction with the instructor.


 * Inquiry based learning can be done in conjunction with field trips. This can be particularly useful in social studies and science.
 * Students can explore historical sites and be allowed to make observations on architecture and artifacts, as well as interview employees about questions that they have generated. Students can look for answers to questions they have assembled regarding events that took place in history.
 * Students could make observations and conduct experiments in nature in order to better understand their physical environment. Students could observe and interact with tools, machines, and other scientific instruments to see how the items work.

**__References__** Akgul, E. (2006). Teaching science in an inquiry-based learning environment: What it means for pre-service elementary science teachers. //Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education//, //2//(1), 71-81. Colburn. A. (2000). An inquiry primer. Science Scope, 23(6), 42-44. Creedy, D., Horsfall, J., Hand, B.. (1992). Problem-based learning in nurse education: an Australian view. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 17, 727-733. Feletti, G. (1993). Inquiry based and problem based learning: how similar are these approaches to nursing and medical education? Higher Education Research & Development, 12(2). 143-156. Jansen, B., (2011). Inquiry unpacked: An introduction to inquiry-based learning. //Library Media Connection//, //29//(5), 10-12. Kremer, A., Walker, M. , & Schl2;ter, K. (2007). Learning to teach inquiry: A course in inquiry-based science for future primary school teachers. //Bioscene: Journal of College Biology Teaching V. 33 No. 2 (May 2007) P. 19-23//, //33//(2), 19-23. Lamb, A., & Johnson, L. (2010). Beyond googling: Applying google tools to inquiry-based learning. //Teacher Librarian//, //37//(4), 83-86. Li, D. D., & Lim, C. P. (2008). Scaffolding online historical inquiry tasks: A case study of two secondary school classrooms. Computers & Education, 50(4), 1394-1410. Panasan, M., & Nuangchalerm, P. (2010). Learning outcomes of project-based and inquiry-based learning activities. //Journal of Social Sciences (15493652)//, //6//(2), 252-255. Rozenszayn, R., & Assaraf, O. (2011). When collaborative learning meets nature: Collaborative learning as a meaningful learning tool in the ecology inquiry based project. //Research in Science Education//, //41//(1), 123-146. Shih, J., Chuang, C., & Hwang, G. (2010). An Inquiry-based Mobile Learning Approach to Enhancing Social Science Learning Effectiveness. //Journal of Educational Technology & Society//, //13//(4), p. 50-62. Retrieved from OmniFile Full Text Mega database.
 * Teachers can present students with some sort of content related material and allow students to freely experiment and explore it. Some examples modified from Kremer, Walker, and Schlüter (2007) are listed below:
 * To learn about animal behaviors, provide a fish bowl and ask students to describe the animal’s response to environmental changes. Students will have to think of various little experiments to try to get a response out of the fish. They will have to figure out a way of recording and reporting their observations.
 * As an engineering task, provide groups of students with eggs and various materials such as newspaper, tape, towels, cardboard, etc. Ask them to design a method of protecting the eggs from breaking when they are dropped from a higher elevation. Students will have to experiment with the different materials and with different designs until they can create something that successfully accomplishes the task.
 * To learn about taste buds, provide various foods to the students and ask them to describe the experiences they have while eating them. The students would have to come up with some way of charting the different areas of the tongue in which they experience heightened awareness for each type of food.