North Dakota
Teaching with Technology Initiative

Inquiry-based Learning | Problem-based Learning | Project-based Learning | Comparing Strategies
Resources Home

I N Q U I R Y - B A S E D
L E A R N I N G

What is Inquiry-based learning?
The old adage, “Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand” describes the core of inquiry-based learning. Inquiry is the process of seeking truth, information, or knowledge by questioning. Questioning! That is the key.

The process of inquiring begins with gathering information and data through applying the human senses: seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. Infants make connections to the world by inquiring. They observe faces that come near, they grasp objects, they put things in their mouths, and they turn toward voices. It is natural. Although it is most often associated with science, inquiry-based learning is used to engage students of all ages, to learn by exploration and discovery.

Inquiry-based learning processes vary. Models of inquiry for information literacy include The Big 6, Irvin Information Skills, and Kuhlthau Information Seeking.

To provide a general background, TWT Phase II introduces you to five steps of inquiry learning: questioning, planning and predicting, investigation, recording and reporting, reflecting. You should adjust the model to fit your needs.

How does inquiry-based learning encourage student learning?
Memorizing facts and information is not the most important skill in today’s world. Facts change, and information is readily available. Inquiry-based learning provides students the opportunity to construct the understanding necessary to produce deeper learning. Such understanding greatly increases the chances that students will be able to apply the concept in new situations. This increases the likelihood that it will be remembered. Inquiry-based learning strategies serve as a stimulus for learning, thinking and questioning.

What does inquiry-based learning look like in the classroom?
The following example elaborates on the five steps listed above: questioning, planning and predicting, investigating, recording and reporting, and reflecting.

1. Questioning – This is the concept development phase. It connects students with what they already know and motivates them to bring their own questions to the phenomenon. For example, a teacher asks “Did you ever wonder why gum gets smaller when you chew it?” The purpose of the prompt is to stimulate student interest in the topic for exploration. To allow the students to have concrete knowledge, the teacher in this example gives each student gum and they experience that phenomenon. In this classroom activity, the students conduct an initial, teacher-led experiment to test the hypothesis. The teacher models the questioning: “I have noticed that the size of a wad of gum decreases considerably in the first 10 or 15 minutes of chewing.” The teacher tells them that this change in volume is due to the loss of sugar. After analyzing the results of the initial experiment, students are then in a position to generate their own questions about gum, many of which can be answered with similar experiments. It is when students ask their own questions that they become empowered learners.
2. Planning and Predicting – After students explore ideas through hands-on experiences, they formulate a question and create a plan for investigating their question. They also predict what they think their results will be. It takes time and practice before students learn how to formulate questions. It is important that teachers model this process, asking questions that can be investigated, and eliminating or rewording those that can’t be investigated easily. In this example, the student questions that evolved include: “How will the weight losses compare in sugared gum versus sugarless gum?” and “Does the amount of mass lost depend on how long you chew the gum?” Working in cooperative learning groups, the students make a plan of action to investigate their questions and predict the outcome.
3. Investigating – Students become involved in their inquiries. It is vital to give them ample time to complete their investigations. As students in this scenario begin their investigations, they weigh an un-chewed piece of gum. They then chew the gum for 15 minutes, let it dry for 48 hours, and weigh it again.
4. Recording and Reporting – Students record and communicate their findings in this stage of inquiry learning. They can report their findings in a variety of ways. Whatever means they use, they restate the question and predictions, describe the investigation, and interpret the results. The cooperative groups report their findings. One group documents the results on spreadsheet graphs. Another group chooses presentation software to describe their investigation and to report their results. A third group scans the original gum wrapper (which lists the ingredients and nutritional information) and artistically displays their calculations on their original designed wrapper. They compare the percentages of the sugar content before and after the gum was chewed.
5. Reflecting – In the reflecting phase, students revisit the phenomenon and plan further investigations. New questions may occur as a result of the inquiry and the process is repeated. As the students share and reflect on their findings of the chewing gum investigation, new questions occur: “Do different flavors of the same brand of gum contain different amounts of sugar?” and “Would gum chewed in saliva lose more mass than gum chewed in water?” For these students, the inquiry process begins once again with these new questions as the basis of their next investigation.

Inquiry-based Learning | Problem-based Learning | Project-based Learning | Comparing Strategies
Resources Home

Bibliography
http://www.ndtwt.org/Blackboard/bib