Month: February 2023

What is Inquiry-Based Learning?

Put simply, inquiry-based learning is centred around the student investigating a topic on their own. This approach allows the student to come to their own conclusions and understanding about the material they are learning, with some guidance from an instructor. It is often times used in the context of scientific ideas as they are often more suited for open-ended questions, Colburn (2000) defines inquiry-based learning as “inquiry … refers to the activities of students in which they develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas.” In the case of this blog post, inquiry-based learning not only extends to scientific ideas but to all types of learning. 

What would an Inquiry-Based Curriculum Look Like?

In a more applied context, an inquiry-based curriculum might have a structure, similar to the one outlined by Wolpert-Gawron (2016). The first step starts with the student developing a question that they want to investigate further. The student researches the topic and then comes back to present what they’ve learned. They then reflect on the process.

Over the past summer, I was able to experience inquiry-based instruction, firsthand. Working as a student researcher in the Computer Science department at UVic. I was tasked with creating and publishing a poster on my research by the end of the summer. The whole research process was an inquiry-based one, in that I would learn and research new things and then iron out any misconceptions and ask follow-up questions in weekly meetings with my advisor. I really enjoyed learning this way and felt that it help strengthen my understanding of the concepts I was researching.

After doing more readings for this blog I actually found that research is one of the main domains that inquiry-based learning is applied to. Inquiry-based learning usually works best for the following topics as outlined by Guido (2017):

• Case Studies
• Group Projects
• Research Projects
• Field Work

On the other hand it is typically not suited for things like math or procedural subjects as trying to make students figure out a procedure (i.e. subtraction when learning math) on their own would “drain time and cause confusion” (Guido, 2017). Further more when using inquiry-based learning design both the teacher and the student may face challenges. Firstly, teachers face the challenge of having to guide students without explicitly telling them the correct answer or giving them too many hints, as doing so would prevent students from gaining their own understanding of the subject. Second, for students, it can be challenging as they have to stay curious about their topic long enough to explore it and gain an understanding of the material.

Would Inquiry-Based Align with Our Topic?

My learning pod’s Interactive Learning Resource is based on teaching programming concepts. Therefore, I believe an inquiry-based approach would not be best suited to teach students programming. As mentioned above, inquiry-based learning works best for open-ended research questions or case studies where less structure is required. When it comes to a topic like programming, which is such a broad field with so much information to offer about it, it is often best to have a structured approach and a set curriculum to learn about the concepts. This creates structure for the learner and keeps the content from being too overwhelming.

References:

Colburn, A. (2000). An inquiry primer. Science scope, 23(6), 42-44. https://www.studentachievement.org/wp-content/uploads/An-Inquiry-Primer-1.pdf

Guido, M. (2017, January 19). What Is Inquiry-Based Learning: 7 Benefits & Strategies You Need to Know. Prodigy Education. https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/inquiry-based-learning-definition-benefits-strategies/

Queens University (n.d.). Inquiry-Based Learning. Queens U Centre for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://www.queensu.ca/ctl/resources/instructional-strategies/inquiry-based-learning

Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2016, August 11). What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning? Edutopia. Retrieved February 11, 2023, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/what-heck-inquiry-based-learning-heather-wolpert-gawron