ACTIVITY 5.

1 TEACHING APPROACHES (ENQUIRY BASED LEARNING- VIDYA PM)

1. What approach did you choose?

Enquiry based learning
2. How useful do you think the approach will be for teaching IGCSE Chemistry?
Science if studied properly, develops power of thinking and reasoning, curiosity, open
mindedness and ultimately scientific temper. It involves to components content and process.
A modern science teacher should be a stage setter and initiator of scientific thinking.
Enquiry based learning adopts an investigative approach to teaching and learning where
students are provided with opportunities to investigate a problem, search for possible
solutions, make observations, ask questions, test out ideas, and think creatively and use
their intuition.
Thus Enquiry approach aims at:
 Encouraging the student to be inquisitive and curious – to ask and find solution for
oneself.
 It leads to the unfoldment of child’s mind.
 Supplements the existing set of knowledge.
 Give strength to face the challenges
 Learners trained to learn on their own
 It awaken spirit of joy, thrill and excitement

Here, enquiry based learning teach by planting questions, like seeds, that encourage

students to investigate their own approaches to learning material lead to discover what

they need. This is what we expect from IGCSE curriculum. Make them Confident,

responsible, reflective, innovative, engaged.

3. Which topics does this type of approach work well for? Give your reasons.
Mostly general science topics are well suited for enquiry based learning.
a) States of matter
b) Acids, bases and salts
c) The Periodic Table
d) Metals
e) Chemistry of the environment

Because it deepen understanding of topics and content correlating with everyday life

4. Which topics does this type of approach not work well for? Give your reasons.

a) Atoms, elements and compounds

b) Stoichiometry
c) Electrochemistry
d) Chemical energetics
e) Chemical reactions
f) Organic chemistry
g) Experimental techniques and chemical analysis
 Even though hands on approach is there in enquiry learning. theoretical knowledge needed
for above topics that cannot transact through enquiry approach but other than theories we
can make them do observations, ask questions, test out ideas, and think creatively and use
their intuition effectively.
For eg; for chemical reactions once they learned about theory we can engage them with
experiments. Let them find the answer through activities, observation and even comparing
results of experiment.
5. How do you integrate this approach into your teaching?
In every lesson transactions for learners wherever they need activity based learning
strategies we can rely on 5W & H approach lead them to investigate a problem, search for
possible solutions, make observations, ask questions, test out ideas, and think creatively and
use their intuition to compare results.
For example: After introducing the topic paper chromatography,
We can engage them with practical session using chromatogram. There they will make
observations, test out the theoretical knowledge, engage with their own practical skills and
collect data and interpret them with their own intuition.