Inquiry-Based Learning

What is Inquiry?
"Inquiry is the active pursuit of meaning involving thought
processes that change experience to bits of knowledge. When
we see a strange object, for example, we may be puzzled
about what it is, what it is made of, what it is used for, how it
came into being, and so forth. To find answers to questions
such as these we might examine the object closely, subject it
to certain tests, compare it with other, more familiar objects, or
ask people about it, and for a time our searching would be
aimed at finding out whether any of these theories made
sense. Or we might simply cast about for information that
would suggest new theories for us to test. All these activities---
observing, theorizing, experimenting, theory testing---are part
of inquiry. The purpose of the activity is to gather enough
information to put together theories that will make new
experiences less strange and more meaningful."
(Suchman, 1968, p.1)
 INQUIRY
•Is a learning process that
motivates you to obtain
knowledge or information
about people, things, places,
or events.
 Inquiry elevates your thinking
power. It makes you think in
different ways, enabling you to
arrive at a particular idea or
understanding that will motivate
you to create something unique,
new, or innovative for your
personal growth as well as for the
world.
Governing Principles or
Foundation of Inquiry
 Socrates
(470-399 B.C.)
•Lead students through a series of
questions
•Promoted critical thinking
Jean Jacques Rousseau
(1712-1788)
•Children should learn what they
want to learn
•Promoted the idea of learning
through nature
John Dewey
(1859-1952)
• Believed that knowledge comes from experiences
and reflecting on/questioning those experiences
• Utilized the scientific method for students to learn
through predictions, experiments, and conclusions
• Focused on the learner and his/her environment
• Emphasized the power of students' natural
curiosity
• Promoted the importance of a "community of
learners"
• Encouraged the use of manipulative materials for
involvement and understanding
Jean Piaget
(1896-1980)
• Believed that children construct their own
knowledge
• Focused on discovery and active involvement of
the student
• Stressed the importance of teaching children at a
developmentally appropriate level
• Emphasized the role of prior knowledge
• Strong belief in knowledge construction:
introduced the concept that as people learn, they
either assimilate knowledge into their existing
mental schemas, or they adjust their mental
schemas to accept the new knowledge.
Lev Vygotsky
(1896-1934)
• Believed that children create their own
concepts
• Developed the concept of assisted learning, or
Social Constructivism
• Strong emphasis on the use of prior
knowledge and scaffolding
• Proposed that the role of the teacher is to
support and guide learning by helping them
develop higher level thinking skills, which they
could then use independently.
Jerome Bruner
(1915)
• Defined the theory of Discovery Learning,
where students discover knowledge for
themselves through experimentation and
exploration
• Emphasized that teachers role is to guide
student learning
• Believed in the importance of students using
their prior knowledge and experiences in
learning
• Looked upon learning as an active and social
process
Spiral Path of Inquiry
 Strengths of Inquiry
• Emphasis is put on understanding and learning, not on
memorization.
• Students have understanding of the larger concepts related
to specific concepts.
• Inquiry develops the mind for a lifetime quest of knowledge
and understanding
• Inquiry activities can be more engaging and interesting to
students than “chalk and talk”.
• Works with any age group so it can be applied in many
different educational settings.
• Builds off all experiences and knowledge that students bring
to the classroom, no matter how diverse these may be.
 Weaknesses of Inquiry
• Enough specific topics may not be covered in a
school year when only Inquiry is used.
• Many students do not know how to ask questions
so teachers first attempts at Inquiry may seem
difficult or discouraging
• Inquiry focuses on helping children ask questions.
Therefore, instructors must learn the art of asking
good questions.
Benefits of Inquiry-based
learning
1. Elevates interpretative thinking
through graphic skills.
2. Improves students learning
abilities
3. Widens learners’ vocabulary
4. Facilitates problem-solving acts
5. Increase social awareness and
cultural knowledge
6. Encourages cooperative learning
7. Provides mastery of procedural
knowledge
8. Encourages higher-order
thinking skills strategies
9. Hastens conceptual
understanding
 Educators, businessmen, and
other professionals consider all these
benefits of Inquiry-based learning in
various fields of knowledge to crucial to
the success of anyone in the 21st
Century
QUIZ N0.1
DIRECTION: CHOOSE THE LETTER
OF THE CORRECT ANSWER. WRITE
YOUR ANSWER ON THE ANSWER
SHEET
1. It is the active pursuit of meaning involving
thought processes that change experience to bits
of knowledge.
a. Research b. Inquiry c. Nature d. Study

2. He believed in the importance of students using

their prior knowledge and experiences in learning
a. John Dewey b. Jerome Bruner
c. Jean Jacques Rousseau d. Jean Piaget

3. The witness’ statement is crucial to the solution

of the case. What is the meaning of the italicized
word in the sentence?
a. Vital b. Deal c. Search D. Deep
4. He believed that knowledge comes from
experiences and reflecting on/questioning
those experiences.
a. John Dewey b. Jerome
Bruner
c. Jean Jacques Rousseau d. Jean Piaget
5. He emphasized that teachers role is to
guide the students learning.
a. John Dewey b. Jerome
Bruner
c. Jean Jacques Rousseau d. Jean Piaget
II. Give at least 5 benefits of inquiry
based learning