Inquiry-based instruction
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The document discusses inquiry-based instruction and compares it to traditional instruction. It describes inquiry as a process where students solve problems and make connections to prior knowledge to investigate and develop their own understanding. The 5E inquiry model is presented as a framework with five phases: engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation. Several forms of inquiry are also outlined, including confirmation, structured, guided and open inquiry. Finally, the document reviews studies that demonstrate the positive outcomes of inquiry-based teaching, such as improved student achievement and interest.
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Inquiry-based instruction
- 1. INQUIRY- BASED INSTRUCTION Mr. Raymund A. Lapitan MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 2. Traditional vs Inquiry-based Instruction Inquiry Inquiry Learning Inquiry based Instruction 5E Inquiry Model Forms of inquiry in inquiry-based instruction Studies on Inquiry Based Instruction Conclusion TOPICS 01 02 04 05 03 06 MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 3. 01 INQUIRY INQUIRYLEARNING INQUIRY-BASEDINSTRUCTION MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 4. Inquiry can be defined as the process of asking a question or investigation, and learning is acquiring skills and knowledge through instruction. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 5. According to Sen and Oskay (2017), inquiry learning is one of the learning methods that follow constructivism theory. It is an effective method not only for student learning, but also for the cultivation and promotion of higher order thinking skills (HOTS). Constructivism theory can help students build their own understanding of a concept (Acish, Yalcin & Turgut, 2011). “ INQUIRY LEARNING MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 6. Constructivism theory can help students build their own understanding of a concept (Acish, Yalcin & Turgut, 2011). In a constructivist learning, teachers act as facilitators in helping students to construct knowledge through the providence of a variety of activities. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 7. INQUIRY-BASED INSTRUCTION It is a teaching technique in which teachers create situations in which students are to solve problems. Lessons are designed so that students make connections to previous knowledge, bring their own questions to learning, investigate to satisfy their own questions and design ways to try out their ideas. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 8. 02 5E INQUIRYMODEL MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 9. 5E INQUIRYMODEL Variouslearningmodelswhich arein linewiththe theoryofconstructivism havebeen developed and oneofthem isthe5E InquiryModel thatwas developed bythe Biological Science Curriculum Study(BSCS) led byRogerBybee(Guzel,2017) MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 10. The teacher gauges student prior knowledge and/or identifies possible misconceptions (Duran and Duran 2004). Engagement MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 11. Providesstudents witha common base ofhands- onactivities.These activitieswillhelpstudents use priorknowledgetoinquire,generatenew ideas, and conduct a preliminaryinvestigation (Bybee 2009). Exploration MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 12. Explanation It is more teacher-directed and guided by the students’ experience in the previous phase (Duran and Duran 2004). Students explain their understanding of concepts and the teacher corrects students’ misconceptions (Bybee 2009). MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 13. Elaboration In the elaboration phase students are encouraged to apply their new understanding of concepts, while reinforcing new skills (Duran and Duran, 2004). MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 14. Evaluation According to Bybee (2009), “The evaluation phase encourages students to assess their understanding and abilities and provides opportunities for teachers to evaluate student progress toward achieving the educational objectives” (p. 5). Formative and summative assessment are appropriate in this phase. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 15. 3BENEFITSOF STUDENT ASKING Prompts deeper thinking on a topic “The quality of the questions students ask reveals how much they know and how well they learn” (White & Gunstone, 1992). Raises basic misunderstandings and knowledge gaps “Questions activate ‘prior knowledge,’ helping students connect new learnings to what they already know” (Schmidt, 1992). Helps students discover their thinking on a complex topic “The process of asking questions allows them to articulate their current understanding of a topic… and also to become aware of what they do or do not know” (Chin & Osborne, 2000). MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 16. 03 TRADITIONALVS. INQUIRYBASED INSTRUCTION MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 17. TRADITIONAL AND INQUIRY-BASEDINSTRUCTION Traditional Indicator Inquiry-Based Whatweknow? Content Focus Howwecome toknow? Teachergivesinformation about“whatis known? Roleof Teacher Teacheracts as facilitatorof learning. Learnerreceivesinformation. RoleofLearner Learnerconstructs knowledge. Contentunderstanding Assessment Focus Skillsdevelopmentin additiontocontentunderstanding In-school success and preparationforthenext gradelevel. Goal In-school success and preparationforlife-long learning. Limitedtowhatis availablein class. Use of Resources Use resourcesbeyond theclassroom. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 18. In a student-centered learning, the students will be more responsible for what they will be learning in the classroom given their direct and personal involvement in the learning process (Lak, Soleimani & Parvaneh, 2017). MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 19. However, Serin (2018) stated that students are not constructing the knowledge and understanding by their own; instead, the teacher will assist them to construct knowledge. This shows that the teacher’s role in students’ construction of knowledge is that of guide on sage on the stage (Ong & Ruthven, 2009). MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 20. 04 FORMS OFINQUIRY IN INQUIRY-BASED INSTRUCTION MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 21. FORMS OF INQUIRY THAT ARE COMMONLY USED IN INQUIRY-BASED INSTRUCTION Structured Inquiry Confirmation Inquiry 4 Guided Inquiry Open Inquiry MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 22. CONFIRMATION INQUIRY Learners are given a question, as well as a method, to which the end result is already known. The goal is to confirm the results. This enables learners to reinforce already established ideas, and to practice their investigative skills. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 23. STRUCTURED INQUIRY Learners are given the question and the method of achieving the result, but the goal is to provide an explanation that is already supported by the evidence gathered during and through the investigative process. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 24. GUIDED INQUIRY Learners are only given a question. The main goal is to design the method of investigation and then test the question itself. This type of inquiry is not typically as structured as the previously mentioned forms. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 25. OPEN INQUIRY Thus, students are engaged in continuous decision-making throughout each stage of the open inquiry process, starting from the stage of finding the interesting phenomenon to be inquired. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 26. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 27. 05 STUDIESTHAT HAVEDEMONSTRATEDTHE POSITIVEOUTCOMES ASSOCIATEDWITH INQUIRY-BASEDTEACHING. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 28. INQUIRY-BASED TEACHING INSPIRES STUDENTS TO LEARN MORE, ANDTO LEARN MORETHOROUGHLY. • Middle-school physics students taught through inquiry outperformed high school students taught with conventional methods. • An inquiry-based curriculum yielded significant gains in student achievement without sacrificing state curriculum standards. • In English classrooms where teachers asked authentic questions designed to explore understanding instead of ‘test’ questions that checked what students already knew, students learned more. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 29. AN INQUIRY-BASED CURRICULUM CAN INCREASE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND NARROW THE GAP BETWEEN HIGH- AND LOW- ACHIEVING STUDENTS. • Middle school teachers who used an inquiry approach increased the achievement scores of African American students, narrowed the achievement gap between male and female students, and found that their students were more interested in what they had to teach. • A study involving over 1400 students found that inquiry-based approaches in middle and high school language arts classrooms allow both low- and high-achieving students to make academic gains. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 30. INQUIRY-BASEDTEACHINGMETHODSCAN BENEFITCULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLYDIVERSESTUDENTSAND STUDENTSWITH SPECIALNEEDS. • In a California school district, an inquiry-based approach to science with English Language Learners (ELLs) led to greater proficiency in not just science, but also English language, reading, and math. • Thoughtful use of an inquiry-based teaching approach classroom bridged the gap between home and school culture on a Navajo reservation. • When used in place of a textbook approach, an inquiry-based approach yielded significantly higher achievement for high school students with special needs. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 31. • Lord and Orkwiszewski (2006)[2] conducted an experiment to prove the benefits of inquiry-based learning compared to the traditional learning. The results proved that the experimental group (inquiry-based learning method used) scored and an average of 89.7% on the same assessment as given to the control group (traditional teaching method used) who scored an average of 84.4%. MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 32. 06 CONCLUSION MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 33. “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn” Benjamin Franklin MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
- 35. References: Center for Inspired Teaching. (2008). Inspired Issue brief: inquiry-based teaching . Retrieved from http://www.inspiredteaching.org Nasip, A, M.; and Ong, E, K. (2021). 5E Inquiry-Based Teaching Module for Primary School Science Teachers: A Need Analysis. Review of international geographical education (RIGEO), 11(4), 730 737. doi: 10.48047/rigeo.11.04.66 Fatema Mohammed Alshehh. Inquiry based learning. Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/doc/311591005/inquiry-based-learning Jennelyn Belen Denosta(2018). Inquiry Based Instruction. Teaching science through inquiry. Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/document/378828110/Inquiry-Based-Instruction Sulton Nawawi(2014). Inquiry based learning. Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/presentation/250809759/Inquiry-Based-Learning-1-ppt MSE GE 213 CURRENT TRENDS AND TECHNIQUES IN TEACHING
Editor's Notes
- inquiry -based learning. Inquiry based learning is something that we have encountered ever since we are kids, it is something that happens throughout our lives. Growing up, we always ask questions to make sense of what we see, feel, taste, touch, hear, and of what we think of, because we want to understand how the things around us really work, and we do this by asking questions. It is natural for us to inquire, during the process of inquiry, we continuously think and search for answers so that we could find meaning on what surrounds us.
- Think of it this way: inquiry can be defined as the process of asking a question or investigation, and learning is acquiring skills and knowledge through instruction. So, in simplest terms, inquiry-based learning is an active kind of education -- having students learn through asking questions and investigating, as opposed to simply memorizing content from teacher lectures or readings. The important thing is not to stop questioning” - Albert Einstein’s incredible to feel the energy of your students around you, asking questions that you hadn’t thought of before, pursuing THEIR curiosity, and taking full ownership of their learning. Inquiry-based learning is a teaching method that gives students the opportunity to run the classroom. The classroom becomes a space for student-led exploration -- they ask questions and investigate and research in order to answer them. Inquiry-based learning has four types: confirmation, structured, guided, and open inquiry, and these student-led learning methods can be used for all subjects, from K-12 to higher ed.
- The inquiry-based instruction is based from the constructivism theory of Jerome Bruner. In constructivism theory, students create meaning from their experiences. They are engaged in a more active role in the learning process. It is an interactive teaching strategy that create meaningful contexts that help student construct knowledge based on their own experiences. It is used to teach HOTS like reasoning and problem-solving. Some examples of activities are role-playing (simulation event for a time period, debating controversial issues, real world activities like internship or immersion).
- The role of the teacher in an inquiry-based classroom is quite different from that of a teacher in a conventional classroom. Instead of providing direct instruction to students, teachers help students generate their own content-related questions and guide the investigation that follows. Inquiry-based learning is a teaching method that gives students the opportunity to run the classroom. The classroom becomes a space for student-led exploration -- they ask questions and investigate and research in order to answer them.
- Such investigations may extend over a long period of time. Students communicate through journal writing, oral presentations, drawing, graphing, charting, etc. Students then revise their explanations as they learn. This technique is particularly popular in science instruction. Discovery learning is a type of inquiry-based instruction which was developed primarily by the psychologist Jerome Bruner. The inquiry-based instruction approach has been most widely used in science education, but it has also been used in a number of other subject matter areas including mathematics, engineering and even reading instruction. Learner-centered instructional method that is based on substantially increased learner involvement in the learning process.
- This student-centered phase should create a desire to learn more about the forthcoming topic. According to Duran and Duran (2004), the engagement phase is not intended for the teacher to lecture, define terms, or provide explanations. Teacher measures the prior knowledge of the students and encourages them to become interested in a new concept by using brief exercises that inspire interest and generate prior knowledge. The activity should connect past and present learning experiences, reveal previously conceptions and coordinate the thought of students toward the learning outcomes of current activities. Mentally engage students with the following activities Picture Analysis/ Observations Video Clips Demonstrations Kinesthetic Activities Free Writes
- This phase of the learning cycle usually incorporates the main inquiry-based experience, which nurtures students’ understanding (Duran and Duran 2004). Students carry-out hands-on activities to make sense of a concept Ask a testable question Conduct research and form hypothesis Test the hypothesis and gather data Analyze and Interpret the data Draw a conclusion and communicate result.
- During this phase the teacher may provide formal definitions, notes, and labels (Duran and Duran 2004). Teacher explains concepts and skills introduced in the Explore phase In these stage student will explain and give there feedback of what they understand from the lesson. However teacher will ask a question to evaluate their understanding and see what they understand to focus in what they don't understand. #lso teacher can ask student to explain there thinking in real life and what they are do and see in their life which related to the lesson. Vocabulary Instruction Interactive Presentations Articles (Print and Online)
- According to Duran and Duran (2004), “Students may conduct additional investigations, develop products, share information and ideas, or apply their knowledge and skills to other disciplines” (p. 53). This stage in the learning cycle presents opportunities for the teacher to integrate science with other content areas (Duran and Duran 2004). Students conduct additional activities to apply learning to a new situations Debates Passion Based Learning Lab Experiments
- Duran and Duran (2004) provides a list of non-traditional forms of assessment that are appropriate for evaluating students’ understanding and performance: portfolios, performance-based assessment, concept maps, physical models, and journal logs. Evaluate Students review and reflect on their learning Self-Assessments Portfolio of Student work Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (Scenario Prompt) Final Presentations
- 1. Raises basic misunderstandings and knowledge gaps Student questions are information-dense communication points that help an instructor quickly gauge the level of understanding a student has about the topic or project. “The quality of the questions students ask reveals how much they know and how well they learn” (White & Gunstone, 1992). 2. Prompts deeper thinking on a topic Research shows that asking questions helps students to better retain new information. “Questions activate ‘prior knowledge,’ helping students connect new learnings to what they already know” (Schmidt, 1992). 3. Helps students discover their thinking on a complex topic When students ask questions they must self-evaluate what they know. “The process of asking questions allows them to articulate their current understanding of a topic… and also to become aware of what they do or do not know” (Chin & Osborne, 2000).
- One of the goals of today’s education system is to produce students who are able to obtain information through their own studies without being given directly from the teacher (Asoodeh, Asoodeh & Zarepour, 2012). The information provided is also referred to as a teacher-centred learning where the teacher determines the topic to be taught, designs what students should do and provides the procedures students should follow when conducting an investigation. This teacher-centred approach gives emphasis to the teacher’s knowledge, teacher-determined topic to be taught and the teacher-provided procedures to be followed (Schreurs & Dumbraveanu, 2014). The current trend in science education points to the very fact that the effective method used is that of a student-centred learning.
- Inquiry-based learning has four types: confirmation, structured, guided, and open inquiry, and these student-led learning methods can be used for all subjects, from K-12 to higher ed.
- This level is the most familiar and the easiest to do. At this level, you will develop both the questions and a procedure that will guide students through an activity with known results. This form of inquiry reinforces the prior knowledge of the student.
- This level is similar to Level 1, but now involves developing a foundation for inquiry and critical thinking skills. You provide an initial question and an outlined procedure for students to follow. Important, however, is that the results are unknown. • Example: You direct students to take soil samples from several different locations (e.g. home, school, park) and analyze the composition for differences The students investigate a teacher-presented question through a prescribed procedure, and receive explicit step-by-step guidelines at each stage, leading to a predetermined outcome, similar to following a recipe. Students are involved through hands-on investigations in the process of science and develop basic inquiry skills, such as making observations, raising hypotheses, collecting and organising data, drawing conclusions, making inferences and finding solutions. However, students do not acquire the ability to think autonomously because in structured inquiry, questions, processes and results are 'known in advance'
- This level allows students to take more ownership for the experiment and findings. They are responsible for designing the procedure and following it to answer the question that you provided. Learners build upon skills gained from earlier levels, as well as incorporate more problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Because learners now have more freedom in developing the procedure and finding useful content, it is important for you to provide guidance and feedback where necessary. • Example: You ask students how the materials used in traditional and contemporary buildings in specific climates compare in terms of energy efficiency and minimization of resource usage. Guided inquiry is a type of inquiry-based learning where a teacher provides scaffolding to guide the students through their inquiries. They do this by giving students only the goal and the process. What happens during guided inquiry? Teachers allow students to take control of their own learning. Students: Create investigations Ask questions Do research Distill information Sharpen their critical thinking skills Like all student-led learning, guided inquiry is a way for students to learn how to make sense of multiple sources of information, figure things out on their own, and solve complex problems. Why is Guided Inquiry Important, Anyway? Benefits Include: Students feel motivated Students gain higher-level thinking skills like analyzing and evaluating Learning by doing means students might retain more When students are taking control of their exploration, they're excited to come up with new questions and research. They're also motivated to start thinking about the topic from their own knowledge base, enabling them to connect their research to things they already know and come up with new ideas. Guided inquiry learning is also a great way to start students off on inquiry-based learning. Guided inquiry learning gives them the scaffolding to understand the process and build on it in the future.
- At the highest level of Inquiry-Based Learning, within broad paramaters, learners establish ownership of the experiment and findings. They are allowed to choose a topic or idea that is of interest and begin to formulate their own research question(s) and design a procedure to conduct the study. Once the study is complete, you may have them prepare a report or presentation detailing the findings and results. • Example: You direct students to choose an edible substance and analyze how it chemically interacts with the human body It the highest level of Inquiry-Based Learning, within broad paramaters, learners establish ownership of the experiment and findings. They are allowed to choose a topic or idea that is of interest and begin to formulate their own research question(s) and design a procedure to conduct the study. Once the study is complete, you may have them prepare a report or presentation detailing the findings and results Example practical research
- This Center for Inspired Teaching presents several sound studies that have demonstrated the positive outcomes associated with inquiry-based teaching.
- Three middle school science teachers in urban public schools taught fundamental concepts of physics by using a computer-based inquiry curriculum. Instead of emphasizing facts and details, the curriculum engaged students in authentic scientific investigations that asked students to create and apply models of force and motion. The curriculum also challenged students to inquire into their own learning, through an exercise that invited students to generate and discuss a personal assessment of their performance in class. Students who benefited from this type of teaching outperformed high school physics students when asked to apply the concepts of force and motion to real-world situations. The study also found that lower-performing students who engaged in self-assessment earned scores closer to those of the high-achieving students. In a partnership with Detroit Public Schools, researchers at the University of Michigan implemented inquiry-based science units in sixth, seventh and eighth grade classrooms over a three year period. One unit, for example, was based on the question, “How can I move big things?” and invited students to create projects to explore simple machines and the concept of force. Over 8,000 students were tested before and after the curriculum was implemented and to assess their knowledge of the content, understanding of the process, and overall achievement. Each of these three categories was evaluated for students enrolled in the six courses offered using this curriculum, resulting in eighteen assessment categories. In seventeen of eighteen categories, students who took part in the inquiry curriculum made statistically significant gains in achievement. The researchers concluded that their results demonstrate that an inquiry approach can benefit students who have been low achievers in the past. A researcher at University of Wisconsin observed the patterning of questions teachers asked in more than a hundred eighth- and ninth-grade English classrooms in Wisconsin and Illinois. Using pretests of literacy performance and an end-of-year measure that focused on the unique literature selections that each classroom had studied, the study found that a variety of features of classroom discussion activities were significantly related to increased student achievement. The features that were associated with with larger improvements in performance over the year included more use of authentic questions, which were used to explore differing understandings rather than to “test” what students might already know; more time for open discussion: whole-class discourse devoted to free exchange of ideas among students; and more “uptake,” in which a teacher’s question built on a student’s previous comment, allowing for students to significantly shape the lesson
- The State of Ohio spearheaded an initiative to reform math and science teacher professional development to emphasize inquiry-based teaching. In each of eight urban middle schools that were studied, students of teachers who participated in inquiry workshops outperformed students of teachers who did not receive the training. Not only did inquiry-based techniques raise student achievement scores overall, but score differences between female and male students were less evident in the classes taught by teachers who used the inquiry approach. Finally, students in the inquiry-based classrooms reported being more interested in the subjects they studied. In a large-scale study that included sites in California, Florida, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin, researchers observed 64 classrooms to determine whether the teacher primarily focused on fostering student inquiry into literary themes or whether they emphasized simple recall of details of plot and character. A variety of achievement data were also collected. The analysis revealed that discussion-based inquiry approaches were significantly related to improved student performance. Further analysis controlled for initial literacy levels, gender, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity, and the researchers concluded that these approaches were effective across a range of situations, for students of varying levels of academic ability, whatever classrooms they were in.
- 1. Fourth and sixth grade ELLs in a high-poverty, mostly Latino school district in southern California showed more improvement on standardized tests in math, science and reading the longer they were enrolled in an inquiry-based classroom. Researchers concluded that inquiry-based science lessons are of particular benefit to ELLs because the hands-on activities allow learners to construct context, develop positive attitudes toward learning, and engage in authentic conversation with peers. 2. Nonnative teachers of Navajo students at a school in Arizona struggled to adapt lessons to the students’ cultural norms of speaking. Students’ concerns about ‘showing off’ conflicted with teachers’ expectations that students be actively engaged in discussions. When four primary school social studies teachers at the Rough Rock Demonstration School engaged collaborative peer groups in inquiry projects rather than relying on whole-group lecture and discussion, they saw significant gains in student participation levels and greater student interest in connecting content to the social, economic and cultural realities of their society. Students who were formerly quiet and seemingly disengaged began to actively participate in class and applied what they learned to a variety of new contexts. 3. Twenty-six junior high school students with learning disabilities studied two science units via an activity-based, inquiry-oriented approach or a textbook approach. Pre- and post-tests revealed that when students were taught by experiential, more indirect methods, they learned more and remembered more than they were taught by more direct instructional methods. The research also revealed that hands-on science activities were greatly favored over textbook activities by students who had experienced both. Students were asked about their impressions of the two instructional methods. 96% reported that they enjoyed the inquiry approach more, and over 80% considered the activities more facilitative of learning and more motivating.
- 1. Fourth and sixth grade ELLs in a high-poverty, mostly Latino school district in southern California showed more improvement on standardized tests in math, science and reading the longer they were enrolled in an inquiry-based classroom. Researchers concluded that inquiry-based science lessons are of particular benefit to ELLs because the hands-on activities allow learners to construct context, develop positive attitudes toward learning, and engage in authentic conversation with peers. 2. Nonnative teachers of Navajo students at a school in Arizona struggled to adapt lessons to the students’ cultural norms of speaking. Students’ concerns about ‘showing off’ conflicted with teachers’ expectations that students be actively engaged in discussions. When four primary school social studies teachers at the Rough Rock Demonstration School engaged collaborative peer groups in inquiry projects rather than relying on whole-group lecture and discussion, they saw significant gains in student participation levels and greater student interest in connecting content to the social, economic and cultural realities of their society. Students who were formerly quiet and seemingly disengaged began to actively participate in class and applied what they learned to a variety of new contexts. 3. Twenty-six junior high school students with learning disabilities studied two science units via an activity-based, inquiry-oriented approach or a textbook approach. Pre- and post-tests revealed that when students were taught by experiential, more indirect methods, they learned more and remembered more than they were taught by more direct instructional methods. The research also revealed that hands-on science activities were greatly favored over textbook activities by students who had experienced both. Students were asked about their impressions of the two instructional methods. 96% reported that they enjoyed the inquiry approach more, and over 80% considered the activities more facilitative of learning and more motivating.
- This Center for Inspired Teaching presents several sound studies that have demonstrated the positive outcomes associated with inquiry-based teaching.