Inquiry-based learning starts with students asking questions about a topic, which drives their investigation into new material. It is motivated by student curiosity and allows them to learn at their own level. While it requires student participation, the teacher guides the inquiry process and connects learning to curriculum outcomes. Assessments focus on essential understandings rather than surface-level content. Examples of inquiry-based learning commonly come from science classes, where students develop questions and hypotheses to answer through hands-on activities and research.

6. What is Inquiry-Based Learning?
The definition of inquiry-based learning
(IBL) is that it starts from a place of
questioning. Students may spontaneously
ask questions or be prompted to ask
questions about a particular topic.
It always follows from students' questions
as the main motivation to investigate new
material or acquire new skills. Inquiry-
based learning can be especially
motivating for students who do not
respond well to top-down instructional
models.

13. Other advantages of Inquiry-Based
Learning including:
 Students in an inquiry-based
environment know that their voices
matter and that their curiosity is
important to their teacher.
 Because inquiry-based learning starts
with questions, students are often very
authentically motivated to learn.
 Inquiry-based learning is easy to
differentiate because it is accessible to
students at a wide range of levels.
 An inquiry-based classroom
environment is also very inclusive.

14. These are some disadvantages to
this style of instruction, and the
measures we can take to overcome
them.
1. Testing performance
When teachers focus learning time
on student-led inquiries, it is
important that no area of the
curriculum is left behind.
The workaround: The role of the
teacher in connecting curricular
outcomes to the line of inquiry is the
fundamental solution to this
problem.

15. 2. Reluctance to participate
This teaching and learning style require total
student engagement and participation.
Students will be asked to speak up and
immerse themselves in the activity. While this
could help enhance their public speaking skills
and promote teamwork, it could be daunting
for those students who have issues with
speaking out.
The workaround: The solution is found
initially in the kinds of questions that teachers
ask throughout any inquiry. Essential
questions that are big enough and open
enough for anyone to answer from their own
perspective, experience, or level of ability
provide an entry point for every learner into a
conversation that is relevant to them.

16. 3. Teacher Mindset and Preparedness
If teachers do not completely understand or embrace
this concept, they are unprepared and unable to
engage with their students on a deeper level. This
creates a disconnect, which in turn leaves the
students unprepared and at risk.
The workaround: A key factor is understanding that
great classroom inquiry is guided and supported by
the teacher, through questioning and by providing
formative feedback. Students are never left to their
own devices; rather, the teacher facilitates and
guides each step of the inquiry process.

17. 4. Student Readiness
Students involved in this type of setting
must have the capacity to inquire and make
decisions on their own. As inquiry is a self-
directed form of learning, they must be
comfortable with taking responsibility for
their own learning, without relying on
someone telling them what to do on a
continuous basis.
The workaround: The critical solution to
this potential problem is to teach the skills
of the inquiry process to learners. All
learners have the capacity to ask great
questions, and to make judgement about
the information they are researching.

18. 5. Assessments
The nature of inquiry-based learning does not
lend itself to traditional models of
assessment. The teacher-centered paradigm
of pre-preparing assessments that are
designed to confirm retention of pre-
determined knowledge will not work well in
an inquiry setting.
The workaround: The solution is to ask
questions that connect to the essential
understandings and deep concepts of the
curriculum, rather than to specific areas of
surface-level content.

23. Inquiry-Based Learning Examples
A lot of thought and work goes into designing
inquiry-based learning investigations. For
instance, a teacher might ensure that students
can access strong research materials to
answer their questions, as well as activities like
dramatizations, presentations, and role plays
that help them unearth new materials.
Possibly the most natural place to find IBL
strategies happening is in the science
department. Many examples of inquiry-based
learning come in the context of an inquiry-
based learning science environment, where
students are likely to start by listing a series of
questions about the topic at hand.

24. Inquiry-based learning in science can also be
quite motivating for students, as they come to
understand that even the most abstract
seeming science ideas can be applied to
solve authentic questions they might have.
For example, students might start by asking
questions about the most efficient way to
figure out how much pressure they need to
reduce the volume of specific gas in a
container. In pursuit of answering such a
question, students will have to think
numerically, and probably collaboratively as
well.
Because inquiry stems from students' real,
concrete questions, inquiry-based learning
can be an important bridge into using
authentic learning standards in the classroom.

25. ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF
INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING
DESCRIPTION
1. Orientation/Observation The teacher introduces a new topic or
concept. Students explore the topic
through research, direct instruction,
and hands-on activities.
2. Question/Conceptualize Students develop questions related to
the topic, make predictions, and
hypothesize.
3. Investigation This is the lengthiest part of inquiry
learning. Students take the initiative,
with appropriate teacher support, to
discover answers, to find evidence to
support or disprove hypotheses, and to
conduct research.
4. Conclusion Having collected information and data,
students develop conclusions and
answers to their questions. They
determine if their ideas or hypotheses
prove correct or have flaws. This may
lead to more questions.
5. Discussion/Sharing All students can learn from each other
at this point by presenting results. The
teacher should guide discussions,
encouraging debate, more questions,
and reflection.

29. Here's the truth—there are
advantages and disadvantages to any
kind of instructional method. As
always, it is the human element that
makes things interesting.
There's no perfect one-size-fits-all
teaching approach that will connect
with the interests and abilities of every
single student out there, and teachers
know this intimately.

30. Resources:
Best Teaching Practices
@http//www.centralischool.ca/~bestpracti
ce/index.htm
Inquiry Learning (Curriculum Renewal
Implementation)
@http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/
inquiry/i ndex.html
Teaching Styles and Strategies
@http://teach.com/what/teachers-
teach/teachingmethods
The Importance of Questioning
@http://www.fno.org/nov97/toolkit.html

31. Thank
you so
much for
listening
and
watching!