Inquiry Based Learning

Inquiry Based Learning is a technique where the students choose a topic they would like to know more about and they research it. They are able to ask questions do research and put a project together. This can be seen in schools but maybe to a lesser degree. It seems like the students dont have as much decision. I see projects where the students are given topics to choose from. Thhis may be a better way to go.

The factors of Inquiry Based Learning are;

Student curiosity

Making inquiry visible

Importance of topics and questions

Facilitate the process of gathering and presenting information

Technology and Inquiry

These factors are important in ensuring success while using this technique.

Student curiosity is maybe the main role of Inquiry based learning. The students are able to pick their own topics that they are most interested in. This allows the student to maintain interest and not get bored in the subject. It is the teachers job to make inquiry visible. There should be examples of projects and questions available for the students to look at. The topics and questions are a key component. There are three components of the choice of topic that tend to determine the success of the project; interest in the topic, prior knowledge of the topic, and the nature of the topic. These components are a good indicator of how the project will turn out.

Inquiry Based Learning is kind of a new concept for me. It seems that it would be really successful in a classroom, but, I'm kind of skeptical about it. It would have to be really supervised and really controlled and if a student had a hard time with it, it could become a complete disaster.