What is Inquiry? Why Inquiry?

What is Inquiry?

Characteristics of Inquiry

The process of inquiry is about presenting opportunities for students to explore topics deeply by formulating questions, investigating, and creating new knowledge (Branch, 2003, p.6).  It is a process whereby students have freedom to explore their passions, direct their own learning, and obtain skills they will need their entire lives. 

"Inquiry is an approach to learning whereby students find and use a variety of sources of the information and ideas to increase their understanding of a problem, topic, or issue. It requires more of them than simply answering questions or getting a right answer." (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, & Caspari., 2007, p.2) 

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What is Inquiry-Based Learning?

Inquiry learning is based on John Dewey’s philosophy that education begins with the curiosity of the learner.  Dewey (1939)  stated “that the educational process has two sides- one psychological and one sociological: and neither can be subordinate to the other or neglected without evil results following” (Dewey, 1939, pg. 20).  Dewey realized that three parts of learning, the social, teacher and cognitive are intertwined and to ignore any aspect neglects an integral part of the student’s complete education.  Dewey (1938) argued that educators must establish and sustain a community of inquiry, “educators must be knowledgeable, flexible but focused, and comfortable with uncertainty” (Swan, Garrison, & Richardson, 2009). Inquiry in the classroom places the responsibility for learning on the students and encourages them to arrive at an understanding of concepts by themselves.

The four basic stages of Self-Directed Inquiry Learning include:

• Determining what they need to learn and defining the research question
• Identifying resources and how best to learn from them
• Using resources and recording, synthesis and evaluation of learning
• Assessing their progress in learning and transference of learning

The following diagram illustrates the cycle of Inquiry Learning or action research. 

Image from:

Ontario Library Association 
(https://www.accessola.org/)

The Multiple cycles within the cycle of learning creates a spiral effect of learning where the learner utilizes the knowledge that he has co-constructed with other students within the social paradigm of the classroom to apply, act, monitor and evaluate a series actions in a spiral chain of events. 

The initial stages involves students drafting a “learning contract” that specifies what they will learn, the resources, and how learning will be demonstrated and assessed. The students then execute their learning contract with the instructor submitting a grade on completion of the contract.

Image from:

Murdoch, K. (1992). Integrating Naturally: Units of Work for Environmental Education. Mount Waverly, AUS: Dellasta/Eleanor Curtain Melbourne.

Adapted from Wilson, J. & Wing Jan, L. (2003). Focus on Inquiry. Victoria, AUS: Curriculum Corporation.

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Teaching using “inquiry” involves engaging students in the research process with an instructional team  supporting and coaching students.  The team must ensure that the level of questions and topics are suited for the starting skill level of the student attempting the activity.  The instructional team includes the teacher, teacher librarian, parents and any other members of the school who actively engage the students in the learning experience.

Inquiry learning is:

• Is question driven where the students generate the topics
• Begins with a general theme acting as an initial starting point for triggering  learning
• Students need to ask good researchable questions on the theme of choice; the coaches, teacher and teacher librarian help the students research the topics.
• The librarian as an integral member of the team helping the development of the student’s: library skills, interview skills, and discerning web search skills; in addition, the vital critical thinking skills necessary to ensure that the information gleaned is academically authentic, reliable, and withstands academic integrity standards while presenting a thoughtful review of the information. Teacher’s and librarian’s coach the students on how to best report their learning in oral or written form. 
• The members of the instructional team need to provide instruction along some mechanisms including but not exclusively: pre-assessment, formative assessment and finally summative assessment including such items as; interviews, writing drafts, minutes of group meetings, bench mark activities, diagrams, oral and video presentations, dramatizations, jot notes, and many others to help students and teachers monitor progress throughout the process.
• Inquiry learning implies that the instructors show expertise and knowledge on the inquiry process including modeling effective inquiry such as promoting reflection based processes such as journal writing, exit slips, and jot notes.

 

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The video (below) by the Canadian Education Association "What did you do in school today?" demonstrates how teachers are using inquiry units to achieve deeper thinking and increased engagement amongst students.  Inquiry is a shift in learning, from the traditional remembering of facts to understanding concepts and building competencies.  Watch this video to see how one school designed a school-wide inquiry unit for the end of year and turned what was usually a non-engagement week, into a learning experience that emphasized engagement and meaning for students.

CEA - Learning to Inquire - Innovations for Deeper Teaching and Learning

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What Guided Inquiry Is Not and Is

Guided Inquiry Is Not…	Guided Inquiry Is…
Preparation solely for the test	Preparation for lifelong learning
An add-on subject	Integrated into content areas
Isolated information skills	Transferable information concepts
Relying on one textbook	Using a variety of sources
Curriculum without meaning to students	Curriculum connected to students’ world
Individual students working exclusively on solitary tasks	A community of learners working together
Solely teacher directed	Students and teachers collaborating
Overemphasis on the end product	Emphasis on the process and product

 (Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2007, p.6)

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Why Inquiry?

Students need to develop inquiry learning skills and the ability to conduct effective research to be information literate. Information literacy is a prerequisite skill in all curricular areas that prepares individuals to be successful workers and scholars throughout their lifetime.  The purpose of inquiry and research is to encourage high levels of critical thinking that is supported by evidence that can be transferred into real life problems the students will face throughout their lifetime. These events collectively create a reflective model that affords the students the capacity to visit and revisit conceptual “phenomenon at a higher level each time, and so to progress towards a greater overall understanding.  By carrying out inquiry learning using this model, one can understand a particular issue within an educational context and make informed decisions through enhanced understanding.  It is about empowerment” (Koshy, 2005, pg. 5 as cited by Kemmis, 1983).  The partnerships between teacher, students and librarians means the development of lifelong skills that will transferred to the development of the important skills such as: knowledge acquisition, prediction of outcomes, logical reasoning, synthesis and evaluation of data, organizing data, and communication of ideas are completed within the inquiry learning paradigm.

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Here are some other videos that help understand what inquiry is all about.