INQUIRY BASED LEARNINGFostering Passion

and Curiosity

www.uibk.ac.at

Why Inquiry?

Educationists should build the capacities of the spirit of inquiry, creativity, entrepreneurial and moral leadership among students and become their role model. Abdul Kalam

Why Inquiry?

“The meaning of ‘knowing’ has shifted from being able to remember and repeat information to being able to find and use it.”  (National Research Council, 2007)

What is Inquiry Based Learning? Inquiry Based Learning is a student-

centred teaching approach focused on questioning, thinking and problem solving.

Students find answers “to important questions about school subject matter”(Harvey and Daniels, 2009)

Inquiry Based Learning

Traditional

Using and learning content

Focused on mastery of content

Student centred Teacher centred

Students are involved in the construction of knowledge through active involvement

Students are receivers of information

Students ask questions from higher level of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Students ask questions from lower level of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Teacher as guide and facilitator

Teacher as sage

Utilizes multiple resources (transliteracy)

Relies heavily on teacher selected resources

Alberta Learning, 2004

Inquiry Based Learning is important because:

Students are engaged and active in their learning which results in a deeper understanding of content

Student achievement is improved (George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2001)

Creativity and independence are developed (Kuhne, 1995)

Students acquire skills to be thinkers

Students adapt to demands of changing information and technologies

Getting Started by:

Modelling our InquisitivenessLearning the Inquiry ModelAsking QuestionsTeaching research skillsPracticing comprehension

strategies for informational text

ConclusionInspired to Learn – for Life!Inquire, Include, Imagine!