What is it?
Inquiry-based learning is a teaching method that encourages students to ask questions and investigate real-world problems. Unlike the conventional way of learning where it is based on what the teachers teach, instead it uses a student-centered teaching method that encourages students to ask questions and investigate real-world problems. In this type of learning environment, students are actively engaged in the learning process and are given the opportunity to explore their natural curiosities. It pushes students to engage with an idea or topic in an active way, rather than by sitting and listening to a teacher. It is often hands-on and allows students to connect what they are learning in the classroom and the real world. Some examples of Inquiry-based learning would be science experiments, field trips, classroom debates, and projects.
How does Inquiry-Based Learning foster a growth mindset?
In our group, we chose the topic of developing a growth mindset. Inquiry potentially provides an engaging learning experience that offers a degree of openness, challenge, and autonomy to oneself (O’Brien & Makar, 2015). It allows students to work confidently with the unknown, learn how to learn from others, to take risks, explore ideas, to reflect on one’s own learning process, and to question assumptions and ideas which in all, can foster a growth mindset. Furthermore, it has been shown to foster curiosity and a love for learning. Inquiry-based learning has also been shown to improve critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and creativity in one’s learning.
Inquiry-based learning encourages students to build valuable and transferable skills, including (Inquiry-Based Learning Centre for Teaching and Learning) :
- Realistic goal-setting and goal-tracking
- Time- and priority-management
- Information gathering, filtering, and integration
- Critical thinking
- Communication of ideas and learning
- Self-assessment and reflection
References
Inquiry-Based Learning Centre for Teaching and Learning. Available at: https://www.queensu.ca/ctl/resources/instructional-strategies/inquiry-based-learning (Accessed: February 9, 2023).
O’Brien, M. and Makar, K. (2015) How Inquiry Pedagogy Enables Teachers to Facilitate Growth Mindsets in Mathematics Classrooms. Microsoft. Available at: https://www.bing.com/search?q=how%2Bdoes%2BInquiry-Based%2BLearning%2Bcreate%2Ba%2Bgrowth%2Bmindset%3F&cvid=c137c513bc71455a867ca50351f45864&aqs=edge..69i57.7926j0j1&pglt=43&FORM=ANNTA1&DAF1=1&PC=U531 (Accessed: February 9, 2023).
Hi Pim! It looks like you found a number of helpful sources. However, the purpose of the blog was to explain the concept in your own words while mentioning the sources from where these ideas come, providing examples, etc. Direct copying/pasting from the original source violates academic integrity. Over 50% of your blog was copied.
Hello Pim, thanks for sharing your insights. I really enjoyed your writing and the examples you used. I think you did a fantastic job of explaining what Inquiry-Based Learning is. I could learn the characteristics of Inquiry-Based Learning and how it aligns with our group’s topic of developing a growth mindset for our blueprint and interactive learning resource. I specifically liked your point about improving critical thinking skills by using Inquiry-based learning. Thank you for your blog post.
Hi Pim!
Great blog post! I like the way that you explained inquiry-based learning. Having also done inquiry-based learning for my blog post, I like the concrete examples you gave on transferrable skills, which I hadn’t seen when I was doing research on this topic.
Thank you!
Hi Pim! Thanks so much for your post! Based on your findings, I believe inquiry-based learning is very applicable to our interactive learning resource, particularly for students to ask questions, encourage feedback, and provide opportunities for reflection. This will be evident in our assessments, where students have to eventually practice gratitude journaling and reframe negative thoughts. Inquiry-based learning will not only encourage growth mindset habits, but it will also emphasize the importance behind curiosity and self-exploration for each student. Looking forward to potentially applying this concept in our project, thanks again for your insight! 🙂
Hi Pim! I enjoyed learning more about inquiry based learning and particularly in regard to our group topic. This method of teaching sounds very supportive of student voices. It is refreshing to learning about a method that is encouraging of exploration of potentially challenging conversations that are occurring in reality. How might this method of teaching be a negative thing?
Your comment on learning how to learn from others is an important aspect in an educational environment. A growth mindset may be unique for each individual and using an inquiry based approach can allow for personal growth by listening to various perspectives from people with their own unique experiences.
Hello Pim,
I loved the research you did for this learning approach, especially the bullet points. I too think this is a great approach, however I think it is also important to include the draw backs to some approaches just to set the scale. I think applying the disadvantages would have made the approach more realistic and applicable to the class room. I also would have loved to hear if you were going to include this approach into your groups final project! however this was a great and brief introduction to the method that helped clear up my ideas around it. Thanks so much and well done!