Inquiry Based Learning is a broad pedagogical
approach which has enjoyed widespread support by educators and education systems over the past decade.
Inquiry can be defined as‘seeking for truth, information or knowledge /understanding’ and is used in all facets and phases of life. Specific processes of inquiry have become central to knowledge building or truth seeking in a range of learning domains.
But what is Inquiry?
According to the Australian Curriculum,
“Inquiry based learning is a constructivist approach where the overall goal is for students to make meaning”.
While teachers may guide the inquiry, true inquiry is internally motivated. Inquiry based learning is an umbrella term that incorporates many current learning approaches (including project based learning, design thinking) and may take various forms, depending on the topic, resources, ages and abilities of students among other things.
Though Barker and Holden (2017) suggest that while the idea of Inquiry Based Learning is now widely accepted as beneficical to student engagement an learning outcomes, it is the Guided Inquiry Design process that offers challenges for many Teacher Librarians. Whist this process empowers students to pursue paths of inquiry that engage them, for Teachers Librarians leading inquiry learning relinquishing control of research outcomes can cause concern that students will not master the standards a unit is designed to address.
However, Barker and Holden (2017) explain that implementing student-generated questions does not have to mean losing control of student learning. Proposing that by “thoughtfully designing the culture, resources, and language around questioning and inquiry learning, the teaching team can be empowered to loosen their hold and guide learners to create high-level inquiry questions that spark the excitement of students and teachers alike” (Barker & Holden, 2017 pg 38).
Establish a Culture of Inquiry
Whist this process may be challenging for TLs, it may also be just as challenging to students whom have grown accustomed to the testing climate in education, forcing a model of black and white answers. Barker and Holden (2017) reason that in inquiry learning, not only do students not know the answer right away, but they do not even know the question! suggesting, “To foster open minds and true engagement in the inquiry process, it is critical to establish a culture of inquiry in the classroom before inquiry learning ever begins”. Another way to build a culture of inquiry is to encourage students to pursue their own paths of questioning as they naturally arise. For example, when a student asks a question that is relevant to the current topic, it is important to foster and respond to their curiosity by providing an outlet for them to explore further (Barker & Holden, 2017).
It is important to remember when building a culture of inquiry, it is essential to ignite that curiosity rather than extinguish it. Encouraging further discovery not only validates students’ natural curiosity but also gives them a chance to become the experts, increasing their confidence and comfort with questioning (Barker & Holden, 2017). Equally important is the TL’s to model the process themselves, asking questions and admitting they don’t have all the answers also,
“It is okay for teachers and librarians to acknowledge that they do not have all the answers! In an environment of inquiry, they can abandon the need to be the center of all knowledge and embrace not knowing just as inquiry learning asks students to do”.
(Barker & Holden, 2017 pg39).
Curate Resources to Guide Thinking
In Guided Inquiry students engage in the Explore phase just prior to formulating their inquiry questions. Barker and Holden (2017) state that Exploring requires students to spend time searching “resources to look for interesting ideas and concepts, begin formulating questions, and determine where their own interests lie within the scope of the unit topic”. They suggest that this phase is one of the best places for the teaching team to guide student questioning by providing curated resources. By curating the resources students access in the beginning stages of developing research questions, the teaching team can ensure that students remain within the boundaries of the unit concepts and within the prescribed curriculum (Barker & Holden, 2017).
Provide a Framework
Providing students with a framework for questioning assists students to develop deep, powerful inquiry questions. Questioning frameworks allow students to structure their thinking and further understand what makes a good inquiry question. For example with younger students Barker and Holden propose that “framing questioning can be as simple as putting it in terms of “thick” and “thin”: thin questions are yes-or-no questions or those that require very short, simple answers, while thick require students to dig deeper with their research and provide more complex answers”. Adding that questioning frameworks like these are not necessary only for young students; all students can benefit from a questioning framework, especially if student-created questioning is new to them.
Importantly to remember, the process is most effective when teachers and TLs make time to conference individually with each student about his or her inquiry question. Conferences give students the opportunity to reflect on their thinking and articulate why they are interested in a particular line of inquiry. Barker & Holden (2017) state “One-on-one conferences also provide the chance for a member of the teaching team to guide students to higher-level thinking”.
Barker and Holden (2017) remind TLs that as with any new idea implemented, student-generated questioning takes practice for both students and educators. Students at first may be confused or intimidated by the idea of generating their own questions. Feeling afraid to fail or frustrated by the constant reflection and revision required to create great inquiry questions.. It is vital that the TL work in collaboration with the teaching team to dedicate themselves to the thoughtful design of each unit to support student questioning, and most importantly, prepare themselves to relinquish control, enabling their students to take control of both the content and process of inquiry.
Not to forget, that this takes both time and practice, “educators will see a shift in both the attitudes and abilities of their students as they grow to become empowered, autonomous lifelong learners” (Barker & Holden, 2017).
References
Australian Curriculum. Approaches to learning – Inquiry based learning. Lutheran Education Queensland. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/media/1360/lutheran-education-queensland-inquiry-based-learning.pdf
Barker, K & Holden, P. (2017). Let it go: The power of student generated learning in inquiry learning. Knowledge Quest. vol 46(2), p36-41. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=125991981&site=ehost-live
Further Reading
Teach Thought Staff (2018). 10 reasons to use inquiry based learning in your classroom. Teach Thought Grow. Retrieved from https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/10-reasons-to-use-inquiry-based-learning-in-your-classroom/