How does inquiry-based learning fit with the curriculum?

This is a key question, and specific requirements differ between provinces and countries. An inquiry model of learning fits all of these criteria! Some provinces and countries will have curricula that specifically discuss inquiry-based learning, while others do not, but inquiry can still be a model that is used which includes or incorporates what the curriculum requires.

 

As an example, much of Alberta's new curriculum was influenced by the Inspiring Education steering committee which met to envision changes to education in Alberta through until 2030. At the core of these changes was the idea that “children and youth should have meaningful learning opportunities appropriate to each learner's developmental stage, including learning that is experiential, multi-disciplinary, community based, and self-paced.” (Alberta Education, 2010, p.31).

​

Another example is from the Calgary Board of Education’s (2016) Divisional Goals for Instructional Design and Leadership, which are:

 

• "student agency and intellectual engagement 

• assessment that informs teaching and learning

• active and meaningful tasks designed for student interests and learning needs

• students knowing what they know, how they know it, how they show it, and what they need next" (p.1)

 

All four of these goals can be met through, or together with, inquiry-based learning. It seeks to engage and challenge students with deeper thinking, and get them to take the lead, reflect, and make decisions individually and collaboratively. 

 

Intellectual engagement is a natural by-product of the active, meaningful, and personally interesting tasks that inquiry-based learning can lead to. In fact, three of the main principles of Inquiry Circles include

• “choice of topics based on genuine student curiosity, questions and interests”,

• “[d]igging deeply into complex, authentic topics that matter to kids”, and

• “[g]oing beyond fact finding to synthesizing ideas and building and acquiring knowledge” (Harvey & Daniels, 2015, p. 16). 

​

​

How does inquiry work in a community of students with diverse learning needs?

​

The inquiry model lends itself to differentiated instruction and can easily be tailored to the needs and abilities of individual students, including our students with special needs and those for whom English is not their first language. Harvey and Daniels (2015) suggest that “[w]ell-structured small-group inquiries can provide extraordinary opportunities for kids with special needs not just to join in but to shine. Indeed, inquiry circles can be a crucible of inclusion when we commit to heterogeneous membership, diverse along every dimension--gender, learning style, special needs, home language, and more. Diversity is an asset” (p. 111).

 

Individual learning needs are easily accommodated as students choose what interests them and construct their pathway through the inquiry cycle. Inquiry is not a one-size-fits-all model, but is inherently tailored to each specific learner. Harvey and Daniels state that “[h]elping kids find texts and resources that are at their level and of interest to them is one of our top priorities in inquiry-based classrooms” (2015, p. 113). This is also one of the ways that teacher-librarians can be so useful to inquiry in the classroom.

​

Also, active and meaningful tasks are authentic and relevant to learners. Harvey and Daniels argue for inquiry-based classrooms where “[a]uthenticity reigns supreme” because “[w}hen learning is authentic, it is almost always more relevant. When learners can relate to what they are studying or investigating, learning is more seamless and enjoyable” (Harvey & Daniels, 2015, p. 116). This can be a great support to students all across the spectrum of learning styles and needs.

​

​

Is inquiry-based learning actually an effective form of learning?

​

Inquiry is demonstrated through numerous research studies to be effective for student learning. In one example from Dr. Brigid Barron and Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (2008) of Stanford University, 2,128 students across 23 schools had “significantly higher achievement on challenging tasks when they were taught with inquiry-based teaching, showing that involvement leads to understanding. These practices were found to have a more significant impact on student performance than any other variable, including student background and prior achievement” (Barron & Darling-Hammond, October 8, 2008, para. 4).

​

Student agency, or taking control of one’s own learning experience, is taught through the inquiry model as the skills of reflection and self-analysis are reiterated at every step of the inquiry cycle. In inquiry-based and cooperative learning, ongoing assessment is important for “the development of students’ capacity to assess their own work, so that they internalize standards and become aware of and thoughtful about their own learning” ( Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008, p. 3). Looking at the research, Barron and Darling-Hammond point out that:

​

The power of these approaches has been illustrated in many studies, including a comparison group study that evaluated the impact of self-assessment on student learning in twelve inquiry-based middle school science classrooms. The experimental groups spent half of their time in discussion structured to promote self- and peer assessment of cognitive goals and processes, while the control group used this time for general discussion of the concept. The study found that students involved in self-assessment showed significantly larger gains on both a conceptual physics test and on project scores, and that students with low pretest scores showed the largest gain on all of the outcome measures. Another analysis of formal and informal self-evaluation processes concluded that an integrated practice of self-assessment led students to assume greater responsibility for their own learning. (2008, p. 3)

​

​

Are skills learned through inquiry useful for life beyond the classroom?

​

The inquiry cycle promotes students’ development of skills in both independent and collaborative planning and decision-making. Inquiry also promotes learning how to learn, self-assessment, self-management, and reflecting at every stage. These are important skills for success in the workplace and life.

​

In the four stages of inquiry as described by Harvey and Daniels (2015), sometimes students have difficulty getting going or finding their first several reliable sources. However, if they are passionate about their topic, it is more likely the case that they will have difficulty moving past the “investigation” stage into the “coalescing” or “going public” stages because they are so immersed in the exploring and discovering (p. 81). Teachers and teacher-librarians can help teach students to be self-aware and manage their process and progress.

​