INQUIRY BASED LEARNING

Inquiry-based learning begins with a question, problem or idea. It involves children in planning and carrying out investigations, proposing explanations and solutions, and communicating their understanding of concepts in a variety of ways. Throughout the inquiry process, children observe, raise questions, and critique their practices. It is an approach that encourages collaboration and is used effectively in our indoor/outdoor curriculum.

If utilised effectively, possible characteristics may include: active, agentic, collaborative, creative, scaffolded.

Educators:

• initiate the inquiry through a question, problem or idea
• support children to theorise, hypothesise and wonder
• provide opportunities for children to become more confident and autonomous problem-solvers and thinkers
• organise for learning experiences extending beyond singular activities, that can be repeated or returned to, and that lend themselves to active engagement in purposeful learning.

Inquiry-based learning also promotes: Social interaction. This helps attention span and develops reasoning skills. Social interaction encourages students to generate their own ideas and critique in group discussions. It develops agency, ownership and engagement with student learning. Exploration. This allows students to investigate, design, imagine and explore, therefore developing curiosity, resilience and optimism. Argumentation and reasoning. This creates a safe and supportive environment for students to engage in discussion and debate. It promotes engagement in scientific discussion and improves learning of scientific concepts. It encourages students to generate questions, formulate positions and make decisions. Positive attitudes to failure. The iterative and evaluative nature of many STEM problems means failure is an important part of the problem-solving process. A healthy attitude to failure encourages reflection, resilience and continual improvement.