What is Inquiry?

As a teacher, I strongly believe that a quality education should offer children rich experiences that will influence and affect them for the rest of their lives. It is my view that educators should be facilitators of learning, rather than “teachers” in the traditional sense of the word. This view has been greatly influenced by two constructivist educational models, Reggio Emilia and Montessori. Inquiry is also a methodology in which learners actively construct their own knowledge, and therefore, by definition, the inquiry-based learning philosophy is a constructivist philosophy (Ronis, 2008). 

Children are natural problem solvers, who actually construct their own knowledge all day long. In order for students to fulfill this role in the classroom, they must be encouraged to discover things for themselves, and practice skills in concrete ways. The constructivist method of developing a curriculum around the students’ interests, inspires a true passion for learning. When a curriculum is meaningful, and relevant to children’s experiences, it cannot help but to engage them. Therefore, the teacher should not dominate the classroom, but rather, find the balance between direction, guidance, and responsiveness. It is this balance that will allow each individual child to flourish. By providing students access to hands-on activities, and allowing them to use materials on their own, educators can create the opportunity for individual discovery, and ownership of knowledge. Ronis (2008) states, "Inquiry learning and problem-based learning are both terms used to describe this type of learning, and in fact they mean the same thing" (p.8).

In order for an inquiry-based classroom to be effective, one must understand the importance of a prepared environment. Once the “stage is set,” so to speak, learning can happen naturally, as an interactive process. Lev Vygotsky believed that through interaction with others, children can learn to problem solve, as well as stretch to a higher level of learning (Morrison, 2009). Indeed, children learn best through their interactions with the environment, with materials, with their peers, and with adults. By providing an appropriate child-centered environment, educators invite children to engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. As per Ansberry and Morgan (2010), these are the five critical elements of inquiry that make up the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study's 5E Model. It is this model that, "provides a planned sequence of instruction that places students at the center of their learning experiences, encouraging them to explore, construct their own understanding of scientific concepts, and relate those understandings to other concepts (Ansberry & Morgan, 2010, p.27).

Above all else, educators must have high expectations for children. So how do these great expectations become a reality? I believe that they become a reality by promoting self-determination in young children. In simple terms, children should be given a chance to take responsibility for their own learning, beginning at an early age. Perhaps the best way to go about supporting children in the process of self-determination is through inquiry, or problem-based learning. According to Ansberry and Morgan (2010), "Inquiry learning not only contributes to better understanding of scientific concepts and skills but...also contributes to children's social and intellectual development" (p.19).

Finally, I view inquiry-based learning as a process – not a product. In order to help children obtain the skills and behaviors that are required to be successful now, in the school environment, as well as in the future, I maintain that educators must set the foundations for children to “learn how to learn.”  This means addressing the needs of the whole child, or a holistic educational approach. By promoting the development of critical thinking skills and creative problem solving, teachers can give children the tools they need to become life-long learners. In the words of Madeline Nash (2001), “Rich experiences, in other words, really do produce rich brains” (p.3).

Ansberry, K., & Morgan, E. (2010). Picture-perfect science lessons: Using children’s books 
       to guide inquiry, 3-6 (2nd ed.). Arlington, Virginia: NSTA Press
Montessori, M. (1964). The Montessori method. New York, NY: Shocken Books.
Morrison G.S. (2009). Early childhood education today (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New
       Jersey: Pearson
Nash, M. J. (2001). Fertile minds. Time. Retrieved from
       http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101970203-137214,00.html
Ronis, D. (2008). Problem-based learning for math & science: Integrating inquiry and the
       internet (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press