Inquiry- the dynamic process of being open to wonder and puzzlements and coming to know and understand the world

When you combine curiosity, the scientific method, and critical thinking skills into your classroom what do you have?  What you have is inquiry-based teaching.  With this method of teaching students encounter problems they do not yet fully grasp or have no prior knowledge on.  This type of instruction allows for students to formulate questions, explore the problem by digging deeper into the root of it, observing, and applying new information to find meaning to what they are questioning. 

Students partake in five activities while engaging in inquiry learning.  These activities have no set order and they can go back and forth from one to another.  Also, applying new information they learn upon their journey or pull out previous knowledge and skills they already have to assist them in solving the root of their problem or question.

1.      Question

Students ask what it is they are trying to solve.

2.      Investigate

Students begin to examine and explore what it is they are questioning. 

3.      Use evidence to describe, explain, and predict;

Students formulate what they gathered from step two.

4.      Connect evidence to knowledge; and

Students find meaning between what they observed and already know.

5.      Share findings

Students explain what they witnessed.

However, inquiry instruction does not end there.  True, great inquiry instruction incorporates the 5-E Model.  This model emphases engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation to complete classroom objectives and focus in on specific concepts the teacher has set forth.

·         Engagement

Have a solid interest approach.  Grab your students!  Make them use their brains, but also give them that desire to want to.  During this stage as well questioning and investigating begin.  Students draw on prior knowledge they have. 

·         Exploration

Immediately following engagement students transition into exploration.  During this time students cross reference materials, make discoveries, and possibly share their findings with their peers or teacher. 

·         Explanation

During this stage the teacher has his/her students share out what they discovered and explain it to the class.  The teacher will also possibly introduce relevant concepts, principles, or theories as the need arises.

·         Elaboration

Students apply real world experiences to the situation they were studying more about.  They also go beyond memorization and use their critical thinking skills to answer the problem or question being set forth for them. 

·         Evaluation

The teacher assesses how the student performed.

In conclusion inquiry based instruction allows for students to take control of their learning experience.  Done right it is a great way to add another teaching technique to your tool box of instruction.