Implementing

Inquiry-Based Learning

Preparing for Inquiry-Based Learning

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Getting started with inquiry-based learning

Ready to implement inquiry-based learning with your students? Here are four starting points. 

Deeper inquiry becomes possible when learners feel welcome and able to take risks. Create a safer/braver/accountable learning environment that is inclusive and supports diverse student needs. Ensure all voices have a chance to be heard. Make clear agreements on how you will work and learn together. Engage in active listening and leave space for relational connection and community building. 

Have students complete a Google form to share who they are. Create a Moodle forum for open discussion, and have students create (or update) their Moodle profile with a photo, hobbies, or other info relevant to the course. Facilitate sharing in your first class where students can speak to who they are, where they are at in their learning journey, and their hopes for this course. 

Becoming a ‘guide on the side’ rather than a ‘sage on the stage’ takes practice. Have students work in groups to discuss a particular topic, or to brainstorm ideas for an inquiry-based project. They can then share key points with the larger class afterward, on the white board or on an online tool such as Padlet. Use Alice Macpherson’s guide to Cooperative Learning Group Activities for College Courses for inspiration.  

Sometimes called essential or probing questions, these are great ways to motivate students and co-create the learning process. Powerful questions are open-ended, evoke deeper thinking, and put the role of discovery firmly in the hearts and minds of the learner. Questions you might ask at the start of the inquiry process, which (if needed) can be framed in relation to your specific discipline or course theme: 

  • What topic are you curious to know more about? (students can respond by writing a list or having small group discussion) 
  • How does this topic relate to who you are and your place in the world? 
  • What do you already know about this topic? 
  • What resources can you access or gather to learn more about this topic? How will you know if they are reliable or authentic? 
  • Who can help support you in your inquiry? Identify key people or resources and how they can offer you support. 

Levels of Inquiry 

There are four levels of inquiry. Those newer to inquiry-based teaching may want to begin with ‘Structured.’

Confirmation (or verification) is teacher-led, where the question, exploration method, and evaluation are provided by the instructor. The goal here is to confirm a pre-existing result or idea. Examples include cooker cutter science labs with worksheets, or the analysis of a poem or the climate emergency where only one interpretation is valid or validated. 

Structured inquiry is where the question/topic and the method of collecting evidence or data is given by the instructor, but the interpretation or reflection is open to the student. The goal is to encourage some autonomy in analyzing a particular topic or exploring the validity or relevance of the resources and evidence provided. Examples include a lab experiment whose hypothesis and methodology are predetermined, or analyzing a poem or the climate emergency where the instructor lets students lead the discussion and interpretation, with limited input from the instructor. 

Guided inquiry provides students with a question or topic. The method by which they explore or test this is open to the student, as are the interpretation or final reflection and sharing. Examples include a lab experiment where the basic question is provided and students discuss and determine how to conduct the experiment and gather and interpret results, or analyzing a poem or the climate emergency where the process of discussion or interpretation—as well as the final evaluation or conclusion—are led by the learners.  

Open inquiry maximizes learner autonomy. In this level of inquiry the student poses the question or topic to explore based on their own curiosity. Learners are fully independent in the process, with limited input from the instructor. Examples include student-led research projects, with the hypothesis-methods-results-conclusion components of the scientific method all self-actualized. Or the analysis of a creative piece or a social issue, as decided by the learner, where students ask the question(s), find resources, draw conclusions, and share their findings in their own ways. Note that the instructor is still involved by providing an overall framework to work within and timely feedback or discussion. 

Level of Inquiry Source of question/topic Approach or Methodology Interpretation and Reflection Sharing/presentation format 
0: Confirmation Teacher Teacher Teacher Teacher 
1: Structured Teacher Teacher Student Teacher/student 
2: Guided Teacher Student Student Teacher/student 
3: Open Student Student Student Student 
(adapted from Table 1 in Blanchard et al., 2010) 

The above table outlines the four levels of inquiry, which varies from Level 0 (confirmation or verification) where learner self-direction is lowest and the direction from the instructor or provided resources are the highest. Conversely, Level 3 (open) maximizes learner autonomy and independence, with the role of the teacher focused less on providing answers and more on asking powerful questions and facilitating authentic learning and assessment.  

Created by Lee Beavington 

A study (Blanchard et al., 2010) with 1,700 science students compared Level 0 (confirmation/verification) and Level 2 (guided) inquiry approaches. Level 2 guided inquiry resulted in better outcomes for test scores, long-term retention, and academic growth over time, especially when the teacher was comfortable and adept at facilitating inquiry-based learning. The Level 0 inquiry approach included explicit lab write-ups and worksheets, where findings were confirmed by the teacher. The Level 2 inquiry approach had no lab instructions or worksheets; instead, a question or scenario was provided for students to examine, as well as germane background information, and students developed their own hypotheses and methodologies.  

The above image provides an example for students exploring creativity, such as in IDEA (Interdisciplinary Expressive Arts), as part of their inquiry. In Confirmation (Level 0), the teacher directs all aspects of the inquiry. In Open (Level 3) the learner is in the driver’s seat for the entire process, though still calls upon the teacher for help or guidance when needed. 

Open Image

Not all inquiry-based learning is the same. Although providing learners with some guidance is recommended, these can vary from structured IBL (e.g., providing a list of questions to choose from, clear steps to follow, a detailed rubric) to open or free inquiry (e.g., where learners develop all of these themselves). A number of factors will influence how you implement your inquiry-based learning with your students: 

  1. Instructor experience and comfort level. If you are new to this you will likely want to start small with ‘confirmation’ or ‘structured’ IBL, and offer more specific guidance. 
  1. Time available. Open inquiries require time for learners to develop their questions, frameworks, and methods. This if preferably done in-class in consultation with their fellow learners. If time is limited, you can try a shorter inquiry-based activity that occurs within a single class. 
  1. Intention for this inquiry. What is it you hope to achieve through facilitating inquiry-based learning with your students? Helping them understand a tricky scientific concept, or having learners explore their identity and responsible citizenship in the world, or connecting creativity to personal growth are very different focuses, yet each is possible under the IBL model.  

Factors that do not prevent inquiry-based learning: 

  • Class size. Properly facilitated and supported, IBL can be implemented in any class size. 
  • Course level. Fourth-year students can engage in IBL, and so can first-years. Remember, IBL has successfully been implemented with elementary school students. 
  • Student ability. Do not underestimate your students. They are capable of critical thinking and higher order thinking.  
Seven steps to start teaching through inquiry-based learning: 
1

Think of a key course topic or theme that you want students to explore. 

2

Determine the level of inquiry: confirmation, structured, guided, or open. 

3

Come up with 2-3 powerful questions to ask students. 

4

Provide a framework (e.g., timeline, project proposal template, list of materials, list of where to look for resources, checklist, etc.) to help anchor students. Show them artifacts or examples of inquiry-based learning. 

5

Facilitate group discussion and experiential activities related to the IBL topic/theme. 

6

Be clear on when (and how) you will provide formative feedback. 

7

Determine how learners will share their inquiries. The best option may be simply to ask them how they want to express their learning. Can you also connect learners and/or their learning with your local community? 

Those who are doing the assessing are doing the learning.

Trevor MacKenzie

Assessment of Inquiry-based Learning  

Open Image

As this comic illustrates, not all learners are the same, and neither are all assessments. The most suitable assessment methods in inquiry-based learning are collaborative, reflective, and formative.

Open infographic

The above infographic offers six ways to develop assessment for, and formatively assess, inquiry-based learning. Summative assessment may be suitable for larger inquiries, keeping in mind that process is typically more relevant than the final product.  

Formative assessment is not a task. Formative assessment is an ongoing, embedded practice that allows teachers to constantly make adjustments to their teaching based on what they’re observing. Feedback is a mindset.

Ron Ritchhart, Senior Research Associate at Harvard Project Zero 

Powerful questions you can ask learners towards the end of their inquiries: 

  • What did you learn about yourself, others, and/or your community during this process? 
  • What challenges or obstacles did you face? Were you able to overcome them? Why or why not? 
  • How did/does this inquiry stretch you? 
  • How are you/did you interpret your data from your inquiry?  
  • Were you changed by this inquiry? Why or why not? 
  • What question(s) still remain? How might you address these? 
  • How is your inquiry connected to the land or natural world?  
  • What misconceptions did you discover during the inquiry process? What allowed you to discover these misconceptions, and how did you address these? 
  • How could/will you carry this inquiry into the future? 

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Examples

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