A Quick 4 Ways To Help Students With Inquiry Learning
Research shows that students who are taught through inquiry tend to perform better in class and retain more information. However, implementing inquiry-based learning can be challenging. In this blog post, we will share a few strategies you can use to help your students with their inquiry learning. Inquiry learning is a hands-on method of teaching designed to stimulate curiosity and foster independent thinking in learners. The goal is to create an educational environment where learners can explore new topics, test ideas and build critical thinking skills. The best way to implement inquiry learning at your school is by creating a culture of it from the start so that it becomes as natural as possible for your students. Here are 4 ways you can help your students with inquiry learning from Edmentum:
Inquiry-Based Learning Resources for 21st-century learners. Experiential Learning Depot.
Use wait time and don’t always answer their questions - see if they can answer them themselves. Add it to the board and let that question drive your lesson especially if it is related to the theme.
Projects are a great way to allow students to come to conclusions as well as ask more questions to drive their learning.
Always encourage thoughts, feedback from other students, and reflection at the end of the lesson. If they don’t have anything to share, think aloud!
Model asking questions aloud, model potential solutions, and model different ideas, and don’t be afraid to fail!
Students do much better when they believe that putting effort into studying will have an impact; we know this takes a lot of work for a teacher to implement. Inquiry learning helps to trigger curiosity and we know that a student's drive is related to teachers' use of cognitive-activation techniques, including offering students lengthy thinking problems, presenting issues for which there isn't an obvious solution right away, and encouraging students to learn from their failures. Students report higher tenacity and openness to problem-solving when their teachers outline explicit learning objectives and provide feedback on their performance (Gast, 2022).
Desire And Motivation Can Be Encouraged and Supported
We as teachers know that raw talent and potential only make up a small portion of what it takes to master a skill. The question is, how do we show our students that practicing any skill will prepare our students for life? Well, it takes our ability as teachers to fail in front of our class and be vulnerable allowing our students to help us with our failures and work to share possible solutions. We also need family support parents, schools, and educational institutions devoted to helping each student reach their full potential are crucial to students' success. Sometimes this means non-traditional mentors, partnerships, and maybe business connections. If we have lofty goals for our students we must stay committed to helping them, and build stamina, perseverance, and capacity for an opportunity to have a higher chance of success (Miller, 2022).
Globally, Persistence Usually Pays Off
In the OECD countries, 56% of students said they don't give up easily when faced with a challenge, 49% said they continue to be interested in the work they begin, and 44% said they work on a task until it is flawless. Students who stated that they work on tasks until they are complete, maintain interest in the tasks they begin, do not give up easily when faced with a problem, and, when faced with a problem, go above and beyond what is required of them. As part of the PISA survey, students were also asked to rate their confidence level in their ability to succeed in mathematics. By an average of 32 score points, pupils who agreed with the statement "If I put in enough effort, I can achieve in mathematics" outperformed those who did not. Each student's potential can be developed via practice and diligence. Still, students can only perform at the highest levels when they have confidence in their ability to succeed.
References
Gast, M. (2022). Racialization of'ESL students' in a diverse school and multilingual Latina/o peer mentors. Race Ethnicity and Education.
Hamilton, R. (2021, September 20). 5 strategies for creating an inquiry-based classroom: Edmentum. Edmentum International. Retrieved January 12, 2023, from https://www.edmentuminternational.com/blog/5-strategies-for-creating-an-inquiry-based-classroom/
Inquiry-Based Learning Resources for 21st-century learners. Experiential Learning Depot. (n.d.). Retrieved January 12, 2023, from https://www.experientiallearningdepot.com/experiential-learning-blog/inquiry-based-learning-resources-for-21st-century-learners
Miller. (2022). Student Motivation in the Latin Classroom. Journal of Online Learning Research.
Pires, C. (2022). Barriers, support, and resilience of prospective first‐in‐family university students: Australian high school educators' perspective. Journal of Community Psychology.