Inquiry-based learning
This is a learning-teaching approach that actively involves the learner in the process. It involves the use of prompts, questions, or scenarios that spark the learners’ thinking and responses in the process of learning. It is a teaching-learning methodology that contrasts the traditional lecture method, where the teacher dominates. In this case, the learner dominates in the process. This helps the learner discover facts, skills, and knowledge by themselves with the guidance of the facilitator/teacher.
Inquiry-based learning classroom is tailored deliberately to help learners explore the content of the subject by themselves with just guidance from the teacher or tutor. The teacher makes inquiries or presents scenarios and problems to be solved by the learners. The classroom, for this reason, is well equipped with learning resources and research materials from which they unearth new facts and knowledge by themselves. The materials and resources may include books, bibliographies, the internet, computers, among others. The classroom is also designed in a way that learners can conveniently work in groups and present their findings.
An inquiry-based lesson is majorly founded on the plan. The lesson plan, which is ND or is or n also known as a facilitation plan, is loosely structured to accommodate students’ questions and enhance learning. The lesson follows this plan, which has various questions, scenarios, and problems. The teacher introduces the subject then queues up a sequence of inquiries that prompt learners to dig into the topic. The questions may be Confirmation inquiry, structured questions, guided inquiry, or open-ended questions. This arrangement creates two-way traffic of ideas between the teacher and the learners amid critical thinking, referring to various sources and drawing of conclusions based on a reasoned judgment. Towards the end, the teacher(facilitator) makes a conclusion or a summary and gives out an assignment where necessary.