INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING STRATEGIES
The field of education offers a wealth of theories, research, and insights into effective teaching practices, providing educators with valuable tools to enhance student learning. Undergraduate and graduate programs lay important pedagogical foundations, and ongoing research continues to shape our understanding of what helps children learn best. Professional development plays a crucial role in bringing these insights to life, and inquiry-based learning is a powerful strategy that deserves focused attention. Unlike some approaches that may feel like "one-size-fits-all," inquiry-based learning encourages educators to tailor lessons to their students' unique needs, fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and deep engagement.
Educators need highly engaging, content-specific and consistent professional development focusing on student-centered strategies so that they can effectively teach their students.
While professional development workshops often introduce a range of strategies, there is immense value in offering content-specific, student-centered training that equips teachers with the skills to implement inquiry-based learning effectively. This approach is not only research-backed but also has the potential to transform classrooms by encouraging students to explore, ask questions, and take ownership of their learning. Teachers benefit from professional development that is practical, engaging, and directly applicable to their everyday teaching, enabling them to create dynamic and meaningful learning experiences. Inquiry-based learning can be time-intensive and challenging, but the rewards are significant: students become more persistent, motivated, and excited about their education. With the right support and professional growth opportunities, educators can truly elevate their practice and inspire lifelong learning in their students.
Inquiry-Based Learning
So, why inquiry-based learning? For starters, it is a very effective teaching method that encourages students to ask questions and investigate real-world problems. It is a technique that has been researched extensively in many countries and across many disciplines, and most U.S. educators have heard about this term at some point in their career. A simple web search yields thousands of journal articles addressing some sort of inquiry-based learning, and there are many proponents of this strategy in the world of education.
Given these considerations, why do many K-12 educators continue to prioritize teacher-centered and traditional teaching methods that emphasize content mastery at the expense of skill development, despite their limited impact on student engagement and actual learning outcomes? Several factors contribute to this question. One factor relates to the persistent need to assess student progress using standardized tests, which are structured, regulated, and administratively convenient, unlike inquiry-based approaches. Another possible reason is the perception that inquiry-based teaching demands more time from educators who are already juggling multiple roles. In addition to educating children, teachers are expected to be curriculum developers, disciplinarians, social workers, and at times, even surrogate parents in the classroom. Balancing these responsibilities while covering content aligned with standards for a classroom of twenty-plus students can indeed be overwhelming. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for educators to have to fulfill these responsibilities without receiving the necessary resources and mentorship to support their professional growth.
Types of Inquiry-Based Learning Strategies
Inquiry-based methods have constantly demonstrated their effectiveness in increasing student engagement and facilitating learning. Depending on the time teachers can dedicate to a specific project, both in terms of their lesson preparation and in the classroom, there are three distinct inquiry-based learning (IBL) strategies available: problem-based IBL, project-based IBL, and case-based IBL.
Inquiry-based learning encourages students to ask questions and investigate real-world problems
Problem-based IBL is generally least structured method in which students create inquiry. A strong example of this strategy is service learning where the autonomy of student choice and the community partnership with a person, group, or institution outside the classroom leads to meaningful learning experiences.
Project-based IBL is a strategy used by many educators. It is a moderately structured method in which teachers provide scaffolding. The key to this approach is how to design projects to give students the most autonomy while maximizing their results and deepening their experiences. Doing this effectively will lead to more productive students, less overwhelmed teachers, and hopefully enough “a-ha!” moments to last a lifetime.
Case-based IBL is most structured of all three approaches, and teachers have a larger level of control. This method has become more mainstream in the classrooms, and one of its key characteristics is its use of gaming components to encourage student motivation (Plass, Homer & Kinzer, 2015).