The Edge Foundation have brought together ‘Strategies to Develop Inquiry Based Learning’ to help teachers support students to engage deeply in learning. They are also designed to help inform teachers and lecturers on some of the different techniques and pedagogies available to be used in their teaching, whilst being mindful of what they wish students to learn, know and do and the learning outcomes which are desired. This section of the website is designed to get you started and thinking about the options available and has drawn together some of the key thinking and practice.
Inquiry (or enquiry) based learning approaches are centred on real world problems or scenarios, which develop student learning through the stages of problem-solving through inquiry, application, production, solution design and consequences, with the weighting of student or teacher led dependent on the needs of the students.
We deliberately do not recommend any particular teaching strategy but believe that teachers are learning designers. Teachers are practitioners who will instinctively, flexibly, and pragmatically draw on a range of philosophies, pedagogies and strategies. These choices will be based on what their students need to learn, and what the curriculum and assessment system requires students to demonstrate.
For more Information contact Helen Beardmore Education Delivery Manager HBeardmore@edge.co.uk
Inquiry Based Learning covers a broad spectrum of teacher directed to student led approaches. Inquiry based approaches seek to develop students’ ability to critically analyse and problem solve through real world scenarios.
Inquiry based approaches must align with the whole school curriculum, assessment processes, learner development and progression.
Strategies to develop inquiry-based learning explored are:
In this section, principles of Inquiry Based Learning are introduced. Self-guided resources are:
- Learning approach: how learning takes place in Inquiry Based Learning, and the role of teacher and student in the classroom process.
- Video: Inquiry Based Learning: this short video introduces inquiry-based learning (Crombie,2014)
- Explore further: Additional resource links and videos to explore to support Inquiry Based Learning
Learning approach:
Inquiry based learning is not a teaching strategy that can be applied in single lessons but requires investment of classroom time in building student skills in soft or fusion skills of communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical, reflective thinking. Module design follows evidence-based principles so that projects or problems intrinsically support the development of this skills set for students, alongside subject specific knowledge, and skills.
Inquiry-based approaches require clear links into the wider school or college assessment system. Teacher knowledge and skills need to be developed to support an inquiry-based approach, as teachers require time to learn and apply new strategies and understand the learning theory behind inquiry design principles (Edutopia, 2022).
Video: Inquiry based learning. This short video introduces inquiry-based learning principles (Crombie, 2014).
How learning takes place: In Inquiry Based Learning, student learning occurs through multi-layered approaches through planning and designing their response to a real-world problem. Students develop and apply their learning to construct and organise knowledge, discuss, debate alternatives, and collaboratively decide on approaches, apply subject specific knowledge, language, and skills such as historical research, writing for different audiences, to their problem or project, and importantly, communicating their solutions to their peers and the wider school or community.
Explore Further:
Video: In this 3-minute video, Casey Middle School (US) shows how it uses inquiry-based techniques to underpin science modules, here a project on water quality (Edutopia, 2015).
Common Learning Philosophies and Methods
In inquiry-based approaches, different philosophies and pedagogic approaches can be used within the learning process. Below is a quick guide based on OECD (2023) guidance for future skills. Classroom philosophies need to be appropriate to achieve the required learning outcomes, support student engagement, student progress, and learning.
What is embodied learning?
Bodies, emotions, arts and creativity.
Embodied learning philosophies suggest that learning is a combination of mental and non-mental processes of physical experience and feelings. Embodied learning is a form of experiential learning. Here, “learning by doing”, and developing a student’s skills application is as important as learning theoretical, academic subject specific knowledge. There are long standing educational traditions of embodied learning in secondary education, from building practical, [vocational] skills of the manual process of creating design and technology products, art production, external visits, theatre productions, speakers, and music where knowledge is inculcated through as students’ multisensory processes as well as standard subject teaching. VR is a form of embodied learning.
In embodied learning processes, teachers actively seek to support student learning through immersive experiences, feelings including empathy, and learning by doing, alongside traditional mental strategies of knowledge formation (OECD,2023).
What is experiential learning?
Real world inquiry and problem solving.
Experiential learning strategies build student knowledge and skills through giving practical experience of the subject and context of learning. For example, a fieldtrip to understand how rockpool formation supports different types of marine life, and how ocean littering can be monitored. Here, immersion in the environment, with some prior subject specific knowledge, and questions or scenarios allows real-time, real-life application of a student’s knowledge and problem solving, where students will draw on their personal response to the location and marine life presentation. The visit will spark questions and future avenues of inquiry which can be developed back in the classroom (OECD,2023).
What is computational thinking?
Digital technologies and coding.
Computation thinking breaks down a complex problem into steps of possible solutions which allow a human or computer to understand them. Computational thinking has four steps, all of which are important to produce a solution:
- Decomposition: where a problem is broken into smaller, more manageable steps
- Patterns recognition: where the identification of patterns or similarities supports possible solutions.
- Abstraction: where only the important information is abstracted or removed
- Algorithms: developing the step-by-step solution, or rules to solve the problem, typically through mathematical formulas or code
This thinking process can also be applied to any problem with multiple factors, where extraneous material needs to be identified and disregarded to support students reasoning (OECD,2023).
What is blended learning?
Dual learning environments; interactive application of content
Blended learning uses a combination of online, or out of classroom learning, and in person teaching to deliver learning to students. Flipped learning is a form of blended learning. The classroom is seen as the primary peer interaction environment where collaboration can occur. However, since the Covid-19 pandemic, the rapid development of online platforms such as Teams, Google Classroom provide opportunities for peer learning online; however, engagement and ensuring all learners contribute online can be problematic (OECD, 2023).
What is gamification?
Games design-based learning.
Gamification is the incorporation of game design, including video games, into learning. Student engagement and motivation is suggested to be enhanced through utilising elements of game design. However, this is a relatively new approach with limited evidence of impact on student outcomes (OECD,2023).
What is multi-literacy and discussion?
Multimodal: discussion, dialogue, media.
Multi-literacies are multimodal forms of literacy; texts, audio, film, images, and discussion/dialogue are used in combination in literacy teaching to engage students. Multi-literacies are suggested to improve student engagement and level opportunities for student who may not engage with traditional written forms of knowledge (OECD,2023).
Bibliography and additional resources
Crombie, S. (2014.) Inquiry Based Learning. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u84ZsS6niPc
Edutopia. (2022). 4 Common Obstacles to Implementing Inquiry-Based Learning—and How to Overcome Them. https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-common-obstacles-implementing-inquiry-based-learning-and-how-overcome-them/
Edutopia. (2015). Inquiry based learning in the Science Classroom. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbqPaKTsDIU
OECD. (2023). Innovative pedagogies for powerful learning. Available from: https://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/innovative-pedagogies-for-powerful-learning-compilation-of-innovative-pedagogies.htm
OECD. (2018). Understanding innovative pedagogies. Key themes to analyse new approaches to teaching and learning. Available from: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/understanding-innovative-pedagogies_9f843a6e-en
OECD. (2010). Prospects and challenges for inquiry-based approaches to learning. https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/the-nature-of-learning/prospects-and-challenges-for-inquiry-based-approaches-to-learning_9789264086487-11-en#page3
Royal Society of Chemistry. (2021). The fast guide to enquiry-based learning https://edu.rsc.org/ideas/the-fast-guide-to-enquiry-based-learning/4013427.article
SAILS. (2015). Inquiry and assessment units (EU). http://www.sails-project.eu/units.html
Structural Learning. (2021). https://www.structural-learning.com/post/a-teachers-guide-to-inquiry-based-learning