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In an inquiry-based learning environment, assessment is an ongoing process. Although the final outcome of learning is important, the process of getting there is just as important - and this is where an inquiry-based approach comes into play. Throughout the process of inquiry, students show teachers different skills, and it's these that are assessed.

Inquiry-based learning is a type of learning that starts with posing a question. Because this learning method is based on students directing the educator's path with their questions, ongoing assessment is critical.

Ways to Assess Inquiry-Based Learning

When students are given many ways to showcase their knowledge, teachers are given more opportunities to see where they are in their learning. There are many ways teachers can retrieve assessment information, such as:

Peer and self-assessments

There are various formative and summative assessment methods, and teachers need to factor in planning for these different types of assessment when designing inquiry activities.

Assessment Types

In addition to formative and summative methods, though, assessment can also be pooled into three areas:

Aligning with formative instruction, assessment for learning and assessment as learning go hand in hand, as they are designed to help the teacher adjust their instruction to better teach students the knowledge they need to succeed in their education.

However, summative assessment is more closely linked to assessment of learning as it involves assessing students' work at a particular point in time and providing feedback through a scoring system.

Both of these assessment types result in valuable data, whether that's quantitative or qualitative.

This is valuable for teaching as it helps inform instruction and understand how students are progressing. We're going to touch on this as we explore the assessment types below.

Formative Assessment in Inquiry-Based Learning

Formative assessment is ongoing. It happens throughout the learning process and even directs the learning process, making it particularly useful in an inquiry-based learning process.

Ask Students to Create a Series of Questions & Monitor Them

Firstly, during inquiry-based learning, teachers should be observing and listening as a formative assessment method. You could set your students the task of formulating their own questions to explore a certain topic.

Throughout this process, the teacher can monitor discussions in order to see whether students are going in the right direction - is the question they come up with open-ended? Does it have many arguments? Is it relevant to the topic?

Decide if Students Are Ready to Move on, Based on Their Conversations

Data comes from this type of assessment because the teacher needs to decide, through the qualitative data they gain, whether students are ready to move on or whether they need extra help to form a question. Observing and listening means the teacher is capturing vital diagnostic assessment evidence.

During inquiry-based learning, students may have a question to explore. Or, when they have come up with their own question, they must locate information that is relevant - they may work on their own or in groups.

However, again, qualitative data plays a part because by having a conversation with students during the research stage, teachers can observe, listen and give feedback to make sure they know which students are on the right track and which students are not.

Encourage Self-Assessment with Journals

With this in mind, students also need to be able to assess their own work, which is where self-reflection comes in, and this is an important formative assessment tool.

As self-assessment aims to encourage students to become reliable, independent assessors of their own work, teachers should ask students to regularly assess their learning and see where they may need help or where they are doing well. The teacher, at this stage, is showing that assessment is powerful.

One way you can ask students to self-reflect on their work is to answer three questions in a journal daily.

1. What have I done today to help me with my work?

2. What have I learned to help me deliver my work?

3. What have I found difficult?

Reflect on Past Journal Entries

You can ask students to look back at their logs and see their progress. This is another way of formatively assessing and developing their metacognitive skills. It's also a way for teachers to see how students have arrived at a certain outcome.

Summative Assessment in Inquiry-Based Learning

When students have demonstrated their inquiry and completed projects they have done, they should share their findings and work with teachers. This is where summative assessment comes into play and where students can demonstrate their "final outcome."

There are various ways students can show this, for instance, through presentations, seminars, or other means students wish to show their findings. When assessing their final projects, look at their:

Ability to look at both sides of the argument

Inquiry-based learning offers an opportunity for learners of all ages to have an engaging learning experience where they lead their progress. Rather than being something a teacher sets, students can immerse themselves in work that really is their own.

These suggestions for inquiry-based learning demonstrate its immense value for teachers and students alike.

It's this backward design that we've touched on here, where assessment takes place at the start to achieve the outcome, that makes inquiry-based learning and assessment important and gives teachers the power and the data they need to adjust their instruction or help students succeed.

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Inquiry-based learning is an excellent way to let your students take ownership of their education and learn at their own pace.

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Assessment in an Inquiry Classroom (Power of Inquiry)

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Assessment in an Inquiry Classroom (Power of Inquiry)

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Chapter 8-Power of Inquiry

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NearPod Online Inquiry Lessons-Virtual Field Trips

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NearPod Online Inquiry Lessons-Virtual Field Trips

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Login with Google, then type free in the search box. Ask your librarians should have Breakout Box kits for you to use! :-)

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Breakout EDU - Educational Games for the Classroom

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Breakout EDU gamifies learning to create an engaging and empowering experience for students of all grade levels.

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This is a free Google slides project called Lego Marble Maze Runner Challenge. The goal of the project is to have student identify, apply and record the engineer design process through the creation of a LEGO marble maze in which a small marble can freely roll through. The other key concept is iteration. Having students think about the changes that needed to be made for the marble maze to function properly, work and look better. The satisfying part of the project is having students building their designs, testing, improving and sharing out. I have students publish their projects by taking a picture of their creation and posting to a sharing platform such as Padlet before desconstructing. I also have a video on YouTube as well as my blog easypblclassroom.com.

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STEAM EDP project: Lego Marble Maze Runner Challenge

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This is a free Google slides project called Lego Marble Maze Runner Challenge. The goal of the project is to have student identify, apply and record the engineer design process through the creation of a LEGO marble maze in which a small marble can freely roll through. The other key concept is iter...

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Overview​

Creating a marble run is fun for all ages. For those who are younger, they are learning the basics of engineering design. As students get older and learn more about physics, the designs will get more elaborate.

Marble runs can be made out of anything which makes it a great repurposing activity for students to create the best run they can with materials at hand.

This STEAM activity card will take a couple of class periods depending on which activities the teacher decides to use with the students.

Students will:

Understand simple physics.

Be able to create a marble run.

Be able to test theories on whether or not the run will work.

Be able to test theories on which run will be the fastest.

Be able to test theories on if the run will be exactly one minute or the time teacher decides on.

Vocabulary Words:

1. Scientific Theory: Scientific theory is based on careful examination of facts.

2. Physics: Physics is the scientific study of forces such as heat, light, sound, pressure, and gravity.

3. Test: To test is to try out something.

To prepare for this lesson:

See the Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4students website in the Teacher Resources.

Directions for this activity:

1. The teacher will explain the concept of physics and gravity to the students.

2. The students will play the Marble Run game on the computer learning how to build with different bricks.

Note: The activity could end here, with the students only playing the online game. You can also extend the activity so that your students create their own Marble Run with repurposed materials.

1. Students will work in small groups and brainstorm their marble run design. Have the students draw the design first on paper.

The run should be designed so that the marble falls appropriately beginning to end.

Depending on the level of students you have in your classroom, the design could be such that the marble has to reach the destination in one minute no more no less.

Show the students this student video. There are many examples on YouTube.

2. Students will take their collected materials and build their design.

3. Students will test their designs.

4. Students will test each other's designs.

Different options for assessing the students:

Observations

Check for understanding

Create a rubric that matches the objectives.(e.g. works in exactly one minute, falls appropriately, creativity)

MITECS: Michigan adopted the " ISTE Standards for Students" called MITECS (Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students) in 2018.

Innovative Designer
4a. Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
4c. Students develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.
4d. Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.

Device: PC, Chromebook, Mac, iPad (

Browser: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, ALL

Website:
Homemade Marble Run

Marble Run Game
Marble Run Video

Creating the marble run is artistic and adds art to STEM.

This activity can be used when teaching gravity.

This activity can be used to teach basic engineering and physics.

CREDITS
This task card was created by Melissa White, 21Things Project Manager, REMC Association of Michigan, February 2018. Updated October 2023.

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Website for REMC Association of Michigan

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STEM Activities Rollercoaster Challenge Marble Run STEAM Challenge FREE

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This STEM challenge will guide your students to build a roller coaster track. Challenge students to create a track that will keep the marble running the longest. This activity can be completed as whole group or rotation style. Easy prep & simple materials needed!This freebie is part of a my SUMM...

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Educational Activities for Kids: Marble Run Challenge

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7 Tips for Getting Started With Student Choice in the Classroom

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7 Tips for Getting Started With Student Choice in the Classroom

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Our students will inhabit an unpredictable world. With machine learning and other advanced forms of AI, students will need to become really good at what AI can't do and really different with what can do. They will need to be adaptable as they navigate the maze of an uncertain future. But this requires a mindset of self-direction, where students act as self-starters and self-managers. As educators, we can prepare students for this future by empowering them in the present:

In today's article, we explore how we can get start with student choice.

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What does a choice-driven classroom look like?

Student choice goes beyond simply picking an item out of a choice menu. It's about self-directed students taking charge of their own learning.

Here are some of the ways students can own the learning process:

Students select the course text. They get to decide about what to read or what videos to watch or what podcasts to listen to.

Students choose what topics or themes to explore.

Students ask questions and determine which questions are truly "essential."

Students figure out what strategies they will use as they read, solve problems, research, debate, etc.

Students decide what type of grouping works best for them.

Students have the option of going quieter or louder by having the option of wearing headphones.

Students get to decide where they want to sit. They can sit or stand as they work independently.

Students select which type of scaffolding they will use based upon their individual needs.

Students own the intervention and enrichment process.

Students decide how they will share what they are learning.

Students choose where they will publish their work.

Students decide what they will create. They can own the entire process with design thinking.

Students engage in frequent self-assessment in order to make adjustments and figure out where to go next.

This can feel daunting for students and teachers alike. Back in my second year of teaching, I began this journey from student engagement toward student empowerment and I assumed that students would embrace the freedom, autonomy, and responsibility of student ownership. I quickly realized that many students were anxious and overwhelmed with choice. I realized that I had to include structures and protocols. I needed to be clear about expectations. I had to revise my assessment processes so that students could experience the freedom to make mistakes. I had to model what choice looked like and even scaffold the process through a gradual release approach.

In other words, I jumped straight to student choice too quickly and made a ton of mistakes. So, with that in mind, I would like to share a few tips for getting started with student choice. These are the big ideas I wish I had known 18 years ago, when I began this journey myself.

7 Tips for Getting Started with Student Choice in the Classroom

The following are seven big ideas for getting started with student choice.

1. Start with just one project.

As a teacher, it can feel overwhelming to completely overhaul your pedagogical approach. As mentioned before, student choice requires structures and protocols. However, it takes time to develop the systems and structures for things like student-selected interventions or student self-assessments.There are so many great protocols to use for student collaboration and project management.

Furthermore, there are tons of great lessons that aren't choice-driven and you don't want to abandon everything. While, it's important to embrace student empowerment, there's a time and a place for focusing on student engagement and even compliance. In teaching reading, you might use a compliance-driven, systematic focus on phonics and blending but embrace empowerment with choice based silent reading. In the following continuum of student agency, all three approaches are valid at different times.

So, if there's a significant learning curve in student choice (and I'm still on this learning curve nearly two decades later) and there are great practices we don't want to abandon, then the best first step might be to start off small. Ask yourself, "Where am I already empowering students and how can I build on this?" Or perhaps, "What is one small change I want to make?"

You can think of it like a video game. You don't fight the ultimate boss on level one. Instead, you start with smaller challenges and learn the process as you go. So, you might start with a few student reflections or self-assessments. You might do a single choice menu. You might empower students to choose their scaffolds by switching up your small groups to be opt-in workshops, where anyone can self-select into the workshops and join you.

If you want students to ask questions, you might start by taking a quick break in direct instruction and have students jot down as many ideas as they can come up with. From there, they ask questions to a partner before doing a stand-up, hand-up, pair-up activity where they ask questions among the entire class.

One of my favorite first steps is with a single choice-driven mini-project. You could do a two week Geek Out Project. Here students choose a topic they geek out about based upon their own personal interests. They ask questions, engage in research, and ultimately create something in the end. I've had the best luck with Geek Out Blogs. Students write posts like "Ten Surprising Facts About the History of Skateboarding" or "The Top Five Fantasy Novels of the Last Decade." They get to be the expert. They can also create their own Geek Out podcasts or videos.

If you want to go fully independent and long-term, you can try a Genius Hour project. Here students spend an allotted time each week working independently on a project that they design from the ground up.

However, if you prefer having students work interdependently with structured creativity, you might want to go with a design thinking project. I helped develop the LAUNCH Cycle, a k-12 framework to design thinking that provides a structure where student choice and creativity can thrive. If this feels overwhelming, start out small with a design sprint instead. Unlike a longer mini-project (typically 1-2 weeks) or a larger PBL unit (3-5 weeks), a sprint lasts 45-90 minutes.

Sprints are shorter opportunities for creative work that often focus on one key area of the creative process. Students might focus on brainstorming as they generate novel uses for random items in a divergent thinking challenge. They would then engage in rapid prototyping:

Note that this sprint doesn't include any audience clarification, any research, or any larger launch of the project. By contrast, you might want students to focus on asking questions, engaging in research, and presenting their findings through something like a Wonder Day project.

You might also have students engage in a problem-solving sprint. For example, in a math class, they might solve the problem of making baseball faster with a challenge like, "What could be done to make MLB games last less than 2.5 hours?" Students would then analyze a curation of baseball statistics before pitching their solutions in the form of a podcast.

These sprints tend to be quick and flexible and you can use them to introduce a new idea, to dive deeper into a current concept, or as a culminating activity at the close of the unit. They can also function as a single-day stand alone on days where multiple students are absent (like the last day before a break).

2. Take a Gradual Release of Responsible (GRR) Approach

When you start out small with a single strategy, mini-project or sprint, student choice becomes more manageable for you as you make adjustments and reflect on your learning. It can feel less risky to start out small. But this also has a benefit for students who are also moving through a learning curve as they embrace choice and agency. Starting out small can ease students into voice and choice. This approach is especially helpful for students with anxiety or for high achievers who are used to a compliance-based approach to learning. From there, you can take a Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) approach to choice by building more and more choice into the process.

Consider choice menus. Choice menus have been around for years with different names, including "choice boards" and "learning menus." Regardless of the terminology, the idea is the same. Create structures that provide choices for students in their learning tasks. However, as mentioned before, choice often exists on a spectrum from teacher-directed (less autonomy) to student-directed (more autonomy). The following graphic is a continuum of choice menus with four different levels.

These do not to be sequential or linear. You don't have to start at a Level 1 and then move to a Level 4. But there is this idea that you may want to start at a more teacher-centered approach to get students used to the idea of choice and then move toward a Level 3 or 4 over time.

If students are doing research, you might start with a set of teacher-curated resources and build in more voice and choice as the unit progresses:

Stage 1: Students read from a shared article that the teacher chooses - they answer questions

Stage 2: Students read from a shared article and they ask their own questions and fill out a graphic organizer

Stage 3: Students select from a list of 5 articles (curated by the teacher) and fill out a graphic organizer, they ask questions to a partner

Stage 4: Students select from a curated list of 10 articles and choose from 3 graphic organizer choices, they ask questions to a partner

Stage 5: Teacher models how to do an online search, students practice it, they choose one article from the list and they find one online

Stage 6: Teacher models again how to do an online search, students give feedback on their search process to one another, they do independent research

Stage 7: Students do online research and modify one of the graphic organizers of their choice

Stage 8: Students do online research and create a graphic organizer of their own / choose the process entirely

If you're using design thinking, you might increase the student choice in each new project throughout the year. Check out this example from a STEM class.

3. Model It

This was the hardest part for me to get in my own journey toward empowering students. After a few years of designing structures for choice, I had to remind myself that students weren't used to the sheer amount of choice we had. I had to teach students how to select the right intervention and enrichment, how to access the scaffolding, how to manage their own projects, and how to make decisions when they felt stuck. I had to provide sentence frames for inquiry questions. I still needed to walk through our first design thinking project in a sequential, step-by-step way that required a little more direct instruction.

At first this felt like I a cop out or a compromise. A "real" choice-driven classroom wouldn't need so much initial support from a teacher. And yet, gradual release makes sense. When you're learning a skill for the first time, chances are you watch tons of videos. You copy other people. You listen to experts. You are risk-averse. You wonder if you're doing it right.

The same is true of students who are owning their learning for the first time. They need a vision for how it can look and you, as the teacher, can provide that to them by modeling. Sometimes you will have to give permission when you assume they already know it. Sometimes you will have to model the metacognition needed in self-assessment.

The modeling doesn't always have to be whole class. Some of the best modeling happens when teachers do one-on-one conferences with students.

4. Be Mindful of Cognitive Load

Ever noticed that you tend to forget most information when you cram for a test? Perhaps you remember those college days when you slammed a few Red Bulls and stared, glassy-eyed at the highlighted text you were re-reading ( a strategy that turns out to be largely ineffective). The next day, as you stare at the multiple choice exam, you find yourself wondering if it made any difference. You're tired, irritable, and your brain feels fuzzy. Or have you ever struggled with certain confusing diagrams or with with long, complicated verbal directions? You stare at the schematics but struggle to figure out what you're supposed to do.

In each case, you're dealing with the challenges of cognitive load. I created the following sketch video as a brief explanation of Cognitive Load Theory:

Dr. Sweller, the founder of Cognitive Load Theory, suggests that when students learn new content through a project, t hey can experience cognitive overload. Students have to divide their attention between learning a new concept, practicing a new skill, and planning a project.

As we think about student choice, we need to recognize that some students will experience cognitive overload. This happens when a student looks at a problem and says, "I don't even know where to start." This is often a sign of extraneous cognitive load, where they are expending too much mental energy on the systems and processes rather than the learning outcomes. This can happen with any student but is more acute among students with executive function challenges.

In other words, the problem with the "minimal guidance" of student choice is that it can be too minimal. Students who need scaffolds and supports don't receive the help they need. Students who lack background knowledge fail to go deep enough in the content because they don't have the prerequisite knowledge. Students who feel overwhelmed by all of the options can experience the "paradox of choice," where they end up choosing nothing at all.

The following are some ways we can minimize cognitive overload:

Use consistent terminology

Use the same choice-based protocols for multiple activities

Integrate consistent visuals to reduce the mental processing involved in a choice-based assignment

Provide students with exemplars. When students can see examples, they have a schema for own work, which, in turn, reduces the risk of cognitive overload.

Include adequate skill practice within an assignment.

Vary the grouping so that there is internal and external processing. When students work alone or in pairs, they move into the necessary rehearsal and retrieval processes that allow the knowledge to move into long-term memory.

Break larger projects up into segments with deadlines and guideposts. This helps students focus on the immediate learning in front of them instead of constantly thinking about future tasks.

Categorize Choices. Group similar choices together. This helps students process information more efficiently by recognizing patterns or theme

Limit Options. Offer a manageable number of choices to avoid overwhelming students. Too many options can lead to decision fatigue.

Integrate prior knowledge. Connect choices to students' prior knowledge or interests, making the information more relatable and easier to process. Part of why Geek Blogs work is that students are already experts in their geeky interest and they spend less time thinking about new content as they practice the new skills.

It will never work perfectly because cognitive load is so personal and contextual. But if we are intentional about it, we can help reduce cognitive load while still empowering our students with voice and choice.

5. Do a Choice Audit Before Deciding Procedures

I mentioned this before, but it can help to do an audit of every classroom procedure with the driving question, "What am I doing for students that they could do on their own?" This not only empowers students but it also frees up the teacher to spend less time working as a mid-level manager and more time as an instructional leader.

It can help to close your eyes and imagine yourself as a student. Go through the entire class period or school day in your classroom and imagine what you, as a student, would want to do on your own. This sense of empathy can be eye-opening. When I did this, I realized that most of the class procedures had been designed to make things easier for me, as the teacher. They weren't oriented around students. However, when students owned more of the process, things actually became more organized and less chaotic, because students weren't having to figure out how to comply with an external system.

6. Collaborate with a Trusted Colleague

When I first started shifting toward a choice-driven classroom, I felt alone. I became risk-averse because I didn't want to look like the "odd one out." I made huge mistakes and I had no one to share my frustrations with, because I knew I would hear things like, "you were too idealistic" or "maybe kids shouldn't have so much choice in their learning" or even "too much choice will make kids selfish."

However, in my second year in this shift, I met a new teacher named Javier. He and I became close friends and trusted colleagues. We regularly shared what worked and what failed. We were able to be vulnerable. And slowly, we started collaborating on projects. It was easier to take creative risks when I wasn't alone.

7. Communicate to stakeholders.

Sometimes student choice can seem like negligence to parents or to principals. You can appear as the "fun teacher" to is "letting kids get away with everything." I remember the sting of hearing a student say to another teacher, "That's Mr. Spencer. We can learn whatever we want in his class."

I realized that I needed to share why we were embracing student choice as a class. So, I talked to students about choice and ownership. I shared data with parents about how student choice could increase motivation and engagement. I wanted people to understand that this wasn't simply an issue of letting kids do whatever they felt like doing. We still had structures and rules and expectations.

Student choice will require resilience and productive struggle. For some parents or guardians, it might look like you are not helping their child. This is why it helps to explain how student self-direction will help their children become life-long learners and critical thinkers. As a teacher, you might create a community meeting to talk through this ideas and include the key takeaways in a newsletter you send home.

This is why I love the word "pilot." Seriously. Go try it out. Leaders love it. Say something like, "I'm going to pilot Genius Hour projects." Or say, "We will be piloting the use design thinking, a framework used in the arts, in business, and in engineering." Share that with your administrators and with your parents. Chances are they'll see choice as more than just letting go and having fun.

Take the Leap

Student choice can feel scary. It can be hard to give up control - especially when you are on your own in a system that thrives on compliance. But it's worth it. Engagement skyrockets. Students think critically. The class culture changes into a place where students feel ownership over the learning. However, none of this happens if you don't take the leap into the unknown.

It won't be perfect. The process will be riddled with mistakes. But that's how innovation happens.

Empower Your Students with Voice and Choice

Want to get started with student ownership? Check out this page with free articles, videos, and resources. Also, check out the Empower Blueprint and Toolkit below.

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7 Tips for Getting Started with Student Choice in the Classroom

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Our students will inhabit an unpredictable world. With machine learning and other advanced forms of AI, students will need to become really good at what AI can't do and really different with what can do.

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Inquiry-based learning is a learning and teaching strategy where students construct knowledge through a process of observation, investigation, and discovery. Examples of inquiry-based learning include observational field trips, science experiments, and hypothesis-based research projects.
This learning strategy is believed to increase students' level of engagement in the learning process. It is considered an active learning strategy that is in contrast to traditional approaches in education where teachers present information to passive learners.

Inquiry-Based Learning Definition
In inquiry-based classrooms, students engage in activities that provoke their curiosity as they go on a journey of discovery. Through the process, they construct knowledge rather than having it delivered by the teacher.
The students learn by exploring a subject, experimenting with concepts or objects, and conducting searches for information on their own.

Some scholarly definitions include:

Pedaste et al: "It can be defined as a process of discovering new causal relations, with the learner formulating hypotheses and testing them by conducting experiments and/or making observations" (Pedaste et al, 2015, p. 47)

Lee et al: "[Inquiry-based learning is] an array of classroom practices that promote student learning through guided and, increasingly, independent investigation of complex questions and problems, often for which there is no single answer" (Lee et al, 2004, p. 9).

Although John Dewey is often mentioned as a forerunner of inquiry-based learning, its roots can actually be traced as far back as Socrates (470-399 BC), the Greek philosophy that taught his students using the Socratic Method, which involved him asking his students questions repeatedly instead of imparting his wisdom onto them.

Inquiry-Based Learning Examples

Self-directed curriculum: Instead of giving students set questions to answer, the teacher gives the students a general topic to inquire about and find an area of interest to explore within the overarching topic.

Field trips: Students go on a field trip to collect data by taking photographs. The students return to the class and use the photographs to compile information about the topic under study.

Science experiments: Students conduct an experiment on what plants need by growing seeds in different conditions and tracking each plants progress.

College Dissertations: Students at university often need to do a research study where they come up with a hypothesis and conduct a scientific study to confirm or falsify their hypothesis.

Community-based projects: When students identify a problem in the community and work to solve it, they are often engaging in the phases of inquiry-based learning.

Inquiring about a mystery by using clues: Students in a kindergarten class see before and after photos of destroyed habitats as the teacher asks questions about what they think happened and how do they feel.

Construction activities: A kindergarten teacher supplies his students with paper-towel tubes, tape, cardboard boxes and other materials so they can construct their own unique marble-runs.

Investigating the local environment: Students in a science class investigate the water quality of a nearby creek and answer the key question: is the water safe to go tubing?

Deconstructing facts: Students are given a list of "facts" about different planets. Some of those facts are actually wrong. The students work in small groups and try to identify the different planets and which facts are false.

Gathering resources to solve a problem: A social studies class tell the class that they have been asked by NASA to make a time-capsule for aliens. The students work in small groups and gather items or create material to be put in the spaceship.

Coming up with methodologies for solving problems: A math teacher uses 3-dimensional objects and asks student teams to choose their own methods to calculate its properties and then take turns presenting their strategy to the class.

Divergent thinking: Divergent thinking involves coming up with multiple possible solutions to a single problem. For example, students in third-grade are told they can have any 3 powers they want to become a superhero. Then they decide on which powers they want, design their costume, and describe the kinds of situations they would help in.

Concept mapping: Anotherdivergent thinking task would involve a concept map. A high school history teacher has the students make individual concept maps regarding the causes of the Boston Tea Party and checks their work as they go.

Brainstorming solutions: Mr. Jennings writes a "Big Idea" question on a piece of paper and places it in the center of a bulletin board. Students then use post-it notes to surround the big idea with various thoughts and factors related to the question.

Archaeological digs: A mock archaeological dig can be considered an inquiry-based learning situation. Students can dig for artifacts then figure out who lived there (and in what era) based on the artifacts.

Frog dissections: Students who dissect frogs in labs are conducting inquiry-based projects. They may need to draw and diagram what they saw then use the results to report on the animal's physiology.

Project-based learning: Project-based learning is a unique and separate type of learning, but they have many overlaps. A teacher can set up a project so that it has all five phases of inquiry (see below).

Escape rooms: The recent trend of escape rooms, where people have to go into a room and work in a team to solve clues and escape, are often based on an inquiry-based approach. Learners need to uncover answers through using observational skills and clues in their environment.

Phases of Inquiry

Pedaste et al. (2015) propose five phases of inquiry that can underpin the design of an inquiry-based project:

1. Orientation: The teacher stimulates curiosity by presenting information about the topic, posing questions, and offering problem statements.

2. Conceptualization: Students generate research questions and hypotheses about the project.

3. Investigation: Students plan a study, collect data, and analyze it.

4. Conclusion: Students construct their own knowledge based upon their inquiry, rather than having teachers give the answers to the students.

5. Discussion: Students present their findings to peers, a teacher, or family members, and engage in reflective activity to reinforce knowledge.

Benefits of Inquiry-Based Learning

The benefits of inquiry-based learning are numerous:

Enhanced critical-thinking skills: when students are asked to inquire rather than simply rote learn information, they have to engage higher-order thinking skills.

Greater enthusiasm and interest in learning: Learning through active inquiry is believed to enhance intrinsic motivation in the classroom.

Connecting learning to the real world: Through inquiry, students don't just learn theories, but also how to solve real-life problems.

Encouraging independent learning: When students inquire, they make up the research questions and learning outcomes themselves, allowing them to engage in self-directed learning.

Helping students learn to work with others in a team: Very often, inquiry-based lessons take place in groups.

Case Studies of Inquiry Learning

1. What's in the Box?
The hallmark of any good inquiry-based lesson starts with an opening question. The teacher might not even announce the topic for that day's lesson.
This is a simple but highly effective way to get the attention of the students right off the bat. When someone is asked a question, they can't help but to start trying to answer it. That's just the way the human mind is built.

Since getting the attention of a class full of 1 st graders can be a challenge in and of itself, teachers need to make use of every tool in the box. Hence, the game "what's in the box?"

If the lesson is about animal habitats, then the teacher can place different items that are in that habitat in a box. As the kids begin to guess what's in the box, the teacher can pull out one item at a time.

Once a few items are on the table, then the kids can start to guess the name of the habitat and the animals that live in it. It's a lot of fun for the kids and is a great way to exercise their cognitive processes.

2. Let the Kids do the Work
We often underestimate the ability of very young learners. They are actually a lot smarter than most people give them credit for. Of course, this is understandable; how smart can a child be when they have trouble putting on their own shoes?
But don't be fooled. Inside their small little heads is a small little brain that is a lot stronger than its size would indicate.

We can see this demonstrated by giving them a chance to do things we didn't think they could do. For example, when receiving a new set of obstacle course pieces for the playground, let the kids have a go at putting the equipment together.

The set might include some balance-beam pieces, standing hoops, jumping bars, and large plastic screws. Just spread the pieces out on the playground and let the kids try to figure out how they all fit together. You might be surprised at how quickly they do...and all without ever looking at the instructions.

3. The Bakery and the Marketer
At the heart of inquiry-based learning is the idea that students should do most of the thinking. Instead of the teacher distributing knowledge to the brains of students, the leg-work of a course from the minds of the students themselves.
This premise can be seen in a marketing course where the instructor announces the problem, and then the student must create the solution.

For example, students can be given the task of creating a unique marketing campaign for a failing bakery (or any other type of business).

While the instructor could apply some guidelines, such as the campaign should be digital or involve on-site experiences, it is best to provide as little guidance as possible.

Instructors often discover that students can be incredibly imaginative, and insightful. The less restrictive the instructions, the more creative the campaigns.

4. Cultural Artifacts
Cultural artifacts are objects that remain from a given culture. They can include tools, pieces of garments or kitchenware, even items involved in various types of ceremonies.
In an older, more traditional type of anthropology course, the professor would present a lecture about a particular tribe or ancient culture. To supplement the lecture, the prof might bring along various objects that have been unearthed by archeologists or anthropologists during excavations.

However, in an inquiry-based lesson, the sequence of events in this lesson would be reversed. The professor would first present the artifacts to the students and say as little as possible.

The students would then engage in an analysis (slightly speculative) regarding what the object is and what purpose it served in that particular culture.

This somewhat "backwards" approach to teaching is exactly more engaging for the students. They become more immersed in the lesson. Their interest is piqued and if EEG sensors were attached to their scalps, a lot more cerebral activity would be detected than if they were just sitting in their seats listening.

5. Physics Experimentation
Students in a physics course can spend a lot of time going through formulas. The one for calculating force looks simple enough (F=ma), but that it can get a lot more complicated if you start adding variables for inclines and wind resistance.
To help students understand these concepts on a deeper, more holistic level, some physics teachers will designate a class completely devoted to experimentation.

The students are provided with all the necessary materials, including toy trucks, plastic ramps, objects of various weights, paper and assorted items that could be used to form structures to reduce wind resistance.

The students experiment with altering the various parameters and will form an understanding of the concepts in the formula in a way that could never be accomplished by calculations alone.

Theoretical Basis
The theoretical basis of inquiry-based learning is constructivism. This is a learning theory that emphasizes the importance of constructing knowledge rather than having information told to you by an authority figure.
It is based on the idea that humans learn through developing coherent ideas - called schema - in their minds. We don't learn well when we're just told information. Instead, we need to learn through trial and error, which helps us to formulate these cognitive schema.

In the process of actively learning, we don't only come to know facts, but the underlying how and why of a fact. This context helps cognitive recall and ensures you have deep knowledge of the topic.

Inquiry-based learning embraces this idea of constructing knowledge rather than being told facts.

Through an inquiry situation, students aren't just learning from a teacher - they're learning from experience. They gather information, try our different sets of facts, and find the answers that make most sense.

Criticisms of Inquiry-based Learning
While an inquiry-based approach to learning is widely accepted as a strong pedagogical strategy, it does have some weaknesses.
Primarily, it doesn't achieve standardization of curriculum for all student. It necessarily requires differentiation and allows student-led study, leading to different learning experiences for different students. This undermines the goal of ensuring all students have the same strong educational foundations by the end of compulsory schooling.

Similarly, it is difficult to achieve standardization of assessment during an inquiry-based approach. With build-in student-led learning, students aren't all completing the exact same task in the exact same way. As a result, subjective assessment methods like performance-based assessment tend to be used, which don't lead to normative and standardized grading standards.

Conclusion

Inquiry-based learning is a step away from traditional educational practices that disseminated information to passive students. Traditional pedagogy created learners that were ill-equipped to function at a high level in an increasingly complex society.

By creating learning environments that allow students to be more fully engaged and inquisitive, it creates learners that are skilled at critical-thinking and problem-solving.

Teachers can implement a wide range of activities and techniques that foster creativity, communication, and teamwork. The wonderful thing about inquiry-based learning is that it can be applied to nearly any subject at all grade levels, from preschool to graduate school.

References

Beyrow, M., Godau, M., Heidmann, F., Langer, C., Wettach, R., & Mieg, H. (2019). Inquiry-Based Learning in Design. Inquiry-Based Learning - Undergraduate Research (pp. 239-247).
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14223-0_22

Ernst, Dana & Hodge, Angie & Yoshinobu, Stan. (2017). What Is Inquiry-Based Learning? Notices of the American Mathematical Society, 64. 570-574. https://doi.org/10.1090/noti1536

Lee, V. S., Greene, D. B., Odom, J., Schechter, E., & Slatta, R. W. (2004). What is inquiry guided learning. In V. S. Lee (Ed.), Teaching and learning through inquiry: A guidebook for institutions and instructors (pp. 3-15). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

Pedaste, M., Mäeots, M., Siiman, L. A., De Jong, T., Van Riesen, S. A., Kamp, E. T., ... & Tsourlidaki, E. (2015). Phases of inquiry-based learning: Definitions and the inquiry cycle. Educational research review, 14, 47-61. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.02.003

Seltzer, E. (1977). A comparison between John Dewey's theory of inquiry and Jean Piaget's genetic analysis of intelligence. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 130(2d Half), 323-335. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.1977.10533264

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18 Inquiry-Based Learning Examples (Benefits & criticisms) (2023)

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Inquiry-based learning is a learning and teaching strategy where students construct knowledge through a process of observation, investigation, and discovery.

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Also here: file:///C:/Users/jamie.harrel/Downloads/BeginninginInquiryMysteryObject-1%20(1).pdf

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Don't you love a good mystery? I know whenever I'm reading a book or watching a film with an element of the unknown, I am always SO curious to see how things will turn out in the end. This year, I decided to spark some interest in a new inquiry by adding in an element of surprise: a "mystery object." I started with an amaryllis bulb. You can really use anything for this project, but a plant was a great option because of the fact that a plant is always growing and changing. I knew the focus of this inquiry was going to be on building the children's capacity for making good observations and predictions, and I wanted them to be able to revisit their predictions as the plant grew and changed. An amaryllis blooms in about 6-8 weeks from the time of planting so the children had plenty of time to practice their inquiry skills!

I introduced this project with a game that our music itinerant taught us: "What's in the box?" I placed the bulb, pot, and bag of soil in a box marked with question marks. We passed the box around the circle asking each child in a sing-song voice, "What's in the box?" and the children sang back their guesses in turn. After everyone had had a guess, we opened the box to reveal what was inside. I passed around the bulb and each child tried to guess what it was. I recorded their predictions in my notebook. After we had all had a turn at guessing, I asked the class what they thought we should do next. Since there were no instructions with our mystery object, we would have to figure out for ourselves what to do. Right away, many of the children suggested putting the object in the pot with the soil. One child suggested that we need to put water in it too...because that's what you do when you put something in a pot of dirt.

We placed our mystery object at the science table. It was the first place most children visited when they entered the classroom each day! Every time there was a change in the mystery object, we took time to discuss our observations as a group. The children had access to our See Think Wonder and "My Prediction" recording sheets throughout the project. It was interesting for me to see which children changed their predictions based on new information and observations as the mystery object grew (and which children held fast to their original ideas).

One of the interesting questions that arose from one of our reflection discussions was "Is our mystery object a living thing?" This was a question that divided the class! We decided to do some further research to find out. Our librarian gave us a book called "What is a living thing?" which we read in hopes of answering the question once and for all. Again, some children could see right away evidence that our object was indeed living (it was growing, changing, requiring our care and attention) while other children had difficulty connecting the information from the book to their observations of the mystery object.

The day our mystery object bloomed was incredibly exciting! We decided to google "bulb plant that blooms after 8 weeks" and found a matching image for our flower in our search! Giving our plant a name (Amaryllis) was quite satisfying to the children. Every visitor to our classroom was immediately shown to the science table and told about our mystery object - "Do you wanna see our mystery object? It's an AMARYLLIS!"

Overall, I feel like the mysterious element to this inquiry was an asset to piquing the children's initial interest and keeping it sustained throughout the project. My goal from the beginning was to provide an opportunity for the children to practice their inquiry skills - and in that, the mystery object inquiry was very successful!

Have you ever tried teaching with a mystery object? I'd love to hear what you used as the spark for your learning!

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Don't you love a good mystery? I know whenever I'm reading a book or watching a film with an element of the unknown, I am always SO curious to see how things will turn out in the end. This year, I decided to spark some interest in a new inquiry by adding in an element...

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Feel free to read it all, but the 15 examples are halfway through the blog beginning with Wonder Walks.

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Inquiry-Based Learning: The Holy Grail for Teachers? (15 Examples Included) | ClassPoint

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In the classrooms of today, classroom management can make or break the success of your teaching efforts. But, how do we keep up with emerging educational philosophies and take it day by day? Here’s one!

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Chapter 2: Creating Collaborative Groups (Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics)

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Chapter 2: Creating Collaborative Groups (Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics)

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Chapter 2: Constructing Inquiry (The Power of Inquiry)

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Chapter 2: Constructing Inquiry (The Power of Inquiry)

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Chapter 8: Fostering Student Autonomy  (Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics

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Chapter 8: Fostering Student Autonomy  (Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics

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Gradual Release Approach to Launch-Design Thinking Framework by John Spencer

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Gradual Release Approach to Launch-Design Thinking Framework by John Spencer

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Creative Writing Prompt: Design a city in the sky!

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Creative Writing Prompt: Design a city in the sky!

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Design a City in the Sky  (Creative Writing Prompt)

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Divergent Thinking Challenge: What would you make with this?

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Divergent Thinking Challenge: What would you make with this?

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There are several of these challenges, this is just one! You'll want to bookmark these!

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Divergent Thinking Challenge: What would you make with this?

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What is Genius Hour? An Overview of Genius Hour and 20% Time in the Classroom

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Assessment Strategies for Inquiry-short list of examples

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Assessment Strategies for Inquiry-short list of examples

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Watch: How to Assess in an Inquiry Classroom

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Watch: How to Assess in an Inquiry Classroom

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More information here: https://madlylearning.com/how-to-assess-in-an-inquiry-classroom/

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The 5 E's is an inquiry-based learning approach that is founded on the belief that students learn by building new ideas on top of old ones. Using this model, students can understand and learn concepts and skills over a series of 5 steps or phases of learning. This learning model is beneficial in classrooms as it can:

Motivate students.

Engage students in an active learning process.

Facilitate collaboration and teamwork.

Help students form conclusions through questioning, investigating, observing, analyzing and problem-solving.

The 5 E's learning model is best suited to introducing new concepts in the classroom. Teachers can guide students through the process of inquiry and the phases of active learning which include:

Engage: This is the first step of the learning process. Before introducing the concept or skill, teachers can try to determine:

Student readiness to learn concepts.

Prior knowledge of related concepts.

Once this has been established, teachers can use engaging activities or leading questions to:

Introduce the concept.

Build connections, linking past information with present concepts.

Build curiosity and interest in the topic.

Engage students in active learning and channel their attention onto the learning outcomes of the activities.

Explore: The second phase provides students with hands-on learning experiences, individual and group, that can help students:

Manipulate environment and materials.

Enhance understanding of concepts and development of skills.

Explain: In this phase teachers may explain and describe the terms and definitions associated with the concepts and skills. Students can be given opportunities to:

Advance understanding of concepts and skills by asking questions and clarifying information.

Strengthen their understanding by explaining the concepts verbally and through demonstrations to peers.

Elaborate: In this phase, students can refine their skills and cement their understanding of concepts as opportunities are given to apply and practice the newly learned concepts and skills.

Evaluate: in this last phase, both students and teachers evaluate and analyze student understanding of concepts and mastery of skills though tools of self-reflection, peer reviews and assignments.

The 5 E learning model strengthens understanding of concepts by helping students form connections between past knowledge and present information.

Learn more about inquiry-based learning strategies in this online professional development course!

February 2021 Editor's Note: This post was originally published in July 2015 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Ellen Paxton is a respected expert in education and best known as the Chief Learning Officer of Professional Learning Board. As a two-time National Board Certified Teacher, Ellen has successfully published and customized online professional development courses and Learning Management Systems for 20 years to help teachers meet their state continuing education renewal credit requirements. Through About the Author
ProfessionalLearningBoard.com, RenewaTeachingLicense.com, and ConnectedPD.com, Ellen has established solutions and maintained partnerships with several accredited universities, higher education institutions, teachers' unions and state Departments of Education while setting strategic direction that makes a difference and overseeing implementation of popular online PD for schools.

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The 5 E's of Inquiry-based Learning - Professional Learning Board

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Explore the e E's of inquiry-based learning in the classroom. Inquiry-based learning introduces new concepts to students in an engaging way.