Inquiry based learning method

meaning

"Inquiry" is defined as "a seeking for truth, information, or knowledge -- seeking information by questioning.

background

In the 1960s Joseph Schwab called for inquiry to be divided into four distinct levels. This was later formalized by Marshall Herron in 1971, who developed the Herron Scale to evaluate the amount of inquiry within a particular lab exercise. Since then, there have been a number of revisions proposed, but the consensus in the science education community is that there is a spectrum of inquiry-based teaching methods available

characteristics

Inquiry-based learning covers a range of approaches to learning and teaching, including:

• Field-work
• Case studies
• Investigations
• Individual and group projects
• Research projects

These are the essential element of effective inquiry learning,

·         Experts see patterns and meanings not apparent to novices.

·         Experts have In depth knowledge of their field structured so that it is most useful.

·         Experts knowledge is not just a set of facts it is structured to be accessible, transferable, and applicable to a variety of situations

·         Experts can easily retrieve their knowledge and learn new information in their fields with little efforts.