Inquiry Lesson Plan

Inquiry means a seeking for information or truth by questioning. Inquiry based learning is not different from the constructivist model, it is requires critical thinking skills. In the inquiry based learning, teachers are like facilitators. The teacher may start with questions just to stimuli the students. The student work individually or as team with other students to solve any problems or present situation.
Inquiry based learning increases student’s motivation, it can provide an active involvement of student in the learning process. Students may get a better understanding about the own concept of learning and become better independent learners. The inquiry based learning is like a circle in which the student usually asks some questions; the questions asked drive the desire for finding answers or solution to the questions asked. The answers result to construction of new knowledge, the obtained knowledge leads to more questions.
There are several steps in the inquiry based learning: the first step would be “Authenticity”. In the authenticity steps the inquiry starts with an exclamation statement which provides many opportunities to create meanings or answers to the questions. The second step is “Academic Rigor” which encourages the student in developing some habits of asking questions evidence, pattern and connection, supposition, and much more. The next step is “Assessment” which encourages a timely descriptive of feedback like self-evaluation. In this step, students set goals, prepare for next steps in develop new learning strategies. We have “Beyond the school” which also encourages students the use team work in order to reach a high performance work organization. Next step is the “Use of digital technologies”; this step encourages students to make great use of digital resources. The students will use the internet, databases, and any other resources for assistance in sharing information, making communication with other audiences.
One of the steps is “Active Exploration” that requires hands on activities that includes field work, studio work, etc. the following step is “Connecting with Experts” which encourages student to interact and learn from experience peers. The last step would be “Elaborated Communication” which is not to different from the reflection of the Constructivist. The step encourages students to communicate the information learned with other students.
In conclusion, inquiry learning can help student not only understand better the information, but also keep and explore the learning experience. Teachers, educators need to know that memorization would never overcome demonstration.