Impacts of Inquiry-Based Learning - Research Paper Example

Impacts of Inquiry-Based Learning Inserts Inserts Grade Inserts Inquiry-Based Learning with a Focus on Technology-Enhanced Education Abstract This research defines inquiry-based learning as an inductive pedagogy that helps in improving communication skills, problem solving, critical thinking and creativity. Critical thinking, communication and information processing skills, and inductive reasoning are vital processes in effective decision making processes and problem solving. Additionally, this research has explored on inquiry-based learning as an effective and popular learning strategy, which has been effectively used as an instructional strategy in learning institutions. The research explored on the processes and strategies used in inquiry-based learning and concluded that latter improves problem solving techniques through critical thinking and creativity, though technological changes have necessitated development of more advanced instructional models for efficiency in technology learning. Inquiry-based learning denies the teachers and instructors the chance to have real-time feedback, and hence the need for new and advanced instructional models. Keywords: Inquiry-based, technology, pedagogy, communication, critical thinking, problem solving. Introduction Inquiry-based learning involves an active teaching and learning approach where the students are actively involved through questioning, problem solving and decision making, communication skills and critical thinking (Goodrum, Druhan & Australian Academy of Science, 2011). It is an active learning approach that assists the students in acquirement of experience in knowledge creation processes through enquiry, thereby helping the students to develop excellent problem solving skills and research skills (Cavus & Uzunboylu, 2009). The inquiry-based learning helps the students to adapt to socioeconomic, political and technological shifts, which is facilitated through intellectual engagement. The students are engaged in problem solving processes that enables them to think critically and be creative in creation of new knowledge and reasoning skills, and innovations (Zumbach, 2008). Critical thinking and inductive reasoning are vital processes in effective decision making processes, and hence inquiry-based thinking facilitates the acquirement of these skills, in addition to improvement of communication and information processing skills for independence in decision making and problem solving (Byers & Fitzgerald, 2002). In inquiry-based learning, the students are able to interact with learning materials or models, explore phenomena, and manipulate variables. This helps them to acquire real-time and hands-on experiences that are necessary for inductive reasoning and problem solving (Jones, Scanlon & Clough, 2013). However, inquiry-based learning denies the teachers and instructors the chance to have real-time feedback from their students in terms of assessment, instruction materials, and levels of inquiry guidance. In inquiry-based learning, the students are presented with questions, problems or observation to answer, solve and discuss/explain, respectively (Hinrichs& Wankel, 2011). Inquiry is characterized by observation, questions, analysis and interpretation, explanations or predictions, and communication (Zumbach, 2008). Research has proven that inquiry-based learning has been effective and popular, and has been a leading instructional strategy in learning institutions. However, the current changes in technological trends have led to necessity of creation of more advanced teaching and learning strategies (Cavus & Uzunboylu, 2009). Discussion Inquiry-based learning is an inductive pedagogy that helps in improving communication skills, problem solving, critical thinking and creativity, which are important in inducing hands-on experiences and practice, rather than mere knowledge (Cavus & Uzunboylu, 2009). Many inquiry-based learning models used different inquiry types, including confirmation inquiry where the instructors have priory-set results but the students are provided with questions and procedures to come up with the set results, structured inquiry where the learners are provided with problems and solving guides, guided inquiry where the students are expected to figure out solutions or models of problem solving, and open inquiry where the students are expected to solely figure out both problems and solutions (Wang et al, 2010). There are different types of settings in inquiry-based learning, including; learner inquiry where the students pose the questions, instructor inquiry where the teacher/instructor poses the questions, and process-oriented inquiry where the learners work in groups using instruction manuals or modules and guidance questions (Avsec & Kocijancic, 2014). In the latter setting, the instructor provides for support to collaborative work and deals with students in groups and the class as a whole. The instructor uses prior knowledge in problem solving and inductive reasoning, exchange of diverse alternative ideas, and the interrelations between student ideologies and specific concepts (DellOlio & Donk, 2007). The students are guided towards independence in reasoning, decision making and problem solving. Though inquiry-based learning has been popular in sciences and humanity teaching, its use in technology and engineering has been minimal (Jones, Scanlon & Clough, 2013). Inquiry-based learning is bound to facilitate easier understanding, in addition to improving communication, critical thinking and creativity, and information processing skills. Inquiry-based learning is a process that facilitates intellectual engagement and creates deeper understanding in the students through the development of skills in questioning, interaction and research, collaboration and cooperation with peers and the teachers, problem solving through critical thinking and creativity, and the independence in decision making and ideology. Technology-enhanced inquiry is convenient and effective in learning due to the utilization of technology as an educational tool (Conole, 2013). Phases of inquiry-based learning Interaction: In this phase, the students use learning materials obtained from research, libraries or digital media, which can be a supplement for the teacher’s materials. This type of interaction is referred to as student-material interaction. The students may also choose to interact with instructors or fellow students due to need for information and guide, which is referred to as student-peer interaction (Moog, Spencer & American Chemical Society, 2008). On the other hand, the student may interact with experts in the relevant fields or interact with media and other research materials for extensive consultation and guide. Interaction is triggered by curiosity, learning criteria, instructions, and the teaching artifacts (Zumbach, 2008). The teacher plays a vital role in guiding the students based on available resources, curiosity and relevance (Mahiri, 2014). The teacher/instructor uses curiosity modelling techniques to interact with the students, provides problems and questions to the students while withholding specific evaluation statement to create more curiosity in the students (Mahiri, 2014). Additionally, the teacher uses relevant illustrations and examples to guide the students and provides problems that have expected results. The teacher also monitors the students’ actions and facilitates interaction and problem-solving techniques, critical thinking, communication skills, creativity and reasoning (Hinrichs& Wankel, 2011). Furthermore, the instructor encourages and trains the students to conveniently use the available resources, communicate and consult for additional ideas, understand the relevance of the lessons, exploiting available alternatives in problem solving, and identify their respective areas of strengths and weaknesses (Kubieck, 2005). Clarification: The teacher, instructor or expert helps in the understanding of concepts, where the students interact with learning materials, such as books and digital materials (Kubieck, 2005). The inquiry is based on the student in terms of individual thinking and reasoning, and the real world concepts. The students are guided on the importance of critical and designed thinking, and its relevance in problem solving and decision making. The teacher or instructor helps the students to understand that thinking designs are both a self-reflection and self-communication (Wang, et al, 2010). The students are able to summarize their understanding through inquiry, through the distinction between facts and opinions, and effective evaluation of the relevance of diverse resources. The teacher asks probing questions and provides feedback on students’ thinking, without evaluation (Li, Moorman & Dyjur, 2010). Questioning: This phase is critical in the inquiry-based learning in the identification of misunderstandings, disorganized thinking, or lack of confident and independent thinking. Questioning helps the students to gain new understanding and communication skills. It ensures confidence and creativity for both the learners and the teachers, in terms of precision and curiosity. The students are able to identify the key areas to understand, their level of knowledge and knowledge gaps, and their efforts in understanding and gaining more experience in the relevant areas (Kong & Song, 2014). Design: Inquiry-based learning also involves the creation of relevant actions towards satisfying the curiosity for understanding through consultation. The learners are able to develop solutions to problems within the available resources, increase understanding and develop new skills, and plan for self-driven knowledge seeking. This helps the students to be more creative, confident, relevant, and conversant with expectations and prior knowledge possessed by others (Settles, 2012). At the end of this phase, the student to discover self-confidence, strengths and weak points, which leads to self-confidence and independence in thinking and decision making (Goodrum, Druhan & Australian Academy of Science, 2011). Principles of Inquiry-based Learning Inquiry-based learning uses the student/learner as the central point along the process, with the teachers or instruction, resources and technology as the basic support system for effective learning (DellOlio & Donk, 2007). The instructors are the facilitator of the learning process and have to seek more information about their students through inquiry and consultations (Goodrum, Druhan & Australian Academy of Science, 2011). The learning activities characterizing the process of inquiry-based learning involve communication and information processing skills (Kong & Song, 2014). Prominence is placed on the acquirement of communication and information processing skills, and understanding of concepts (Li, Moorman & Dyjur, 2010). Inquiry-based Learning in Technology Inquiry-based learning involves questioning, evaluation and probing into the student capabilities and levels of understanding in terms of prior knowledge, provision of analysis and descriptions, communication of research findings and support for the students, and the evaluation of information, knowledge, skills and experience gained along the learning process (Crippen & Archambault, 2012). The success of inquiry-based learning in technology involves an integration of communication platforms for interact between students and their instructors or peers, in addition to integration of a practical teaching platform for easier practice and experience for the students (Baek & Whitton, 2013). However, the integration of technology in educational technology has been challenging due to the advancement in technology and the digital divide. Factually, the introduction of technology hardware does not sustain technology-based learning (Baek & Whitton, 2013). Previous research asserts that inquiry-based learning facilitates easier acquirement of problem solving skills and improvement of communication skills, data analysis and interpretation skills, in addition to critical thinking that is vital in problem solving and decision making (Baek & Whitton, 2013). The integration of additional learning processes, such as information and data classification, probability, interpretation of experiment results, can effectively infer knowledge and hands-on experience in the students. The development of convenient and technologically-updated instructional models would facilitate the efficiency of an inquiry-based learning process (Avsec & Kocijancic, 2014). Results and Conclusion Inquiry-based learning facilitates easier understanding and improves communication, critical thinking and creativity, and information processing skills (Avsec & Kocijancic, 2014). It also facilitates intellectual engagement and creates deeper understanding in the students through the development of skills in questioning, interaction and research, collaboration and cooperation with peers and the teachers, problem solving through critical thinking and creativity (Salovaara, 2005). However, the technology sector has diversified, and hence there is need for the integration of technological trends, such as advanced instructional models, for efficiency and convenience for both the student and the instructor. Technology-based learning requires installation of technology hardware and the presence of teachers or instructors to convert technology into an educational tool (Conole, 2013). Interaction with learning materials, exploration of phenomena, and variable manipulation helps the students to acquire real-time and hands-on experiences, which is necessary for inductive reasoning and problem solving (Hinrichs& Wankel, 2011). However, inquiry-based learning denies the teachers and instructors the chance to have real-time feedback that is critical for the practical technology learning process, and hence the integration of a technology in instructional model can easily bridge this gap. The use of advanced mobile technology can be effective in inquiry, especially in interactions and provision of feedback (Crippen & Archambault, 2012). References Apedoe, X. & Reeves, T. (2006) Inquiry-based learning and digital libraries in undergraduate science education. Journal of Science Education and Technology. 15(5), 321-330. Avsec, S. & Kocijancic, S. (2014). The effect of the use of an inquiry-based approach in an open learning middle school hydraulic turbine optimization course, World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education. Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 329-337. Baek, Y. & Whitton, N. (2013). Cases on digital game-based learning: Methods, models, and strategies. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. 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