EDIM 513 Initial Thoughts on Inquiry Based Learning (u01a1)
When I first heard the term inquiry-based learning two years ago, my mind immediately went to chaos in the classroom. My apprehension stemmed from my view that inquiry-based learning had to involve every student picking different topics and presenting in a million different ways, all while I “guided” them in the least intrusive way possible. While in an ideal situation this is how inquiry-based learning would look, many of us know that this is not always the case. Coming into this class, I had some background knowledge of inquiry-based learning thanks to my district’s emphasis on the topic in the last two years. Thankfully this has helped transform my view on inquiry-based learning to a more manageable system of front-loading students with direct instruction, which gives them the base knowledge they need to succeed. I have also learned that giving students choice, does not have to be a free for all. A lot of student choice can be controlled by setting parameters that do not change the ...