Inquiry Based Teaching

Inquiry literally means “inward questioning”. We must first learn ourselves and then learn how to create opportunities for our students to learn the process of inquiry. This isn’t easy as it requires both the teacher and the student to get out of their comfort zone of the known and stretch their “bubbles” (like bubble gum:). Stretching is never easy. Like muscles, we have to be stretched to grow and become stronger. It is important for students to recognize what they know and yet more important for them to recognize what they do not know, for only then can they become fearless in going into the boundaries of the unknown. A safe classroom environment should be nurtured in order for students to own their lack of knowledge. Some students have a hard time owning the fact that they don't know. It should be taught and modeled by the teacher. Good scientists are always looking for the point where what they observe and what they know don’t match up. This is where the questions begin and real inquiry learning happens.