How Does Inquiry-Based Learning Benefit the Young Minds
posted on Jan 11, 2022
“Knowing the answers will help you in school. Knowing how to question will help you in life!”– Warren Berger
There has been a lot of discussion about ‘Inquiry-based learning’ of late. It is the learning and teaching method that prioritizes students’ questions, ideas, reasoning and analysis. In other terms, it is an approach where the prime focus is on the inquisitiveness of students. Studies have already revealed that children who carry forth their inquisitive and innovative nature turn out to be better problem solvers and more successful in life. That’s because such kids, instead of following the conventional path to any problem, have the will to come out with out-of-the-box solutions. It is this quality of theirs that help them register huge feats in life.
We, at Gurukul The School, recognized among the top 10 schools in Ghaziabad, always strive to give impetus to the creativity and innovative instinct of our pupils. And some of the best ways to do so include question and answer sessions, case studies, guided research, group projects, research projects, and fieldwork. All in all, it is basically the inquiry-driven learning that helps raise children’s interest in learning. And some of the most important benefits of following such a learning methodology are:
- Warming-up Exercise for Brain
When kids pose questions or queries, it serves as a warm-up exercise for the brain before the actual learning process begins. At Gurukul The School, we try to practice the same in our classrooms the following way. Before we begin a lesson, we play a correlated video and invite students to ask questions individually or in groups associated with the content shown, thus employing the inquiry-based technique for imparting education.
- Ownership of their Education
In contrast to the traditional technique of simple teaching by the teacher and simple compliance by the students, inquiry-based learning has a more holistic and cohesive approach. At Gurukul The School, ranked among the top 10 schools in Ghaziabad, we have seen that when the kids are allowed to put forth a number of open-ended inquiries, they feel a natural sense of responsibility for their work. And they consider the task or the assignment at hand as more meaningful and enduring.
- Developing Research Skills
At times, inquiry-based learning encompasses research carried out by students at individual or group levels, such as individual studies or group-based questionnaires. While learning through these methods, students gain knowledge about the highly vital skill of ‘research,’ which is advantageous in their general life ahead.
- Improved Communication Skills
Inquiry-based learning helps students develop their interpreting, inferring, and explaining skills, which thereby help to boost their communication skills by manifold.
Students understand their academic concepts better when their minds are actively pre-involved in inquiries related to the same. This phase of question-answer acts as a dry-run for the actual curriculum, thus facilitating a more profound understanding of contents. And concepts learnt this way get deeply rooted for life in their minds.
- Collaboration/Cooperation
At Gurukul The School, we put the subject matter into execution by forming collaborative groupings. We believe this strategy allows students to work as well as learn better as teams. Students come up with creative ways to decipher a complex task, simultaneously learning more as a team than they would individually, thus transforming our classrooms into rooms where everyone is a teacher!
It would be wise to summarize that inquiry-based learning holds infinite potential at this juncture where the world is undergoing a major shift due to the ever-rising competition. We would use this opportunity to appeal to our valued parent fraternity, to push for the same among their wards. The students at Gurukul The School, one of the top 10 schools in Ghaziabad, are already reaping the sweet fruits of accomplishment ever since we have implemented inquiry-based learning at our school.
If you, too, feel any constructive variation, we would love to hear about how inquiry-based learning has helped improve your ward’s interest and motivation. We would feel privileged if parents’ involvement at any stage enables taking this success story a notch higher!