Inquiry Based Learning 
Overall Theory
student centred
teachers and students share responsibility for learning
thinking to make meaning
Learning Journey: teacher driven to student centred
construct your own understanding and knowledge of the world through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences
teacher acts as facilitator of learning, not provider of information
3 levels of inquiry
structured
guided
open
Four Stages of Inquiry
1 - exploring
2 - investigating
3 - processing
4 - creating
begin the project, develop deep questions around the topic
design a plan, find sources, decide on a focus
analyze information, evaluate ideas, organize and synthesize findings
make and present the final product, assessing product and process
Importance of Student Questions
student questions lead to, and often exceed, overall curriculum expectations
spontaneous student questions - when they reflect genuine curiosity - can be a powerful place to start an inquiry
Deep Learning / Collaboration / Process
take part in the learning process from start to finish, they experience a sense of agency and responsibility for their learning, an approach
that lends itself to greater student engagement and intrinsic motivation
students must find the questions or problems intellectually stimulating
Sometimes inquiry begins with a shared experience that elicits student curiosity and helps establish a
common starting place of wonder for all class members