Inquiry-based learning

Inquiry-based learning is a branch from the constructivist philosophy of education. It states that the learning process should and must be directed by the students. Their questions and interest should dictate what there must be taught in the classroom. The reason why they support such theory is that the students are the ones who will benefit from education and knowledge. Students should be encouraged to investigate according to their own instincts and interest. They assure is more effective if a student is learning about something for which the student feel passion and curiosity, rather that to impose concepts that may not be valued by the students, and that at the end, will just serve the purpose of passing a test, without further impact on a student’s life. The fact that students are encouraged to investigate and to propose topics for discussion helps them also to increase their self-esteem and their growth as human beings. Their opinions and feelings are valued and taken into consideration with this philosophy of learning, making education around and for the student, and stimulating the student to really learn. As constructivists did, the inquiry-based learning grounds are the fulfillment of the students’ curiosity through active learning, and the development of skills which help the students to have a practical experience when approaching learning, and real-life problems. Inquiry-based learning philosophers believe that rather than evaluate on how much knowledge a student possess, it is more important to develop individual skills that will help them work better in a group, and when working in singles. The figure of the teacher is not a dictator of concepts and formulas, but a guide, a counselor, and a motivator who will help the students develop themselves as human beings, as individuals, and members of a group. Another way to describe inquiry-based learning would be “open learning”, because the teacher is open to students’ suggestions, and willing to work with them to finally accomplish a goal set by the students.

Constructivist Lesson Plan

A constructivist lesson plan is a guide or written statement in which a teacher explains how a material will be presented to the students, based on a constructivist philosophy. Constructivists believe is important to have hands-on experiences when teaching. They state that students learn by being presented with a situation that needs to be corrected or analyzed. It is also encouraged the participation and involvement of all different students’ views and possible approaches and solutions. Constructivist based their method of teaching, and therefore learning, on the collaboration of different members of a group to reach a common goal. They believe in the importance of solidarity and teamwork to produce a successful learning experience. There are variations inside this current. This method of learning prepares the students to real life situations. Socialization is a must for every human being, and this method spotlight the importance of every member of a group working according to their individual abilities, in order to achieve a satisfactory outcome for the whole group. Students are then encouraged to participate, which reinforces their self-esteem and the importance of cooperation. The constructivists believe this way of learning is more applicable and effective because is not based in memorization. They call attention to the fact that human beings learn better when exposed to a new and challenging experience, rather than just by declaiming facts word by word. They do not take for granted the role of the teacher as an educator, or the significance of stated information. They just believe education should be focused on the development of skills by practicing, and training of individuals to cooperate in a group and sharing of opinions and ideas. In conclusion, constructivists do not denigrate individualization, they encourage the individual to learn in a group setting, so he/she can increase his/her own talent.

Constructivist vs Behaviorist

There are many different philosophical currents that dictate methods of teaching. Some of the most common are the behaviorist and the constructivist view. To truly understand what makes them so different to one another, is necessary to recognize their main characteristics. The behaviorist learning method is composed by eight steps. The first three are no more than the establishment of objectives and main purpose of a lesson to be taught. During the third and fourth step, the teacher will present the material to the students and show them in summary what is expected to be learned, and how. The teacher then will guide the students according to the parameters of the lesson, and on the seventh step they are ready to independently practice what the teacher explained before. The last step is a summary by the teacher, and the mention of possible links to future lessons or assignments. This method is more related to what we call “old school”, meaning that the teacher gives and explore the material, and the students’ participation is directly guided by the teacher, and only seen after the teacher’s input. On the other hand, the constructivist method is divided into five procedures. During the first one, a situation will be presented to the students, and the teacher has already organized his/her materials and approaches. The students are then asked to analyze such situation either individually or in groups. The students have some freedom to explore the material and its possible applications and relations to different fields and lessons. A time for questions is also given, and then the students are encouraged to exhibit for the class what they found more interesting, applicable, or relevant about the situation presented in the first place. The lesson is ended by sharing the different aspects the students had explored, any teacher’s input if needed, and reflections about each student’s point of view and contribution to the development of the lesson. As you can see, the methods are completely different from one another, and yet both have proven to be effective when given the right circumstances and directed to students who will benefit from them. The main difference is that in the constructivist method, the teacher is merely a counselor; the situation is presented and is the responsibility of the students to explore it, look for possible solutions, and share their information. There is much more collaboration between students taught by this method. The behaviorist method is more teacher-centered, and the responsibility to develop the material relies on the teacher.