Inquiry Based vs Traditional Learning

This post was written because I found a PowerPoint that looks at scientific inquiry in the classroom. The author examines the roles of teachers and students, student participation and involvement, curriculum goals and the differences between Inquiry- based learning and Traditional learning methods. In an traditional science classroom according to the author, the teacher's role is to be a director and the student's role is to be a direction follower. In a contrasting Inquiry based classroom, the teacher is more like a guide and the student is the problem solver. There is a passive sense of student participation, decreased responsibility of student involvement and the curriculum goals are more product oriented in a traditional learning classroom. Conversely, in an inquiry-based class, there is more active student participation, an increase in responsibility of student involvement, and the curriculum goals are more precess oriented. YES, this is definitely putting traditional teaching methods in a negative light. YES this is highlights the positives of inquiry-based teaching methods. Do NOT feel obligated to teach only one way because I think there might need to be a good balance of both in the classroom. BUT there is a reason why inquiry is being so closely studied, because there ARE benefits for student construction of knowledge which is why we teach. It is not for us that we do what we do,  but its for the student's sake. 

My FAVORITE slide from this presentation:

                                                  Common Misconceptions About Inquiry

•  Inquiry equals Hands-on - Hands-On does not necessarily mean inquiry and vice versa
• Inquiry teaches science process, not content - Inquiry uses science processes to teach content
• Inquiry is the sole approach for teaching science - Inquiry is one approach in a balanced science program
• Inquiry is unstructured or chaotic - Inquiry can be noisy but it is productive noise. Inquiry must be carefully planned or it is unproductive.

Look at the photo above. It graphically organizes inquiry based science education and I think it effectively demonstrates what should happen in the science classroom. Notice it does NOT related science education to the scientific method. (More on that later) Inquiry is only ONE approach and used with conjuntion with other teaching methods I think it will really benefit students in constructing knowledge from the ground up. 

" Students will own their knowledge when involved in discovery."




Blog Reference: http://www.asdk12.org/depts/science/ESCARGotWeb/documents/InquirySciencePpt.pdf