Inquiry Based Learning
Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) in the context of the OPEDUCA-concept sees to learning with a mindset in the momentum of interest and focus (where the inquiry is). The student collects, interprets and assimilates data to information, the mind open to gather, place, interpret and get informed. This learning tuned to the person at the specific moment is entirely different from a school-class in which a teacher tries to meet a multitude of mindsets with a single instruction addressing a sole issue. As the term tells, IBL is about learning and should not be regarded a teaching approach. It is not a minimally guided instruction as it requires teachers and educators to guide but not channel students’ learning.
As observed in practice, such requires open questioning by informed educators, critical thinking and a continuous exchange of the learner also with herself. Teachers’ instruction does not rest in the core of the process but is a complementary source. IBL focusses on the conditions and basic ability of the students to formulate good questions, identify and collect appropriate evidence, present results systematically, analyse and interpret these, formulate conclusions and evaluate their value (Lee, 2004).
Although literature mentions that differences in the amount of guidance lead to distinctions between structured inquiry, guided inquiry and open inquiry (Biggers & Forbes, 2012; Chinn & Malhotra, 2002; Kuhn et al., 2000), I argue only open inquiry meets the intention and quality of IBL. This since moreover since ‘structured’ and ‘guided’ variations eventually offer room for teachers to escape to pure instruction.
