Focus on

INQUIRY-BASED
LEARNING

1. What is it?
When students are curious, their learning becomes more purposeful. Inquiry-based
learning seeks to tap into students’ curiosity by giving them opportunities to engage in
authentic discovery. Students ask their own questions about a topic that interests them,
discover the answers, and share their findings with others.
In inquiry-based learning, students are encouraged to take the initiative in how they go
about investigating a topic. In this way, they move from being receivers of information
to becoming active participants in their learning. The teacher still plays an important
role by providing varying degrees of support and guidance appropriate to the needs of
their students.
Students can be guided through the initial stages of inquiry. For example, if the class
is studying a unit on creativity in their coursebook, the teacher could begin by asking
students to reflect on what creativity means to them, how people express creativity,
and which artists they admire. Students then formulate their own questions about
the topic, based on what they would like to find out. The questions should be broad
and open-ended to allow for exploration, discussion, and critical thinking. On the
topic of creativity, for example, the questions might include Where do artists get their
inspiration from? or How do you become an artist?
If the students’ questions are not answered in the course of the lesson or unit, this is a
perfect opportunity for further research, either in class or at home.
While the focus of inquiry-based learning is the process of inquiry, with the teacher’s
support and guidance, it also provides opportunities for students to learn new grammar
and vocabulary and to develop skills and strategies for reading, writing, listening, and
speaking.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Davies is a teacher trainer, writer, editor, and educational consultant
specializing in young language learners. She is based in Poland and has worked in
Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

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INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING

2. What does it mean for the ELT classroom? 3. What are the challenges?
Learner engagement Asking appropriate questions
Inquiry-based learning can make lessons more dynamic and Some students may lack confidence when asked to set their own
motivating. Students are able to explore areas of a topic questions for investigation and discovery, especially if they are
that interest them personally. This can help to increase their not accustomed to doing this. Initially, the questions they ask
motivation and enthusiasm, which can have a positive impact may not lend themselves to this approach, particularly if they are
on learning. Students have real reasons to use the language closed rather than open questions. For example, the question
and, with guidance from the teacher, are able to use the target Should formal exams be banned? could potentially generate
language and vocabulary more naturally. fewer ideas than What might happen if formal exams were
banned? Teachers can support students by providing examples
Independent learning
of relevant questions, gradually allowing them more freedom to
Inquiry-based learning can help students become more
think of their own questions and helping them to formulate the
autonomous learners. With the teacher’s support, each student
questions until they understand how to go about it themselves.
has more opportunities to make decisions about what they
focus on and how they work. Over time, students become more Finding answers
aware of where their strengths lie and where they could develop Teachers may be concerned that their course materials or
and improve. This, in turn, can help to improve their self-esteem lessons will not provide the answers to the questions students
and confidence. ask. Encourage students to use their prior knowledge to begin
answering some of the questions and guide them on the best
Developing a growth mindset
ways to find the answers they are looking for.
Mindsets are an individual’s beliefs about the extent to which
intelligence, talent, and ability are seen as rigid and unchanging Unexpected language
(a fixed mindset) or as open to development (a growth mindset). When students have the freedom to explore a topic from
A fixed mindset may impede learning, whereas a growth different angles, they may encounter or need to use grammar
mindset can provide the basis for a positive attitude towards and vocabulary that has not yet been introduced, or they may
learning and lead to more successful learning outcomes. A need subject-specific vocabulary they do not know. While it
growth mindset can help students face challenges and setbacks is important for the teacher to prepare lessons carefully and
and learn from their mistakes because they believe they can introduce key grammar and vocabulary that will benefit all
improve through their own efforts. Inquiry-based learning, learners, it will not be possible to predict everything that comes
with its focus on the process of discovery and on independent up. Teachers can deal with this by encouraging students to help
learning, can help students develop a mindset oriented towards themselves by using a dictionary and other reference materials,
growth. and by guiding them on the words which are most useful and
worth remembering.
Skills for the future
Inquiry-based learning can help to equip students for future
education and employment opportunities in an interconnected,
globalized world and to learn the skills that are crucial for
lifelong learning and success in the wider community.
During the process of formulating questions for inquiry, carrying
out research, and evaluating information, students will learn
ways of thinking and working which require a range of global
skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-
making, and digital literacies.
Inquiry-based learning can also foster skills of communication
and collaboration. Students are encouraged to work together,
which provides opportunities to exchange ideas, share
understanding, and work towards a common goal. To do this,
students need to be able to communicate clearly and work
effectively in groups.

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INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING

3 Communication
4. How can this be implemented? A key principle of inquiry-based learning is that students work
Stages of inquiry-based learning and learn together. For example, they will need to listen to each
other, take turns, ask for clarification, share new information,
1 Engagement
and summarize and present their findings in an engaging way.
The teacher introduces the topic in an interesting and appealing
way to spark students’ curiosity. Students reflect on the topic or ■ Discuss and establish rules for pair and group work such as
theme, thinking about what they know and what they would like ‘Give everyone the chance to speak’ and ‘Respect everyone’s
to discover. opinion’. Provide useful language for facilitating this.
■ Use K-W-L charts (I know, I wonder, I learned) to help ■ Model good communication strategies wherever possible,
facilitate reflection and give students a tangible way to record for example by being a good listener yourself or making eye
their thinking. contact with students when they speak to you.
■ Provide as much support as students need to help them ■ Help students to allocate roles in group work, such as
formulate their questions, for example by giving them a list of facilitator, presenter/reporter, or record keeper, by asking
questions to choose from or adapt. them to reflect on what different roles entail, and why they
might be suited to different tasks. Students can also try out
■ If you are just starting out with inquiry-based learning or have
different roles in the group.
a large class, you could ask students to suggest a number of
questions they would be interested in exploring as a class, ■ Set specific tasks to help students develop communicative
rather than having each student work on a separate question. and linguistic competence. For example, the task ‘Tell
Write the questions on the board and get the class to vote on each other what you discovered’ could result in a situation
one question they would like to explore together. where each student delivers a monologue and there is little
engagement with other students. Instead, the task could be:
2 Exploration ‘Share your findings and rank the information in the order
After deciding on the question(s), students set about finding you think is most important/interesting.’ This will encourage
the answers. During lessons, provide regular opportunities for students to develop a better understanding of the content
them to revisit their question(s). Doing this will help them to and the language they need to discuss it.
continually build and expand on their answers. This stage works
best when students work collaboratively. 4 Reflection
Encourage students to reflect on what they have learned, how
■ Encourage students to use a range of resources, including
their opinions may have changed, and how they can further
the school library, a parent or sibling, or by doing an online
develop their knowledge and skills in the future. For example,
search, with appropriate guidance.
they can reflect on the new subject-related information
■ When using the internet to explore, identify relevant they have acquired, the grammar and vocabulary they have
webpages that are both age and level appropriate and ask encountered, or the skills and strategies they have used, such
students to use only the approved websites. WebQuests as ways to present information or how to carry out an online
(inquiry-oriented lessons in which most or all of the search.
information is found on the internet) work well as students
only engage with sites that have been approved by the ■ Help students to reflect by giving them questions to
teacher. Make sure you follow your school’s online safety consider, for example: What went well? What could you have
policy. done differently? What are the three most interesting things
you have learned?
■ Expand students’ digital literacies and critical thinking skills
by teaching strategies for engaging with online content,
such as checking facts found on a website and evaluating the
writer’s intention.

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INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING

5. Over to you 6. Further reading

Inquiry-based learning can help students become more What is Inquiry-Based Learning and How Does it Help
engaged and independent learners. It can help them develop Children Prepare for the Real World?
critical thinking skills. It also encourages them to make use of a http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-inquiry-based-
wide range of resources alongside their coursebooks in order learning-and-how-does-it-help-prepare-children-for-the-real-
to explore and understand the world around them, seeking world-115299
answers to questions which interest them. The teacher plays an
important role in creating the kind of safe, supportive classroom OUP ELT Global Blog: Inquiry-Based Learning: 4 Essential
environment that will encourage students to participate in the Principles for the ELT Classroom
activities and discussions, and in guiding them to develop key https://oupeltglobalblog.com/tag/inquiry-based-learning/
skills and strategies. Inquiry-based learning can help to foster Resources and Downloads to Facilitate Inquiry-Based
a culture of curiosity and collaboration in the classroom and Learning
provide opportunities for students to use English with a real https://www.edutopia.org/article/inquiry-based-learning-
sense of purpose. resources-downloads

WebQuests
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/webquests

Talking points

How could you use inquiry-based learning to support

English language learning with your students?
What elements of inquiry-based learning do you already
use in your classroom?
What positive impact do you think inquiry-based
learning would have on your students?
What challenges might you face in implementing
inquiry-based learning with your students? How could
you overcome these challenges?
How could you support your students as they formulate
questions for inquiry?
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Acknowledgements
The publisher would like to thank the following for permission to reproduce photographs:
123rf (Cathy Yeulet); Getty Images (Hero Images); Shutterstock (Tanor).

© Oxford University Press www.oup.com/elt/expert 4