Inquiry-based learning is learning a concept by asking questions, gathering data, investigating, and reporting what has been learned. I see many challenges and benefits to this type of learning:
1) A teacher does not have to know everything about the subject to be taught.
The teacher and the students learn together.
2) The students work in groups which helps with cooperating and problem solving skills.
3) It allows for creativity.
4) Flexibility is a plus, lessons do not always go as planned.
5) Inquiry learning allows students to use higher order questioning techniques.
In my classroom I have students working in small groups of three. We started with a simple paper airplane. The group must them make one change to the original plane to improve it (make it fly further). In order to do this the group must diagnose the problem with the original plane, then decide together what change would improve the flight. After the second plane has been made and test driven, the group decides on one last change to the plane, it can be a fold or they can add tape or a paper clip. The groups now have made their third plane. I let them decorate it however they like, we then have a fly-off. All the groups fly their paper airplane against the other groups. We then discuss why some planes went further than the others.
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