What does inquiry MEAN?
Inquiry (noun): “an act of asking for information”
“an official investigation”
We often sit back and think about the endless possibilities on extending children’s development through their learning experiences. How do we make learning meaningful?
Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari (2015) suggests that learning through inquiry allows children to be able to think for themselves through decision making, develop areas of expertise and achieve a lifelong learning outcome. Children make meaning from their experiences and learn the “how” and “why” things work the way they do. Learning through inquiry is not about achieving the ‘right’ answers. It is about the fundamental concepts that children build upon engaging in this form of pedagogy, through experimenting, investigating, exploring and searching.
The Early Years Learning Framework (2009) states:
“A supportive active learning environment encourages children’s engagement in learning which can be recognised as deep concentration and complete focus on what captures their interests”
…show more content…
Learning through inquiry naturally forces children to ‘enquire’, involving a series of questions then seeking for answers. This method creates a more stimulating, meaningful learning experience where children feel in control of their learning style.
Based on the theory of ‘Zone of Proximal Development’ by Vygotsky (1978), he suggests that higher-order thinking and learning is achieved through immersing the learner with adult guidance or with highly capable learning peers. This effect naturally ‘boosts’ the learner to achieve tasks provided. Closely linked to this theory would be a familiar concept, ‘scaffolding’ by Jean Piaget. Learning through inquiry promotes an ‘inquiry community’ where the learner learns from others through active and ongoing social