Skills needed to participate in inquiry based learning
The main skills that students will acquire during IBL encompasses the ability to ask good questions, persevere with the inquiry process, be systematic & set goals and plan to follow a course of action. These skills will need to be taught, encouraged and developed throughout the inquiry process (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2010).
The skills required for inquiry can be broadly categorised into 4 main groups:
1. Information processing skills
2. Critical and creative thinking skills
3. Communicating skills
4. Reflective and metacognitive skills
(Reynolds, 2012)
These are outlined in more detail below:
Information processing skills
- Researching
- Sorting information into categories
- Grouping and labelling data
- Looking for connections between the data
- Planning how to go about an inquiry
- Using multiple forms of thinking
Critical and creative thinking skills
- Using the 6 thinking hats to explore different aspects of thinking
- Identifying other people's positions
- Evaluating evidence to alternate points of view
- Weighing up opposing arguments
- Reflecting in a structured way
- Presenting a point of view
Communicating skills
- Brainstorming
- Using graphic organisers
- Group work
- Questioning
- Social skills
Reflective and metacognitive skills:
- Building on previous knowledge
- Work and learn independently
- Progression through process
- Looking back at different aspects of learning
- Reflecting on content, skills, social skills and feelings/emotions.
The skills required for inquiry can be broadly categorised into 4 main groups:
1. Information processing skills
2. Critical and creative thinking skills
3. Communicating skills
4. Reflective and metacognitive skills
(Reynolds, 2012)
These are outlined in more detail below:
Information processing skills
- Researching
- Sorting information into categories
- Grouping and labelling data
- Looking for connections between the data
- Planning how to go about an inquiry
- Using multiple forms of thinking
Critical and creative thinking skills
- Using the 6 thinking hats to explore different aspects of thinking
- Identifying other people's positions
- Evaluating evidence to alternate points of view
- Weighing up opposing arguments
- Reflecting in a structured way
- Presenting a point of view
Communicating skills
- Brainstorming
- Using graphic organisers
- Group work
- Questioning
- Social skills
Reflective and metacognitive skills:
- Building on previous knowledge
- Work and learn independently
- Progression through process
- Looking back at different aspects of learning
- Reflecting on content, skills, social skills and feelings/emotions.