Inquiry in the Everyday

According to the Oxford dictionary, ‘Inquiry’ is defined quite simply as ‘to find out information about something’. In the context of education, it would seem an apt definition as we are after all, in the business of finding out information on various subject areas. The IB programmes, from early years to the Diploma Programme, use Inquiry as the primary mode of instruction. At times, in the world of education, terms which begin as a simple construct, end up becoming complex jargon. However, going back to basics helps us to see inquiry simply as a’ seeking of information’ and thus it becomes a much less lofty term and one that has, quite often, a straightforward, day to day application.

Let’s consider our own personal learning journeys, human beings are endowed with a natural sense of curiosity and it is this quality that encourages us to innately seek out new knowledge , learning and experiences. If we want to find out something new, the first thing we do is to ask someone, read something or in our current digital age ‘Google it’. This same approach is at the heart of inquiry-based learning. In classrooms, students’ curiosity is piqued with videos, images or stories which are considered as cognitive activators. These lead students to ask questions about varied topics and it is these questions that drive inquiry or the ‘seeking of information’.

Let’s look at a simple example: students listen to a story about Canada’s First Nations people and then become curious about how First Nation groups live in such cold weather conditions. Thus begins our journey of inquiry. Students ask questions and then explore books, videos, internet, library databases and conduct interviews and surveys to find out more about First Nations people and their lifestyle. At the conclusion of their inquiry they share the answers to the inquiry questions that they devised – often as a celebration of learning or through a performance-based summative task in senior years.

Believe it or not, much of our everyday lives involve inquiry; if you are a housewife you may inquire into a new dinner menu and find out about new recipes based around a theme such as ‘Mexican Night.’ If you are a car enthusiast, and you are thinking of buying a new car, you would find out about the latest model, consider mileage and safety, look at photos and talk to your friends about it. If you are a family, you may plan your next vacation together and consider new sights and locations that you may not have seen before. Therefore, every new idea we spark, every new activity we try and every new experience we have, takes place through a natural process of inquiry.

If inquiry can come naturally to us, doesn’t it then make sense for us to teach and learn in schools by replicating this same process? That’s certainly what the IB thinks and is the main reason why Inquiry is the main form of teaching and learning that takes place in all IB schools. There is little doubt that Inquiry is the key to becoming lifelong learners, children and adults alike, who will continue to inquire and learn all throughout their lives.

Nilanthi Das
MYP Coordinator & Vice Principal