Brianna M Mitchell

LBS 203 SP14 W

Reflection #4

Stripling, B. (2008). Inquiry: Inquiring minds want to know. School Library Media Actiities
Monthly , XXV (1), 50-52.

INQUIRY: INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW, introduces us to the basis of

constructivism, constructing ideas and meanings from experiences. From these ideas students are
to question and discover. These types of questioning and discovering are mapped out in to each
content area (history, science, mathematics, and language), then tied into their everyday lives.
WHAT IS THE INQUIRY APPROACH?
An inquiry approach is learning by questioning, investigating and making sense of
information gathered, and developing new understandings. This method of learning is student
led. By not giving direct answers the teacher is allowing the student to look at the whole process
rather then just giving a simple short answer to questions. This will give the student a better
understanding of not only the content that is being taught but also about how they see themselves
and how they interact with their peers and society.
WHAT ARE SOME BENEFITS OF AN INQUIRY APPROACH?
Benefits of inquiry include recalling information from previous experiences, problemsolving abilities, planning, analyzing of information, organization, and reflection. It also uses
active discovery to develop different types of thinking in various subject matter. In mathematics,
inquiry thinking is looking at patterns and developing relationships. Science inquiry uses
hypothesis, questions and investigation. History inquiry uses different points of view. While
language inquiry uses interpretation of the evidence. Through all of these subjects students will
be apart of the teaching process, hands-on learning, not just sitting in the desk listening to fact
after fact and taking notes, information literacy.
DO YOU AGREE THAT AN INQUIRY APPROACH WILL, . ENHANCE THE
UNDESTANDING OF CONTENT AND ACQUISITION OF LIFE-LONG LEARNING
SKILLS?

I agree that the inquiry approach will enhance the understanding and develop life long
learners. The inquiry approach allows students to work at their own pace and then come together
to share information versus the traditional way of teaching that teaches everyone all at the same
and have only one correct answer or way of doing things. This allows students to find out things
versus being told and wanting to know more, especially with younger children. This teaches
them skills that go beyond the classroom. By looking at others point of view it allows them to
not only be considerate of others but nonjudgmental of peers. By questioning and investigating,
students learn to look at things more closely and not taking what is given to them as a the only
fact.