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INQUIRY-BASED INSTRUCTION

 

spiral of handsart by emilio gomariz

An important outcome of inquiry should be useful knowledge about the natural and human-designed worlds. How are these worlds organized? How do they change? How do they interrelate? How do we communicate about, within, and across these worlds?

 


Inquiry-based education derives from John Dewey’s philosophy that education begins with the curiosity of the learner who uses a spiral path of inquiry: asking questions, investigating solutions, gathering information, creating new knowledge, discussing discoveries and experiences, and reflecting on new-found knowledge. Each step in this process naturally leads to the next, inspiring new questions, investigations, and opportunities for authentic teachable moments.

Arts educators use the inquiry and creative methods of artists, historians, and critics as models for constructing curriculum. Inquiry-based experiences challenge students to explore, test, and refine creative solutions to artistic problems. In addition, the learning experiences provide students with the tools for reflecting upon and assessing their own and others’ work, and for making connections to life beyond the classroom.

Arts instruction helps students develop knowledge and skills while weaving in opportunities for creativity and independence. The challenge is to achieve a balance between teacher-led instruction and active, self-directed learning. To attain mastery, students cannot be passive consumers of knowledge; they must actively construct and apply what they learn. The collaborative relationship between teacher and learners should be strengthened, whereby the teacher becomes a guide and facilitator for students' own processes of discovery.



CREATIVITY

As skillful educators have found, teaching students to be creative is a deliberate process, much like teaching students to be literate or to be able to solve mathematics problems. It takes more than simply handing out materials. Expert teachers break down the creative process to enable students to identify the problem, gather relevant information, try out solutions, and validate those that are effective.


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Creativity

  


inventor


read more about
Design Thinking
Problem-Based Learning

  


Design thinking is a process combining empathy, creativity, and rationality for solving problems and discovering new opportunities. Unlike critical thinking, which is a process of analysis and is associated with the 'breaking down' of ideas, design thinking is a creative process based around the 'building up' of ideas. There are no judgments in design thinking. This eliminates the fear of failure and encourages maximum input and participation. Wild out-of-the-box ideas are welcome, since these often lead to the most creative solutions. Design thinkers discover patterns where others see complexity and confusion; they synthesize new ideas from seemingly disparate fragments; and they convert problems into opportunities.



The George Lucas Educational Foundation is dedicated to improving the K-12 learning process by documenting, disseminating, and advocating for innovative, replicable, and evidence-based strategies that prepare students to thrive in their future education, careers, and adult lives. The Edutopia website has a variety of articles and vidoes on Project-Based Learning.
Edutopia