George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia

Inquiry-Based Learning

Instead of just presenting the facts, use questions, problems, and scenarios to help students learn through their own agency and investigation.

  • Inquiry-Based Projects Feed Student Curiosity

    Giving students free time each week to pursue a passion project can deepen engagement and learning.
    Brooke Markle

  • Inquiry-Based Tasks in Social Studies

    Assignments that are bigger than a lesson and smaller than a unit are a good way to experiment with inquiry-based learning.
    Andrew Miller

  • A Wildlife Investigation for City Kids

    Inquiry-based lessons on animal adaptations guide Chicago third graders to think about the wildlife all around them.
    Sarah Blazer

  • What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning?

    Teachers use inquiry-based learning to combat the “dunno” -- a chronic problem in student engagement. Check out these four steps for creating inquiry-based curriculum.
    Heather Wolpert-Gawron

  • Inquiry-Based Learning: The Power of Asking the Right Questions

    An inquiry-based curriculum requires both planning and flexibility, as well as a teacher knowing the students well enough to anticipate their interests and limits.
    Georgia K. Mathis

  • Project-Based Learning vs. Problem-Based Learning vs. X-BL

    John Larmer of the Buck Institute for Education clears up any confusion on the difference between project-based learning, problem-based learning, and whatever-else-based learning.
    John Larmer

  • Resources and Downloads to Facilitate Inquiry-Based Learning

    Find information, strategies, protocols, and tools to promote curiosity and engage students in asking questions, thinking critically, and solving problems.

  • Project-Based Learning Using Disney Movies

    Popular movies can be an entry point for students to dig deeper into historical studies.
    Sarah Carter

  • Avoiding Learned Helplessness

    Some steps teachers can take to empower students to be self-directed learners.
    Andrew Miller

  • Embracing Inquiry-Based Instruction

    A veteran teacher shares the frustrations and challenges of this student-centered teaching model—and why she finds it so powerful.
    Christi Alper

  • Project-Based Learning Research Review

    What the research says about aspects of project-based learning ranging from implementation to learning outcomes.
    Vanessa Vega

  • Bringing Inquiry-Based Learning Into Your Class

    A four-step approach to using a powerful model that increases student agency in learning.
    Trevor MacKenzie

  • Harnessing Students’ Curiosity to Drive Learning

    The inquiry-based model calls on students to develop questions to investigate and connect to other content.

  • Student-Centered Learning: Building Agency and Engagement

    Peek inside a high school where teachers act as facilitators and students are directors of their own learning.

  • Inquiry and the Research Process

    Tips for ensuring that your students’ research fosters genuine inquiry.
    Beth Holland