Inquiry-Based Learning

High school teachers can promote active learning by strategically replacing some direct instruction with questions that produce thoughtful conversations.

New elementary science teachers can build student engagement and enhance learning by using the explore-before-explain approach.

An inquiry-focused method gives students a way to connect scientific ideas to their experiences and apply their learning.

It’s not either/or: Rather than choosing direct instruction or inquiry-based learning, educators strategically use both methods.

With shared emphases on inquiry, student voice, and choice, PBL and International Baccalaureate methods can combine to facilitate meaningful learning.

Middle school science teachers can have students explore the natural world, strengthening their scientific habits of mind.

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

Math teachers can use short activities based on student goals related to equity in order to make classes feel more inclusive and accessible.

Teaching academically honest research skills helps first graders learn how to collect, organize, and interpret information.

Asking students to examine their own possessions from the perspective of a historian in the future helps them sharpens their analytical skills.

When students approach a field trip with the goal of answering their own questions, they get to be in charge of what they learn

A look at a few ways to incorporate the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals across the curriculum.

When teachers leverage inquiry, students use their critical thinking skills to examine multiple perspectives and find ways to improve our world.

Prominent scholars say that to drive deeper learning, students need to become accustomed to confusion—and develop the persistence to find their own answers.

By leaving space in their lessons for authentic curiosity to take hold, teachers can enable deeper learning.