By their very nature, people are inquisitive. Too often students are served subject material where the thinking is already done for them. The goal of education should be to encourage students to inquire naturally on subjects and discover answers to their inquiries on their own. With today’s education practices, they simply have to memorize the facts or the steps and regurgitate it. Many scholars argue that only when people stop “thinking” do they make significant discoveries. What they mean is once people stop following the traditional train of thought that leads them down the same travelled path, and follow a new genuine thought, that is when true discovery and progress is made. In this sense, education is not progressing society forward, but instead, programming it to adhere to the current norms and beliefs of the powers of society. Now this sounds dramatic and like some kind of anarchism, but in theory, I can’t help but agree. By no means am I against the current state of education; I am only reflecting on my teaching and how I think I can better my own practice.
To truly support this philosophy of discovery, students should ultimately be given the autonomy to choose what and how they learn. I am not sure if students can handle the responsibility of complete autonomous learning; that’s a question I will leave for the experts to debate. As far as I’m concerned, I believe that teaching the methods of discovery serve students better for a future of lifelong learning and success. Instead of giving my students full autonomy in their learning, I propose the topics, questions, and subject matter and allow them to explore from there. When time and topics permit, I try to encourage students to take on an inquiry project. Within the confines of curriculum and PLOs, there are ways to practice discovery-based learning (see pedagogies blog for practical examples).
Instead of lecturing and presenting the information to students, allot time for students to question, inquire, and explore the subject matter before diving into methods and content. Students will take ownership in their learning and become more engaged with the material. If time permits, incorporate an inquiry project for students to research and present to the class. Let students learn from themselves and from each other. An important element of this philosophy is to allow students to learn via their strengths. Whenever possible, give options to students so they can individualize their learning to their needs. For assessment, provide multiple options for students to demonstrate their knowledge. Student should be able demonstrate their discovery in a method that best serves their strengths and how they interpret their findings. These methods of teaching would be an example of student-centred learning, a current trend in western education.
A vital part for students to genuinely inquire from their perspective, they need to think and speak from the heart and not fear the conventional thought. In order for students to make this leap, they need to feel safe and comfortable to express themselves in the classroom. Setting up my classroom for all students to feel secure is essential for students to make genuine discoveries in their learning. If safety is not first achieved, students will find and regurgitate traditional ideas and thought, or nothing at all. Trying to work with students to inquire and discover when they feel judgement will seriously impede students from reaching the full potential of their learning.
My professional philosophy is inspired by a lot of scholars, everything from the classic scholars of Jean Piaget, to current scholars Jo Boaler and Carol Dweck. Studying Piaget first introduced me to the theory of inquiry-based learning through his promotion that students learn best by being active and discovering knowledge themselves instead of being served the content by teachers. My research of Piaget branched off to the works of Jo Boaler. Boaler has focused her research towards inquiry-based learning within Mathematics and moves beyond the theory and towards the physiology of the human brain. Latest discoveries support the benefits of inquiry-based learning. When students re forced to think for themselves, their brain physically grows. To make the strongest synapses in your brain, students need to inquire and discover on their own. This usually means that students struggle to understand concepts at first. This teaches students the valuable tool of perseverance. Struggling with understanding is a positive sign that a student is learning and building strong brain pathways. If teachers serve course material in a fashion that tells them how to think, then those pathways are made and can easily be forgotten.
As teachers, it is duty to provide our students with teachings that best serves their interests and future. It can be easy for students to feel the discrimination of thinking and being different and for teachers to give up on student-centred learning and do the learning for them. Teachers need to learn to scaffold and encourage their students to inquire and discover on their own. We need to provide them the tools for them to continue their learning long after their schooling and feel safe doing so. Because of these reasons, regardless of what the latest pedagogy is of the time, it is important to me to promote some form of inquiry-based learning whenever I can.
Follow