“Scientists are skeptics. It’s unfortunate that the word ‘skeptic’ has taken on other connotations in the culture involving nihilism and cynicism. Really, in its pure and original meaning, it’s just thoughtful inquiry.”
— Michael Shermer

I believe that approaching learning from a skeptical mindset helps learners adopt a more active role in their educational experience.  Like Mr. Shermer argues, skepticism is much more than simply rejecting or discounting information.  It discourages accepting knowledge at face value, instead urging one to ask thought-provoking questions:  “what is being said?”  “Who is saying it?”  “Does it make sense?”  “Why do they think that, and what led them to that conclusion?”  A skeptical mindset creates opportunities for critical engagement with a topic, be it writing Shakespearean sonnets to proper monkey bar technique and everything in between.

Inquiry, as a process, opens the door to a world beyond learning objectives as an end goal.  It provides a structured framework — an academic sandbox, so to speak — within which students may ask their questions and perhaps discover some answers.  It offers an excellent opportunity for students to “challenge-by-choice”; it empowers students as beginning learners to elaborate more on “I like science” or “art’s not my thing” as their opinion.  Most importantly, the inquiry process communicates to participating students that their interests, preferences, and perspectives matter.