“[A]n educational disadvantage is an unfavourable condition or circumstance that is responsible for educational impairment. Such conditions can be conceived of as either a deficit suffered by the disadvantaged —such as poverty, parental neglect or lack of adequate educational provision — or else as a disparity between the background culture and values that characterize the student’s out-of-school life-world and those of the school.”

– Philip Cam

In this article, Philip Cam argues against Kirschner, Sweller and Clark’s belief against minimally guided education, insisting that the “Community of Inquiry”, which includes inquiry-based learning, can be beneficial in education – more specifically, for those who are disadvantaged (see quote above on the definition of ‘disadvantaged’). His main points cover student engagement (inquiry learning gives students a level of control over their education, hands some of the responsibility to them, which in turn should influences engagement), developing the capacity to think (in inquiry, we link learning with the students ‘real-life’ experiences, their background knowledge, and interests to their education, and in doing so, allow the students a chance to investigate what might be missing in their knowledge base, and expand on their interests – we teach them how to think more deeply on subjects where as before they would have left it at a surface level), and belonging (there is an emphasis on community and collaboration in inquiry, as well as a focus on personal development – for those that are disadvantaged in a way that could affect their ability to work in a team, accept others opinions or have low self-esteem, it’s an opportunity to grow and develop a healthy state of mind).

Cam, P. (2012, February). Educational Disadvantage and the Community of Inquiry. Retrieved from http://fapsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Phil-Cam-Educational-Disadvantage-and-the-Community-of-Inquiry.pdf