Inquiry Overview

What is inquiry?

• Inquiry places students at the heart of learning by empowering them to follow their sense of wonder into new discoveries and insights about the way the world works.

• Inquiry requires active engagement. The learner identifies what he/she already knows, asks intriguing questions about what he/she does not know, investigates the answers, constructs new understandings, and shares those understandings with others. The entire process is permeated with reflection and critical thinking, so that the result of inquiry is not only deep learning about the inquiry question, but also the development of skills for independent learning.

(Source: Library of Congress)

• Inquiry is an iterative, cyclical process. It generally passes through phases that involve critical thinking.
  

Most models that demonstrate the inquiry process are relatively similar, and usually include 4-6 phases. One model that we can look at today, is the inquiry model created by the WSWHE BOCES, known as ‘WISE.’

The WISE model includes four phases:

Wonder – What do I know? What do I want to know?

Investigation – How will I find the information? Is it a good source?

Synthesis – What did I learn? How will I organize and share it?

Expression – Who will be my audience? What did I learn? Do I have more questions? Am I happy with my work?

(Source: WSWHE BOCES)