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Inquiry teaching (Collins & Stevens, 1983; Collins, 1987) is a cognitive educational theory as
well as a teaching practice. Unlike other theories, it was first developed inductively by studying
transcripts and analyzing the strategies employed by a number of teachers in different domains. The
studies disclosed that all those expert teachers made use of some sort of inquiry, discovery, or
Socratic approach to teaching.
Advantages:
The implementation of inquiry teaching benefits second language instruction in all aspects. It
not only serves the purpose of increasing the opportunity of participation and maintaining students’
attention, it is an instrument to initiate and sustain the instructional interaction. Through
questioning, the teacher is able to probe into the pattern of errors made by students and their levels
of comprehension as well as to make judgment and assessment on the learning outcomes. It is also
anticipated that the inquiry-based teaching approach strengthens both students’ linguistic and
communicative competence. Following in the spirit of CLT and TBI, the ideal condition is to integrate
various types of questions into a meaningful context in a natural sequence.
Disadvantages:
Virtually every language pedagogue undertakes inquiry teaching to a certain extent in some
form, but what and how to ask is of concern. It is not uncommon that many teachers experience
difficulties in motivating students to enthusiastically participate or in sustaining the duration of
meaningful interaction. Needless to say, teachers feel frustrated as their teaching practice fails to
elicit the desired output. This predicament may be attributed to inadequate preparation on
students’ part, mismatch between questions and learners’ proficiency level, or the dullness of
questions that are ineffective in eliciting prolific responses or critical thinking. Students may get
bored when questions are not challenging, are beyond their capability, or are not personally
associated. There is no doubt that the effectiveness of the inquiry skill and the appropriate choice of
questions directly impact the quality of teaching and achievement of learning.
Lee, Hong-Yi. 2014. "Inquiry-based Teaching in Second and Foreign Language Pedagogy." Journal of
Language Teaching and Research (ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland) 5 (6):
1236-1244. doi:10.4304/jltr.5.6.1236-1244.
To acquire language, learning through inquiry has emerged as a means that allows for
smoother and more effective communication. Teaching language through inquiry is becoming more
prevalent. More specifically, teaching English as a second language, language or literature, using
inquiry based method facilitates the learners’ ability of acquiring the new language. To carry out this
ongoing research, data have been collected from language and literature tests that learners sat for
after having followed strategies that incorporate inquiry-based techniques. The study revealed that
using Inquiry-based model as means of instruction improved the learners’ achievement and results.
Learners enjoyed their lessons and performing their complex and demanding projects. IBM should
therefore be adopted as the method of teaching in all English literature and language classes
2. Theory related to the topic
Inquiry experiences can provide valuable opportunities for students to improve their
understanding of both language content and scientific practices. Students would collaborate to
create new knowledge while learning simultaneously how to “think critically and creatively through
inquiry, reflection, exploration, experimentation, and trier and error” (Alberta Education, 2010, p.
19). However, the implementation of inquiry learning in classrooms presents a number of significant
challenges. Some schools have been exploring these challenges through a program of research on
the use of scientific visualization technologies as well as inquiry based classrooms to support inquiry
based learning in different subjects (Alberta Education, 2010). All this leads to the realization that
the processes of metacognition become a major piece of the puzzle of education, where students
learn how to learn and evaluate their process and results. As in real life, they will be working with
challenges and questions that do not have a definite or easy answer, forcing them to develop and
modify a procedure for their search for explanations and solutions for their problem. The
development of these types of skills will assist students in dealing with problems in everyday life and
prepare them for lifelong learning, further studies, and the future world outside of school.
The study investigated the efficiency of IBM in improving learners’ performance in English
language and literature classes. The tests have been designed by the teachers and were carried out
during the scholastic year to assess the learners’ acquisition of material. The participants are the
learners of Grades 10- levels 1 and 5 in the school where the researchers teach. To collect data,
summative tests in literature and writing were administered for terms 1 and 2. The tests’ content
covered the literature and writing units completed in class. Moreover, designed and structured
projects were also included. The summative tests took place in both terms 1 and 2. As for the
projects grades, after each unit, an assignment was scheduled for level 5 learners, thus amounting to
five different projects per term; level 1, on the other hand, had one project per semester. The
researchers hypothesized that the participants’ performances and their critical thinking skills will
improve. The results proved the hypothesis. The researchers recommend that the method be
incorporated in literature classrooms.
Advantages:
Inquiry-based model can assist teachers in preparing their lessons and catering for all their
learners’ diverse needs. Through this model, teachers can prepare their learners for the lesson
through prepared questions that will motivate the learners to ‘inquire’ and ‘seek for the truth’.
Inquiry-based learning (IBL) has the learners’ questions, ideas and reflections at the center of the
learners’ learning experiences. It has the Confucian motto “Tell me and I forget, show me and I
remember, involve me and I understand” at the heart of its procedure. Through inquiry, learners
move away from accumulating data and more toward acquiring useful applicable knowledge (Taylor
& Bilbrey, 2012). This renders learners 21st Century citizens who are critical thinkers and problem
solvers.
Inquiry experiences can provide valuable opportunities for students to improve their
understanding of both language content and scientific practices. Students would collaborate to
create new knowledge while learning simultaneously how to “think critically and creatively through
inquiry, reflection, exploration, experimentation, and trier and error” (Alberta Education, 2010, p.
19).
Disadvantages:
Alameddine, Mira M. , and Hala W. Ahwal. 2016. "Inquiry Based Teaching in Literature Classrooms."
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 232 (Elsevier Ltd) 332 – 337.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.031.