L&T Blog: Week 6 - Inquiry Based Learning Vs Direct Instruction

Dear WA,

I hope everyone is well! This week I was really interested to see some research from May 2023 into inquiry-based learning and direct instruction. These two styles are important for us to consider at WA in particular. Firstly, because the IB states clearly that they have a preference for inquiry-based learning, and secondly, because there is an ongoing debate about ‘which style is better?’ and this regularly plays out in education circles online, particularly on social media.

Objectives: To understand the existing research landscape about the effectiveness of inquiry-based learning.

Summary: 

• The study is clear that inquiry-based learning is likely to be effective for supporting students to develop their conceptual understanding. 

• The authors show that it is also very impactful in developing what they describe as ‘deep learning processes’ which include metacognitive strategies. 

• The authors also show that contextual factors are really important to determine the likely success of any given instructional approach.

• The authors are clear that having sufficient prior knowledge is essential for the success of inquiry-based learning. 

• They conclude that a curated and deliberate combination of direct instruction and inquiry is likely to have the best and most effective outcomes

How does this impact me and my practice?: Some reflections arising from this that might be helpful to consider are: 

• How do I currently balance inquiry-based methods and direct instruction? What have I found to be effective about this?

• How could I consider the use of inquiry-based for heightening conceptual understanding in particular?

• What questions do I have about this? What support do I need to develop my use of inquiry-based learning?

Please do get in touch if you would like to talk further about this - I’d love to hear from you!