Use Inquiry-Based Learning to Stay Curious About What You’re Studying

Teachers use a variety of methods to help students learn and retain material and we can find ways to modify those methods for independent studying, too. A great example of a widely-used pedagogical technique that is useful for studying with on your own is inquiry-based learning.

What is inquiry-based learning?

Inquiry-based learning takes place when you’re posing questions or scenarios that help you grasp the broader applicability of whatever you’re studying. It’s a form of active learning that, per Edutopia, is used by teachers to boost students’ engagement with material. The goal there is to encourage curiosity about a subject by getting a learner to think more deeply about it.

There are four steps to inquiry-based learning:

• Developing questions about the subject and material
• Researching the topic
• Presenting what you’ve learned
• And reflecting on what worked and what didn’t 

If you’re familiar with study methods like SQ3R or KWL, some of that might sound familiar: These techniques require you to skim your material before really studying it, forming questions about what you think the text is about and what you want to get out of it. Inquiry-based learning is a lot like that. You’re studying to find answers to your questions.

How does inquiry-based learning work?

There is a long, intense history behind the formation of this technique for teachers’ use, but what you need to know is that there are four different levels that are based on the amount of inquiry required for a particular topic. Those are:

• Level 1: Confirmation inquiry, where you develop questions you already know the answers to. This is great for reinforcing things you already understand. For instance, if you know the difference between clinical psychology, behavioral neuroscience, clinical neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, and counseling psychology, review by asking yourself what kinds of issues would be handled by a professional in each designation.
• Level 2: Structured inquiry, where you’re provided with an initial question and an explanation for how to solve it. This occurs when you go step-by-step answering a question, like when you watch a YouTube video that demonstrates how to solve a math question. You know the question, which triggers your curiosity, but still need some guidance on answering it for the first time.
• Level 3: Guided inquiry, where you know the problem, but have to figure out how to answer it all on your own. The easiest way to do this is to look to the back of your textbook chapter for review questions, but you can also search online flashcard databases, like Quizlet, for pre-made questions on your subject.
• Level 4: Open inquiry, which is most helpful for studying on your own. You’re responsible not only for answering the questions, but coming up with them. For instance, if you’re studying attitudes toward vaccines in different cultures, you can decide how you want to approach it based on what makes you the most curious. Formulate a question about what you really want to know or think the real issue might be, like, “Does this country have reliable access to affordable healthcare?” or “Is the predominant religion in this region one that opposes certain medical interventions?” Then, set out to find the answers to those questions through your own research.

Whether the questions are asking you to confirm what you know, are provided to you by someone else, or are entirely of your own making, the goal of studying through inquiry is to stay curious and engaged, so you actively seek out answers while you go through your material.