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About inquiry....

One of the points of emphasis in the new course relates to inquiry. 

 

Inquiry is a way of learning in which the learner is on an independent and personal journey in which they undertake some or all of the following:

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  • Read, explore and understand

  • Generate new questions 

  • Explore further, research and find answers 

  • Collate, organise the information

  • Draw inferences and conclusions

  • Share/represent their findings

  • Reflect on what they have learned and their own journey in the learning process

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The spelling mnemonic below represents an inquiry framework that we will use.

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Let us unpack this framework further.

I

  • Gain Insights into what you are trying to learn about

  • Read the theory and the background information

  • Look at other research of a similar nature

Q

  • Embark on your Quest for the answers

  • Research

  • Investigate

  • Dive deep

I

  • Draw Inferences and conclusions from your data

  • What does the data tell you?

  • What are the answers to the questions that you set out to investigate?

E

  • Engage with others to discuss your findings at school

  • You could also engage with the wider world on the social media

  • Act to resolve the issue in some way, if possible

  • Reflect on your learning including the learning process,

N

  • Generate New questions on the subject

  • What is it that you want to explore but has not been explored?

U

  • Understand the information you gathered

  • Process and collate the information

  • Look for trends and patterns in your data.

R

  • Represent your findings.

  • Conclude your quest with a presentation of some sort.

  • Get ready to share results.

The process of inquiry is neither linear nor straightforward. In fact, it can be quite messy and difficult to sort into the labels above. However, this framework does indicate the presence of a 'method in the madness'.

 

On the following pages, we will provide some ideas for independent inquiries or investigations to get you started. You will, of course, learn to generate your own questions in due course. The Extended Essay component of the Diploma Programme requires you to design your own inquiry.

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