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About Inquiry

 

About Inquiry

Wisconsin Standards for Science, Social Studies, and Environmental Literacy & Sustainability call for students to engage in inquiry. In the book Inquiry Mindset, the authors share a definition of inquiry as “the dynamic process of being open to wonder and puzzlements and coming to know and understand the world” (MacKenzie, 2018). They define inquiry-based learning as “a process where students are involved in their learning, create essential questions, investigate widely, and then build new understandings, meanings, and knowledge” (MacKenzie, 2018). An inquiry-based approach puts students at the center of the learning process to explore real-world issues and phenomena, rather than the end receiver of information. Through inquiry-based learning, students construct understandings rather than memorize them, share this new knowledge with authentic audiences, and reflect on their learning.