2.0 The old trend
Inquiry Based Learning took place in the early years but in inquiry, the ancient educators have presented it in a different way. The earlier educators apply the traditional method. Ontario (2013) stated that ‘the process involves close-ended investigation’. It is believed that teachers who use close-ended questions usually give the outcome for students to achieve about. For instances, if the teacher is to conduct a survey on students, the teacher will give out the students questions also the answer to the students. Students’ are to amass the survey and get the uniform answer as the teachers. That trend used to happen those days in my school personally.
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For example, the old trend enables students to gain the answer needed but this answer disables students to explore on the different results which may occur during the process of finding out. Hence, students will be immobile and their thinking skills are underfed. The Education Broadcasting Corporation added by saying that ‘traditional classrooms tend to be closed systems where information is filtered through layers to students’ (2004: 1a). It is defiantly true that, the traditional classroom is given the students an answer whereby students will not utter a second question of their curiosity to the teacher.
Students who intend to explore are commonly driven to close their exploration. Very sadly, the traditional ways of teaching discourage the process of inquiry. It makes the students get less prone to asking questions as they move through their grade levels. In addition, they are expected to just listen and repeat the expected answers. Fagan et al reinforced that ‘traditional learning focuses more on learning about things, while inquiry learning focuses more on learning things’ (2007). Being a traditional student, the experienced gained during school only allowed to master the understanding rather than experiencing it. Fagan et al comments that ‘traditional approach happens in which students are passive recipients of knowledge and little interaction, individual work’ (2007: a). Consequently, students who have been following along with the traditional method had always been backwards with group activities or in other words lack of teamwork and have poorly developed social skills.
Although students do not get themselves involved with group work, posting a question to the teacher may be a process of inquiry. This is a teacher-centered method whereby students will confidently post question to the teacher and the teacher answers without discussing with other member of the class (Cosio, 2004). This is due to the lack of understanding of Inquiry-Based Learning. Inquiry Based Learning is not just about asking questions, but it is a way of converting data and information into useful knowledge. A useful application of inquiry-based learning involves many different factors, which are, a different level of questions, a focus for questions, a framework for questions, and a context for questions (Silber, 2014). Schmidt shares her viewpoint on how inquiry takes place she claims that ‘students are involved in daily conversation around what they think they need to do’ (2014). For that reason, all the question and answers will be a part of student’s conversation. The teacher will only pop into the conversation as a facilitator went its necessary (McGraw Hill, 2005). It is presumed that, the teachers who follow the traditional method of teacher will not group students and discuss along with students’ regarding a topic nevertheless he or she will gather all the students’ and devise the points.
Teachers are the role model in encouraging this Inquiry Based...
