INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING: PRACTICING LANGUAGE TEACHING THROUGH QUESTIONING

Abstract

The issue of critical thinking and questioning in teaching is not a new term. Different studies and research have implied that student involvement in the learning process, cognition and metacognition along with Bloom’s taxonomy, influence the degree of language learning and acquisition. Student-centered teaching and learning require deep involvement and active participation i.e. students full engagement in the process, interaction and feedback. In student centered learning, the focus is more on the students and less on the teacher and students are required to complete more tasks and partake in activities. They are required to develop the skill of critical thinking and are seen as active participants in the process.  What does the term “inquiry” mean in education and how can teachers implement it in their everyday teaching? Regarding the term inquiry, there are many perspectives. According to Kidman & Casinder (2017) there are three frameworks: (a) the identification of classroom goals; (b) the identification of the instructional approach used in the inquiry to engage the student and (c) determination of the degree of direction from the teacher. In teaching, the role of the teacher in setting goals and implementing them is the basis to overall success.

 The manner of how teachers choose to involve the learners in the lessons normally differs along with their beliefs and theories of teaching. Determining the different tasks and activities and keeping a balance among the materials, students’ needs and the course requirements is an everlasting struggle in teaching. Therefore, providing learners with demanding and interesting tasks and at the same time requiring from them to be self-critical is not an easy process. This paper presents a different aspect of inquiry-based learning, namely a different perspective. It shares the process of both learning a foreign language (as students of ELT) and that of planning for teaching (as pre-service teachers). It further presents the procedure of tasks and events and also the theoretical and practical aspect of inquiry-based learning, along with personal experience and the manner of implementation. Its’ aim is to help teachers reflect on the issue and to present the advantages of the usage of critical thinking in teaching, learning and acquisition. Namely, it intends to clarify the aspect of “choice and method” and to share the different insights, reflections and methodology used. In most cases, it not only helps in decision making, but also helps in establishing an overall active class with all of the important elements of inquiry being present at all times.