As an educator in the 21st Century I feel it is imperative that I am aware of the different models of inquiry-based learning. The students I teach today are immersed in new technologies and ways of learning As Parker Palmer (1998) states, 'we must encourage sharing and self-disclosure, so that students grow personally as well as academically.' I have had to move out of my comfort zone to complete this blog. I have travelled through a diverse range of emotions to get to the completed stage. I feel as though I can now relate more to what my students are going through when they are struggling with their learning and how significant the emotions are throughout the learning journey. I am so much more aware of the advantages of following an inquiry-based unit of work after planning this way for the last six months. The students are enaged and actively involved in their learning and each one progresses to a level appropriate for them. I have valued the opportunity to investigate a variety of learning models and feel it can only enhance my teaching.
As we move towards a National Curriculum, we move towards greater emphasis being placed on Inquiry-based Learning. It is both an exciting and daunting move for many educators. Educators need to understand the importance of 'scaffolding' students learning. As stated by Bell, Smetana & Binns (2005), the inquiry scale should include a continuum, in order to ensure students are gradually moving from lower to higher levels of inquiry. This links also to Bloom's Taxonomy. In this way, educators can see this gradual progression in student learning and, in doing so, recognise the need to adapt to the varying learning styles of their students.
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