#2 Reflections on inquiry based learning

Photo by Azim Khan Ronnie on Unsplash

I was born and raised in China, and I grew up in a competitive education system based on grades and exams, where there was limited space for inquiry-based learning. Our learning was mostly about learning what the teacher taught us, without much process of exploration. We were expected to memorize knowledge and master math skills to achieve good grades. The sad part is that learners’ curiosity was not encouraged. Without exploration and genuine interest in the learning content, learners cannot develop their creativity and love of learning.

The movie Most Likely to Succeed shows a different way of teaching through project-based learning, which is one example of inquiry-based learning. Project-based learning gives learners the space and freedom to work on something they are interested in, which motivates them to fully engage in and dedicate themselves to their learning. At the same time, learners learn how to collaborate with their teammates and teachers to work on a project together. It definitely inspires creativity and communication skills. With the rapid development of technology like AI, creativity and human skills such as communication are becoming more and more important. I think inquiry-based learning can actually help learners discover their uniqueness, explore their creativity, and free their imagination. These qualities are becoming more valuable in an era when AI is going to take over a lot of jobs.