Double Entry Journal #7

 Challenges to Inquiry-Based Learning Approaches

Although evidence shows that inquiry-based learning approaches highly benefit students and teachers, provide richer learning experience, and are in many ways superior to traditional, instructional model approaches, there are some challenges to implementing Inquiry based learning. One difficulty is just how much must be changed to switch from an instructional model to an inquiry based model of learning. Curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices must be changed at the same time; a major reconstruction that takes a lot of work. Not only that, most of these changes will be new to students, teachers, parents, and administrators and potentially uncomfortable at first. Some may resist the change because they are not familiar with it or aware of the learning gains students will reap in the long run. In my experience, most people don’t like change, or any deviation from the norm or what is the accepted way of doing things.  Students who have been successful in traditional learning appoaches may resist a new way of learning. I know parents especially will be prone to be suspicious of and reject a radically different way of teaching, since it is their own child’s education in question.

Citation

Barron, B., & Darling-Hammond,, L. (2008). Teaching for meaningful learning. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching