The topic I will be working on is inquiry learning. Inquiry-based learning is student-oriented, and teachers will adjust guidance methods at any time based on student feedback. Taking my subtopic as an example, which is how will the spread of AI affect labor demand and supply? How will employment rates and real wages change accordingly? At this time, I will present the labor demand-supply chart to the students, and propose two topics for students to discuss: If AI has wide coverage in future companies, some companies without AI technology will face bankruptcy and close down. So at this time, are the company or the workers affected? In addition, who will be affected if AI causes some unskilled labor to lose jobs? Students can choose a side to discuss the impact of AI on them from the perspective of companies and workers, and they can set up different scenarios to speculate on how the relationship between labor and supply will change. Through the evolution of supply and demand, students will discover that some situations are not happening as they thought. When the students are interested, let the students learn independently and try to move the line on the coordinates to the left and right to understand the changes in the employment rate and actual salary.
Inquiry-based learning needs to be combined with cognitivism, aiming at constructing labor demand and supply models in students’ brains, and skillfully applying them to any possible future situations.
Hi Rosina,
Even though I didn’t choose inquiry-based learning as my approach (I chose experiential learning), I find the similarities very interesting. The focus on encouraging students to take different sides and theorize about the effects of AI provides students with an opportunity to think critically and have a deeper understanding of the topic. Encouraging students to independently learn will allow them to explore different perspectives and overall help their learning. This approach will help instructors facilitate a more comprehensive and engaging learning environment.
Please correct me if I am wrong, I believe the core of inquiry learning is student controlled, and I think that my beliefs align with your post. Your post covers the critical point in inquiry learning which is the need for active learning and critical thinking. After reading your post, I now understand inquiry learning better with the multiple outcomes when utilizing this approach. However, one important point in my eyes that you perhaps looked over is the question-making ability of the students. One of the most important things about critical thinking is asking questions, whether to yourself or others, and that applies no less when in the inquiry-based learning environment, as well as learning in the cognitivism method. I believe that when in the inquiry learning environment, a discussion board should be established to have more student-teacher interactions, and for students to constantly make breakthroughs in their thinking by asking or answering questions posted.
Hi Rosina,
Your description about inquiry learning is quite insightful for me. It is important that teachers inspire students to come up with questions towards the topic they are learning. Considering the possible problems, they can further interpret evidence and design solutions. As we have discussed in the subtitle about AI in labor demand and supply, when teachers prepare some questions for students to brainstorm and discuss, they are actually learning through inquiry in different scenarios. Then they can compare the data by the existed demand-supply chart or construct other possible relations based on the related data. What’s more, you’re right that inquiry learning is in accordance with cognitivism theory. Since this learning approach create connections to students’ prior understandings and use appropriate learning strategies to guide and support accurate mental connections. Besides, I think it is more or less mixed with the constructivism since it also requires students to think and connect the actual situations in our society.
Hi, Rosina
Inquiry learning refers to discovering and solving problems in the process of inquiry. Learn knowledge through inquiry. Like the example Rosina said. She posed some questions to the students. This allows students to think for themselves, as well as giving learning solutions and answers. This can make students more memorable. This is not that students are passively instilling knowledge, but are actively learning.
I think inquiry learning has a certain consistency with our subject. You can learn about AI through exploration, and understand the development and impact of AI in different fields.
Hi Xinrong, this is an impressive post. You provided a brief introduction to what inquiry-based learning is, and you provided tons of examples of how this approach aligns with your subtopic. The samples were so detailed, it looks like you did tons of research before hand, and you know your subtopic well. You also connect the approach with one of the three learning designs together, this is awesome.
Rosina,
As someone who also completed their blog post on inquiry-based learning, I found your comment regarding inquiry-based learning within the context of learning theories very interesting. While I would place inquiry-based learning under the learning theory of constructivism as it “equates learning with creating meaning from experience” via the integration of real-world experiences, it is interesting to note that you believe inquiry-based learning needs to be combined with cognitivism. After reading your blog post, I was inspired to research the features of both cognitivism and constructivism to see where inquiry-based learning resides. Whilst these learning theories overlap quite a bit, “the key difference between constructivism and cognitivism is that constructivism explains that learners use prior knowledge to understand new knowledge, while cognitivism explains that learning takes place through the internal processing of information” (Kumari, 2022, para 1). In my own experiences with inquiry, I have used prior knowledge to help formulate my inquiry question. For example, when completing my inquiry project on brain breaks in terms of sustaining engagement, I utilized my prior knowledge/experience with brain breaks to help drive my inquiry project and construct my questions. Conversely, successful inquiry projects incorporate a certain level of self-reflection; an individual must intrinsically process information in order to go forward in the inquiry process. Furthermore, whilst inquiry-based learning incorporates elements of both learning theories, I believe the root of inquiry-styled learning stems from constructivism.
References
Ertmer, P. A. & Newby, T. (2018). Behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism: comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. In R.E. West (Ed.), Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology. EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/behaviorism_cognitivism_constructivism
Kumari, G. (2022). What is the Difference Between Constructivism and Cognitivism. Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms. https://www.differencebetween.com/what-is-the-difference-between-constructivism-and-cognitivism/#:~:text=The%20key%20difference%20between%20constructivism,the%20internal%20processing%20of%20information.
Hi Xinrong! Thank you for sharing your insights into Inquiry-based learning. This teaching method encourages students to actively participate in their education by asking questions, investigating topics that interest them, and collaborating with others. This approach is efficient for teaching complex or abstract concepts, allowing students to explore these ideas more hands-on and experientially.
It would be helpful if you could discuss tips for teachers who want to try this approach. Are there any challenges?
What resources did you review for this blog?