Inquiry-based learning, like any concept ever, has both advantages and drawbacks.

I think a large part of what makes this learning approach successful or not is whether or not students are given the opportunity to study a topic of their own choosing. By exploring a question or problem that they find interesting helps to maintain motivation and engagement, which, more often than not, results in more in-depth, quality work than a teacher-chosen topic would.

In my experience, if a teacher is going to integrate an inquiry-based project into their curriculum, a level of trust between the teacher and students needs to already exist. Inquiry requires students to be somewhat self-directed and to be confident in their ability to acquire knowledge without direct teacher guidance.

This is definitely not a traditional approach to learning, and similarly, requires teachers to utilize less traditional methods of assessment. With inquiry, right and wrong is less evident than it may be on something such as a multiple-choice test and involves more interactive and thoughtful reflection towards the content found, the student’s efforts, and the processes used to support their learning.

All in all, I really enjoy inquiry-based learning, but it is definitely a method that requires both the student and teacher alike to be engaged and to fully invest themselves in the process.  ✍🏼 ✍🏼