Structured Inquiry Guided Inquiry Student Initiated Inquiry
Students follow precise Students develop the Students generate
teacher instructions to procedure to investigate questions about a
complete a a teacher-selected teacher-selected topic
hands-on activity question. and design their own
investigations.
ATL AND an INQUIRY APPROACH
CONSIDER the types of inquiry in the chart below.
. Structured Inquiry: These include affective skills which focus on
producing works for the intended activity. These can include:
Practise focus and concentration
Demonstrate persistence and perseverance
Demonstrate flexibility in the selection and use of learning
strategies
Use appropriate forms of writing for different purposes and
audiences
Structure information in summaries, essays and reports
Exercise leadership and take on a variety of roles within groups
Create novel solutions to authentic problems
Design new machines, media and technologies
Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products or
processes
Create original works and ideas; use existing works and ideas in
new ways
Apply skills and knowledge in unfamiliar situations
Combine knowledge, understanding and skills to create products
or solutions
2. Guided Inquiry: these would include cognitive skills which involve
information processing and retrieval strategies in order to develop the
procedure required. These can include:
Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers
Preview and skim texts to build understanding
Organize and depict information logically
Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products or
processes
Plan short- and long-term assignments; meet deadlines
Keep an organized and logical system of information
files/notebooks
Use appropriate strategies for organizing complex information
Collect and analyse data to identify solutions and make informed
decisions
3. Student Initiated Inquiry: These include meta cognitive skills such as:
Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers
Share ideas with multiple audiences
Negotiate effectively
Plan strategies and take action to achieve personal and
academic goals
Develop new skills, techniques and strategies for effective
learning
Identify strengths and weaknesses of personal learning
strategies (self-assessment)
Collect and analyse data to identify solutions and make informed
decisions
Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based
on their appropriateness to specific tasks
Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products or
processes
Use appropriate strategies for organizing complex information
Analyse complex concepts and projects into their constituent
parts and synthesize them to create new understanding
Which skills are common across the types of inquiry?
Common skills I would say would include those relevant to organizing
information and collecting data. Mostly meta cognitive such as:
Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products or
processes
Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers
Collect and analyse data to identify solutions and make informed
decisions
