What does it mean to be an inquirer?

In the old ways, we were asked to learn by memorizing facts and recite information from the resources given to us at the time. Though this is a type of learning, it's not a kind of learning that encourages critical thinking or synthesis of information and it is absolutely not that type of learning children enjoy or can build self-motivating skills in order to overcome difficulties. In traditional schools nowadays, students learn facts but not how to think independently or use those fact to inquire about the world around them. As a result, they do not learn the joy or value of learning as they would in an IB school.

Students at an IB programme learn inquiry meaning that they will work hard to develop the ability to learn by asking questions and discovering the answers for themselves. Thus, if you're a parent who would like your child to get the full benefit of their international education, it's important to send your child to a school where they will develop into lifelong inquirers of the world that surrounds them.

What Makes An Inquirer?

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With the way the programme is set up, inquirers are students who have developed a natural curiosity. They are constantly looking to know more about the world. They are willing to engage in explorations even outside their comfort zone that will lead to new and exciting discoveries. They will develop to ability to eager questions that will help them answer those inquiries. However, it is important to understand that ALL children are natural inquirers when they are very young, but traditional school environments or the inability to accept the students strengths and points of improvement sometimes re-program children to be students who do not seek learning on their own.

Inquirers do more than just ask questions. They also have the skills to seek answers. They may do research. They may read a book, perform a small experiment, or pull something apart until they have found the answer. They do this because they actively love learning. Their inquiry comes from the natural joy of discovery.

Children who remain inquirers throughout their time in school will go on to become lifelong learners. They have also developed a natural skill that will benefit them their entire life. They make better workers in the workplace and can eventually become leaders.

How Does It Look Like?

In a traditional classroom, students are given assignments and deadlines. They learn through their assignments and complete the projects by the deadlines, which is also an important skill to learn in today's fast-paced ever demanding world and something they will also experience as they move up to MYP and DP programs.

Inquiry-based education is different. Students approach a new subject in school by generating questions about the subject, then they perform research and read materials to discover the answers to those questions.

For example, when learning haiku, instead of memorizing it, students will ponder over questions such as: “What is the meaning the meaning of this image”, “How difficult would it be to create a haiku?” and “Can we find other forms of haiku elsewhere?”

This type of education is effective because it's student-directed. Students explore the topics thoroughly but at their own pace. They also take their research in their own direction, which is both motivating and more engaging.