25 Inquiry-Based Learning Questions to Guide and Scaffold Student-Led Exploration

Inquiry-based learning questions are the heart of a classroom that thrives on curiosity, critical thinking, and student engagement. What does that look like in action? Let's take a look!

As educators, understanding how to effectively guide students from teacher-led inquiry to fully student-driven exploration is essential in fostering deep, meaningful learning.
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In this post, we'll explore what inquiry-based learning is, examine the spectrum from structured to open inquiry, and provide practical strategies for scaffolding this process.

Whether you're new to inquiry-based learning or looking to refine your approach, this post and the inquiry-based learning questions offered to use as a guide will help you create an environment where students take ownership of their learning experiences.

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What is Inquiry-Based Learning?

Inquiry-based learning is a student-centered approach that encourages learning through exploration and discovery rather than passive delivery of content on a platter. Instead of receiving "correct answers" directly from the teacher, students are empowered to ask questions, observe, investigate, and explore the world around them to uncover knowledge on their own.

What is the Inquiry Spectrum?

Inquiry-based learning exists on a spectrum from teacher-directed (closed inquiry) to entirely student-directed (open inquiry).
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If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know which end of the spectrum I try to stick to. If you're new here, I believe student-directed, open inquiry is where it's at!

Closed inquiry limits the extent to which students ask and investigate their own inquiry-based learning questions. 

An example of teacher-centered, closed inquiry is a recipe-based science lab where students follow a set of prepared instructions, leading to predictable and uniform outcomes. While students are engaged in an investigation, it's not driven by their own curiosity or the inquiry questions they developed on their own. 

In contrast, student-directed, open inquiry allows learners the freedom to make decisions about the questions they want to explore and how they choose to explore those questions.

Returning to the science lab example, students take the lead by asking their own questions and designing their own experiments, rather than following a pre-designed procedure.

Teacher-guided, or mixed inquiry, falls in the middle of the spectrum. Here, students are granted some personal freedom in choosing the questions they want to explore and deciding how they will seek answers. This approach allows them to develop their own understanding of the content while still receiving guidance from the teacher.

For instance, in my science classroom, I often incorporate experimental inquiry. I might ask students to design and conduct an experiment related to solar energy.

​I would establish the theme and provide a range of materials for them to use, but the students would be responsible for asking their own testable questions, making predictions, and designing their experiments within the framework of the given theme and materials. This approach is an example of guided inquiry.

Inquiry-based learning extends far beyond science classrooms and experiments. It can be applied to any learning activity, whether it's project-based learning, close reading, STEM, or various other learning experiences.

The key is to provide students with the autonomy to get curious and lead their own discovery and exploration. 

In my opinion, closed inquiry should be the starting point. It's an okay place for beginners, but in time, learners should gain the confidence and skills to direct their own inquiry learning experiences; to ask their own inquiry-based learning questions and come to their own conclusions.

When inquiry is open and the experience is student-led, learners gain content knowledge in addition to a hefty portfolio of skills essential for life in the 21st-century. 

What is the Educator's Role in Open Inquiry?

The role of the educator changes in open inquiry (or anything child-led for that matter), from director of learning to facilitator of learning.

You have an important job, which is to scaffold and guide the inquiry process.

Use the inquiry-based learning questions below to guide your students through the inquiry process. These questions aim to spark curiosity, encourage them to ask personally meaningful questions, re-examine their assumptions, and draw their own conclusions from direct, inquiry-based experiences.

Inquiry-Based Learning Questions to Guide and Scaffold Student-Led Exploration:

1. How could you find out?
2. Who would know the answer to this question?
3. Is this source credible? How do you know?
4. What do you already know about this topic, question, idea, etc.?
5. What have you observed? 
6. What have you experienced?
7. Are there other ways to look at this? 
8. How might others view this?
9. What do you think will happen if you do that?
10. What would happen if you did this instead?
11. What evidence supports your idea or hypothesis?
12. How can you test your thinking or thoughts about this?
13. What patterns or trends do you notice?
14. What new questions have emerged from your research?
15. How can you apply what you've learned to a real-world situation?
16. How might you overcome this challenge you're facing?
17. How does this connect to other things you know or have learned?
18. What assumptions are you making? How can you validate them?
19. How can you verify the accuracy of your findings?
20. What are the possible outcomes?
21. What information are you missing, and where can you find it?
22. How can you present your findings in a way that others can understand?
23. What are the potential consequences of this action or decision?
24. What biases might be influencing your thinking, and how can you address them?
25. How can you refine your questions to deepen your understanding?

These inquiry-based learning questions are examples. There are many others you can ask to scaffold the experience. The ultimate goal is to empower students to take ownership of their own quest for knowledge. Respond to their questions with more questions! 

No matter where your learning activities fall on the inquiry-based learning spectrum, the specific questions you ask, or the activity you choose as the foundation for inquiry experiences, the benefits of inquiry-based learning are incredibly powerful.

Students develop essential skills, ignite their curiosity, gain content knowledge in their own way, and experience a sense of autonomy and agency, leading to deeper learning.

Don’t shy away from this amazing teaching approach just because you’re unsure of which inquiry-based learning questions to ask. You can literally print these questions and post them on the wall!

You might not always get it right, but that’s okay. It’s a journey of trial and error for everyone, and the rewards of that process are remarkable.

Share your experiences with inquiry-based learning in the comments! I'd love to hear your take, and maybe even some of the inquiry-based learning questions you like to ask your students in the process that I may have missed.

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