Overview of Discipline-based Inquiry

Inquiry is simply a systematic investigation into a problem, issue, topic or idea. According to
Discipline-based inquiry, a discipline constitutes a distinctive way of thinking about the
world. Discipline-based inquiry ensures students gain mastery of the major schools of thought,
including science, mathematics, history, etc. (Gardner, 2006). Discipline-based inquiry provides
students with the opportunity to “play the whole game” (Perkins, 2009). The eight
dimensions of the discipline-based inquiry helps to understand it clearly (Galileo Educational
Network. (n.d.). Well-designed inquiries are organized around powerful driving questions that
make clear connections between activities and the underlying conceptual knowledge that one
might hope to foster (Barron et al., 1998). The inquiry should present opportunities to build
21st century skills such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking and the use of
technology. An inquiry topic should have clear boundaries,
address curricular concepts, arouse curiosity in students and people and can be approached in
many ways. It should be engaging and challenging enough. "I wonder" questions are some of
the questions appropriate for inquiry based learning. Teacher should have good subject
knowledge about the topic and have expertise in the field of tasks involved. The inquiry topic is
an umbrella task with many sub tasks or sub activities involved. Students should
understand fundamental concepts of each task and the outcome of one task determines the
next task.
Discipline based inquiry have to follow the Program of study. Whenever designing the inquiry
ensure students have a range of opportunities to acquire and demonstrate understanding, so a
well-designed inquiry should map directly to the outcomes teachers are required to
address. Learning how to use technology effectively the teacher need to think carefully about the
topic of the inquiry and the disciplines it requires, the issues that student investigate in
depth, and the way technology will allow students to think about new ideas in new ways. The
effective use of technology permits students to broaden and deepen their approach to any
topic.
In an inquiry based classroom students have the chance to learn their way around a discipline,
engaging in authentic, intellectual tasks that create new knowledge while mastering key concepts
and ideas central to the discipline. Interdisciplinary studies involve combining disciplines
together in new ways in order to answer a question that cannot be satisfactorily addressed using
the approaches of only one discipline.

Activity:
Area Closed – Contaminated (Sign Board)
What could be the reason for the sign board?
We found this assignment very informative and interesting. Discipline-based
inquiry helps students to become more inquisitive, critical, and
reflective. Presentation on the topic helped us get insight of what Inquiry based learning is and
how it is implemented in class keeping in mind the POS objective. We understood the
importance of technology and interdisciplinary studies while addressing a problem from one
discipline.

Citations
Galileo Educational Network. (n.d.). What Is Inquiry? Retrieved from
http://galileo.org/teachers/designing-learning/articles/what-is-inquiry/

Submitted by,

Bindu Dhiman

Jasbir Guraya

Navneet Chhina