How to Spot Student-Centered Inquiry and Why It's Important

It begins with inquiry. At The Winchendon School (TWS), engaged student learning means more than asking “What do you want to learn?” At TWS engaged learning begins with asking “Why?” Inquiry-based learning triggers curiosity. Following that curiosity is the responsibility of the student while guided by the teacher.

What are the characteristics of an engaged learning environment?
  1. An engaged learning environment begins with a clear process.
  2. Students work as collaborators.
  3. An engaged classroom is student driven. Every question and every answer is student-driven, student answered, and student-focused.
  4. Students talk about their learning as they learn
  5. Students use presentation literacy skills to present back what they have learned to their classmates.
How does inquiry-based learning benefit students?
  1. As students follow their curiosity they develop information literacy skills.
  2. Students develop critical thinking skills
  3. Students develop a deeper understanding of the material and retain information longer.

Overall, inquiry-based learning is a characteristic of an engaged learning environment where students learn deeper and wider. At The Winchendon School, both on our day and boarding school campus located in Massachusetts and our Brooklyn, NY campus, our real-world learning approach to academics results in students who are better prepared to transition to college.