Enquiry is the engine of deep learning

“Inquiry is the engine that drives learning in” project-based learning, which “has the potential to create powerful—and memorable—learning experiences for students” (Krauss & Boss 2013, viii-ix). The topic of this post reflects the title of the first section of a publication by Krauss and Boss (2013, 1-64). They unpack this description in tabular format:

“In project-based learning, students gain important knowledge, skills, and dispositions by investigating open-ended questions to ‘make meaning’ that they transmit in purposeful ways” (Krauss and Boss 2013, 5). 

	Meaning	So
In project-based   learning	The emphasis is on student experience—learning	The teacher does less direct instruction. He or she designs,   prepares, and guides projects and learns alongside students.
students gain important knowledge, skills, and dispositions	Projects are the curriculum—not an add-on—and through them, students   develop important capabilities	The teacher designs toward and assesses growth in all three areas.
by investigating open-ended questions	Questions activate, arousing curiosity and driving students to   inquiry	The right question at the start leads to more questions—ones that   students can investigate.
to ‘make   meaning’	The learning is important, unique, and holds value for the student   and others	Projects elicit high-order thinking: theorizing, investigating, analysing,   creating, and drawing unique conclusions.
that they transmit in purposeful ways	The form the project takes matches the function it’s meant to serve   (inventing, entertaining, persuading, motivating, or inspiring)	A “loose” project structure allows for creative expression, and   transmission of knowledge makes the learning “stick”.

(Krauss and Boss 2013, 6)

Similar to school teachers, unless academics gained substantial experience in the community of practice /occupational-field prior to moving into higher education, and regularly update their experiential frame of reference, it is unlikely that they will be equipped to “guide real-world inquiry into fields that they have never explored” (Krauss & Boss 2013, ix).

Krauss, J. and Boss, S. 2013. Thinking through project-based learning, guiding deeper inquiry. Thousand Oaks, Ca: Corwin (Sage).