If you’re a proud parent of a young child, you’ll undoubtedly be bombarded with endless questions throughout the day. From why the sky is blue to why ants walk in a straight line—the questions can be diverse and unusual at the same time. While it may seem annoying initially, bear in mind that it is your child’s way to learn new things out of curiosity. At Excelsior American School, ranked among the Top Cambridge Schools in Gurugram, we believe every school must leverage this curiosity to open doors for deeper learning for young minds. This is where inquiry-based learning comes into the picture.
We firmly believe in this learning approach because it encourages children to explore, question, and discover answers instead of simply giving them answers for memorization. You can think of inquiry-based learning as teaching your kids how to fish instead of giving them one.
So, whenever your kids turn to you for questions like ‘Why does ice pop melt faster in the sun than in the shade,’ refrain from giving direct answers. Instead, ask them, ‘What do you think happens?’ You can also help them set up a simple experiment to find out the ‘why.’ When kids begin learning using this approach, they become self-sufficient and don’t rely on external sources to learn something new, making them the best lifelong learners. However, learning doesn’t end here; the benefits of this approach are seemingly endless for young minds. This is the reason why we at Excelsior American School preferred to follow the Cambridge Primary Program for Grades 1 to 5 because it uses inquiry-based learning and helps our pupils in the following ways:
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Sharpens Critical Thinking Abilities
Learning through an inquiry-based approach isn’t just about finding solutions but developing life skills that will benefit the kids for the rest of their lives.
Let’s understand this using a simple example of kids playing with building blocks. Traditionally, adults show them how to build a block tower. However, when following inquiry-based learning, adults let them experiment. For instance, when their first block tower falls, let kids ask themselves questions like ‘Why did it fall?’ ‘What if I put the bigger blocks at the bottom?’ ‘How can I make a better block tower?’ Asking such questions in a row enables young minds to identify problems, analyze and test situations, draw conclusions, etc. Once kids develop these skills, they’ll eventually extend beyond block building.
We at Excelsior American School believe this is the best way to let young minds learn how to approach challenges systematically, consider multiple solutions, and understand the cause-and-effect principles.
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Builds Confidence and Independence
Nothing can stop a child with high confidence and independence from thriving in life. While there are numerous ways to instill confidence and independence in kids, nothing beats inquiry-based learning. When young minds use this approach to figure out something independently, their self-confidence increases.
Repeated success in finding solutions independently helps children discover their ability to find answers, making them irreplaceable in every area of their life. At Excelsior American School, we hone this skill under our Cambridge Primary Program, by giving young students all the necessary support and resources to find answers independently.
Besides trained teachers, we also have three lab setups for math, cultural, and language development of our students with a wide range of specially designed materials. It helps our young students develop the habit of going the extra mile while researching solutions to their problems, enhancing their confidence and independence.
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Creates Deeper Understanding
In our years of experience in the education niche, we have seen that children become better at learning anything when they are made to explore concepts through their own investigation and experience. The learning acquired through this approach sticks longer than memorized facts.
For instance, when teaching your kids about weather patterns, reading a book can help them acquire facts. However, encouraging them to keep a weather journal where they observe, question, and predict changes can instill better weather understanding. This approach works better than traditional learning methods because it engages multiple senses and connects new information to real experiences. So, kids who follow inquiry-based learning don’t just know things; they understand how and why things work the way they do.
Such clarity not only gives them a clear understanding of a subject but also gives them an unbeatable edge over others. It also lays a strong foundation for future learning, where each new piece of knowledge builds meaningfully on previous discoveries.
Conclusion
The greatest gift parents and educational institutes can give young kids is the ability to think deeply, learn independently, and maintain their natural curiosity. It is one of the reasons why we at Excelsior American School, one of the Top Cambridge Schools in Gurugram, recommend inquiry-based learning over conventional learning methods, as it helps fulfill all three goals. Inquiry-based learning isn’t just another educational trend or buzzword, but a powerful approach that helps children develop the life skills needed to succeed academically and beyond. So, while enrolling young minds in schools like ours where inquiry-based learning is followed is the best way to prime kids for success, we would also like to urge parents to try and make independent efforts to nurture your kids’ curiosity.
