As a teacher of ESL, I have used inquiry based learning many times in my efforts to help adult students find information they need for their families, or for employment, or to answer a question they have. Together we have found out many times that teacher and student learn together; it is a discovery based approach - not a traditional teacher as expert model. When working with children, it has been fun to map concepts together, with surprising results for everyone involved; finding connections, sharing background knowledge expands the possibilities as students brainstorm ideas with their classmates and the teacher. Everyone contributes in this approach.
Last semester, as a graduate student, I participated in an ethnographic study of senior citizens who were also first generation immigrants. This was inquiry based, using taped interviews done in the homes of the interviewees, and in one case, a senior center. Although a fellow student and I developed the interview questions, the answers we recorded stimulated further questioning and reflection. The questions evolved and continue, making it an open-ended study.
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That ethnographic study sounds very interesting!
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