1. Inquiry Based Learning
Study of Religion
Inquiry Based Learning

2. Inquiry Based Learning
An old adage states: "Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand.”
You construct new knowledge as you develop skills and attitudes that permit you to seek resolutions to questions and issues
It avoids the old habit found in schools/universities where students tend to listen and repeat the expected answers.
It’s autonomous learning – able to think for yourself and find the answers you’re looking for.
Maybe even come up with knowledge that no one else has ever discovered. You’re at the forefront of learning!

3. Making sense of our world
How societies and individuals in society constantly generate and transmit knowledge

4. Application of the inquiry
While much thought and research has been spent on the role of inquiry in science education, inquiry learning can be applied to all disciplines.
Individuals need many perspectives for viewing the world. Such views could include artistic, scientific, historic, economic, and other perspectives.
Inquiry learning has certain specific "ground rules" that insure the integrity of the various disciplines and their world views.

5. Been there, done that
SOR focuses on Inquiry in its assessment but it’s what you’ve done lots of times before:
There’s framing the question
Investigating what you’ve decided to focus on
It’s using reasoning (analysing, evaluating, evidence)
Judging comes next. You synthesise material, make decisions and draw conclusions and advocate a position.

7. Benefits
An important outcome of inquiry should be useful knowledge about the natural and human-designed worlds.
How these worlds are:
organised
change
interrelate
And how we communicate about, within, and across these worlds

8. The Elements of Inquiry you’ll have experienced before…
Framing the inquiry:
Working out fact and opinion
Outlining and defining
Observing
Identifying key points of investigation

9. The Elements of Inquiry you’ll have experienced before…
Investigating:
I.D. appropriate resources
Establish validity of sources
Formulate research question & develop ideas for an hypothesis
Gather, organise, select sort, present data and evidence
Investigate & research issues for hypothesis

10. The Elements of Inquiry you’ll have experienced before…
Reasoning:
Speculate about sources (corroborating evidence/picking out the bias)
Move towards providing explanations and interpretations of religious beliefs, values, practices, events
Shape and reshape hypothesis

11. The Elements of Inquiry you’ll have experienced before…
Judging:
Draw conclusions
Justify your hypothesis
Decide whether further investigation is necessary
Present decisions and conclusions
Determine possibilities of informing, educating, mobilising, mediating or resisting (advocating a position)

12. But for now… Look at some articles to work out fact and opinion
Get you to make your own observations
Set up some questions you would like to make as the basis of inquiry