Inquiry encompasses a broad range of activities that give reign to our natural curiosity about the world. Within the context of education, inquiry takes on a more specific meaning. Teachers who use inquiry as a strategy typically encourage students to raise questions, plan and carry out investigations, make observations, and reflect on what they have discovered. However, this is not a static definition. Even within a single classroom, inquiry activities may be taking place along a continuum, from more structured and teacher-directed on one end to more open-ended and driven by student interest on the other (Jarrett, 1997).
It may be helpful to think of project-based learning as a subset of inquiry learning. A review of research about project-based learning concludes that such projects are focused on questions or problems that "drive students to encounter (and struggle with) the central concepts and principles of a discipline" (Thomas, 2000, p. 3). What's more, the central activities of a project involve inquiry and the construction of new knowledge by the student (Thomas, 2000). Students typically have a choice when it comes to designing their project, which allows them to pursue their interests and engage their curiosity. In the course of answering their own questions, students may investigate topics not identified by the teacher as learning goals.
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