Student-Centred, Inquiry-Based Lesson Structure

Description of the Method

The use of question-driven and inquiry-based learning was observed in English and history lessons. Instead of presenting new information exclusively through teacher-led explanation, teachers used carefully structured sequences of questions to guide students from observation towards independent conclusions.

Students examined images, texts, example sentences, historical sources and data. They formulated questions, developed initial hypotheses, searched for evidence and worked together to construct answers. Rather than providing the solution immediately, teachers supported the thinking process with additional questions:

• What makes you think that?

• Which information supports your claim?

• Is there another possible explanation?

• How could we test this conclusion?

• What would change if one of the circumstances were different?

The method does not mean abandoning teacher explanation completely. The teacher remains responsible for defining the learning objective, selecting appropriate sources, structuring the sequence of questions, addressing misconceptions and organising the acquired knowledge into a clear framework.

Learning Objectives

An inquiry-based lesson structure:

• increases active student participation;

• develops problem-solving skills;

• supports logical and critical thinking;

• encourages curiosity and the formulation of questions;

• develops evidence-based reasoning;

• helps students recognise connections independently;

• provides opportunities to explore different solution strategies;

• develops cooperation and communication;

• can lead to deeper and more lasting understanding;

• helps students become aware of their own thinking processes.

Principles of the Method

Questions Should Be Connected to a Clear Learning Objective

The teacher first defines what students should understand by the end of the lesson and then designs the questions accordingly. The aim is not to ask as many questions as possible, but to ensure that every question moves the thinking process forward.

Students Need Information They Can Investigate

A question alone is not sufficient. Students need a text, image, dataset, example, experiment or other source from which they can draw meaningful conclusions.

Answers Should Be Supported by Evidence

An answer beginning with “I think…” can be an important starting point, but the next step is to examine what evidence supports it.

Students Need Time to Think

After asking a question, the teacher should not always call on the quickest student to respond. Brief individual thinking, note-taking or pair discussion allows many more students to participate.

Mistakes Are Part of the Learning Process

Initial hypotheses will not always be correct. An important part of inquiry-based learning is recognising that a conclusion may need to be revised in response to new evidence.

Questions Should Not Become Guessing Games

Students should not be expected to guess the single word or sentence that exists in the teacher’s mind. A good question allows for independent thinking and may lead to several appropriately supported answers.

Building a Sequence of Questions

A sequence can progress from simple observation towards higher-order thinking.

It is not necessary to use every type of question in every lesson. The logical sequence and connection to the learning objective are more important than the total number of questions.

Possible Stages of the Method

1. Presenting a Problem or Central Question

The lesson begins with an engaging problem, image, quotation, piece of data, example sentence or short story.

The central question should be:

• understandable;

• connected to the learning content;

• open to investigation in several steps;

• thought-provoking;

• appropriate for the students’ prior knowledge.

For example:

Why do we use two different past tenses in these English sentences?

or:

How did industrialisation change people’s everyday lives?

2. Formulating Initial Hypotheses

Students write down their initial ideas individually and then compare them with a partner. At this stage, it is not necessary to decide immediately which answer is correct.

Useful sentence starters include:

• I think that…

• One possible reason is…

• Based on the available information…

• I am not certain yet, but…

• I could test this by…

3. Investigation and Information Gathering

Students observe or analyse the available materials, which may include:

• example sentences;

• historical sources;

• images;

• maps;

• charts;

• statistical data;

• short videos;

• experiments;

• textbook extracts;

• texts representing different perspectives.

The teacher supports the investigation with guiding questions but does not provide the final conclusion too early.

4. Interpretation in Pairs or Groups

Students compare their observations, discuss their reasoning and construct a shared explanation.

Specific roles can be assigned within the group:

• questioner: formulates further questions for the group;

• evidence finder: locates information that supports the claims;

• note-taker: records the conclusions;

• challenger: looks for counterexamples or alternative explanations;

• spokesperson: presents the group’s findings.

Roles should be rotated regularly.

5. Whole-Class Discussion

Groups present their conclusions. Instead of simply labelling the answers as correct or incorrect, the teacher asks further questions to examine the reasoning:

• How did you reach this conclusion?

• Which source supports your claim?

• Is there any information that contradicts it?

• Did another group reach the same conclusion?

• How do the two explanations differ?

• What additional information would we need to make a decision?

6. Teacher-Led Organisation and Necessary Explanation

Following the investigation, the teacher summarises the findings, introduces accurate terminology, corrects remaining misconceptions and organises the new knowledge into a clear structure.

Inquiry-based learning does not mean that students must discover every piece of knowledge independently. Certain concepts, relationships and background information still require brief and precise teacher explanation.

7. Application in a New Situation

Students test the rule or conclusion they have developed using a new example, text or problem.

This reveals whether they genuinely understand the relationship or can only repeat the original examples.

8. Reflection and Closure

The lesson can conclude with short reflective questions:

• What is our answer to the central question?

• Which evidence was the most convincing?

• Which of our initial hypotheses changed?

• What new question has emerged?

• What helped us understand the topic?

• Where could we apply this knowledge?

Practical Example for an English Lesson: Discovering the Use of Past Tenses

Initial Example Sentences

The teacher presents the following sentences:

1. I visited London last year.

2. I have visited London three times.

3. She finished her homework at six o’clock.

4. She has just finished her homework.

5. We lived in Rome from 2019 to 2021.

6. We have lived in Rome for three years.

Instead of explaining the rules for the two tenses in advance, the teacher guides students’ observations through questions.

Guiding Questions

• Which sentences contain a clearly specified time in the past?

• Which events are connected to the present in some way?

• Which actions are completely finished?

• In which sentences is the experience or result more important than the exact time?

• Which words help you recognise the difference?

• How would the meaning change if the tenses were exchanged?

• Can you formulate a rule for the use of each tense?

Students sort the sentences into groups, formulate an initial rule and then test it using additional examples.

Testing and Application

The groups receive new sentences and select the appropriate tense. Every answer must be justified.

Students then write their own example sentences about:

• a specific completed event in the past;

• a life experience;

• a recently completed action;

• a situation that began in the past and remains connected to the present.

At the end, the teacher clarifies and organises the rules and highlights any cases to which the students’ conclusions cannot be applied.

Practical Example for a History Lesson: The Social Effects of Industrialisation

Central Question

How did industrialisation change people’s everyday lives?

Possible Sources

Groups receive different sources, such as:

• an image of a factory or industrial town;

• a short extract from a worker’s account;

• an account written by a factory owner or another economic actor;

• data about working hours and wages;

• a chart showing changes in urban population;

• an extract from legislation regulating working conditions;

• a map showing a contemporary residential district.

Guiding Questions

• What can we learn directly from each source?

• What changes can be observed in working and living environments?

• For whom might industrialisation have created opportunities?

• For whom might it have caused difficulties?

• What relationship might exist between urban growth and industrial employment?

• Which perspective does each source represent?

• Which social groups are not represented in the sources?

• How representative can one individual account be?

• What additional information would we need to create a more complete picture?

Group Conclusion

Based on the sources, students formulate three claims about the social effects of industrialisation. Each claim must be linked to at least one piece of evidence.

For example:

Claim

Evidence

Limitation of the source

The third column helps students recognise that no single source can represent the complete historical reality.

Further Cross-Curricular Applications

Literature

• Why did the character make this decision?

• Which passage supports this interpretation?

• What other explanations are possible?

• How does the historical context change our interpretation of the work?

Mathematics

Students can examine several concrete examples and formulate a possible rule or relationship.

• What changes in the data?

• What remains constant?

• Which rule might describe the relationship?

• Does it apply in every case?

• Can you find a counterexample?

• How could it be proved?

Physics

Before an experiment, students make a prediction and then use measurements to investigate their hypothesis.

• What do you think will happen?

• Which variable should we change?

• What do we need to measure?

• What do the results show?

• What relationship can be observed?

• How could we test our conclusion?

Geography

Students investigate a geographical or socio-economic problem using maps, charts and statistical data.

Biology

Based on observations, images or experimental results, students identify possible functions, forms of adaptation or taxonomic relationships.

A Short Inquiry-Based Section for Any Lesson

It is not necessary to organise a complete research project for every topic. A short inquiry lasting 5–15 minutes may be sufficient.

A brief version could follow these steps:

1. The teacher presents an image, text, piece of data, example or problem.

2. Students formulate one observation and one hypothesis individually.

3. They compare their ideas with a partner.

4. They search for evidence to support their claim.

5. The teacher leads a whole-class discussion.

6. The findings are briefly summarised and clarified.

A recurring sequence of questions can be used:

• What do you notice?

• What do you think might be the reason?

• What supports your conclusion?

• Is there another possible explanation?

• How would you test it?

• Where could you apply this knowledge?

Preparing the Questions

Before designing the sequence of questions, the teacher considers:

1. What should students understand by the end of the lesson?

2. What prior knowledge do they need?

3. Which common misconceptions may appear?

4. Which source or example will allow them to draw conclusions?

5. What should be the first, easily accessible observation question?

6. Which question will guide them towards recognising the relationship?

7. What evidence should they use to support their conclusion?

8. Which counterexample or new situation will test their understanding?

9. At which point will teacher explanation be necessary?

10. Which concluding question will support reflection?

Differentiation

Students who require additional support can be provided with:

• shorter or simplified sources;

• images and explanations of key concepts;

• possible answer options;

• partially completed tables;

• sentence starters;

• fewer, carefully sequenced questions;

• additional thinking time;

• support through pair or group work.

Students working at a more advanced level can:

• formulate their own research questions;

• examine several contradictory sources;

• search for counterexamples;

• develop alternative explanations;

• design their own investigation;

• evaluate the reliability of the evidence;

• apply the conclusion in a new situation.

Assessment

During inquiry-based learning, both the final answer and the thinking process should be assessed.

The teacher can evaluate whether the student:

• formulates accurate observations;

• asks relevant questions;

• can develop a testable hypothesis;

• uses evidence;

• connects information logically;

• recognises the limitations of sources;

• considers alternative explanations;

• can revise a position in response to new evidence;

• cooperates with classmates;

• presents conclusions clearly.

Assessment can take the form of teacher observation, a short group report, self-assessment, peer assessment or an exit ticket at the end of the lesson.

Possible Challenges

The Central Question Is Too Broad or Difficult

If the question is too broad, students may not know where to begin. It should be divided into smaller, logically sequenced sub-questions.

Insufficient Prior Knowledge

Students can only draw independent conclusions if they possess the basic concepts and information required for the task. Brief preparatory instruction should be provided when necessary.

The Same Students Always Respond

Individual thinking time, pair discussion, anonymous responses, group roles and random selection can support wider participation.

Students Only Search for the Answer Expected by the Teacher

The teacher should accept different appropriately supported solutions and avoid turning questioning into a guessing game.

Misconceptions Remain Unresolved

Student activity does not replace academic accuracy. At the end of the lesson, the teacher must organise the findings and clarify misunderstandings.

Too Many Questions and Too Little Thinking Time

Continuous rapid questioning often produces only short answers. Fewer but more meaningful questions, combined with longer thinking time, may be more effective.

Conclusion

In a student-centred, inquiry-based lesson, students do not merely receive new information. They observe, ask questions, formulate hypotheses, search for evidence and develop conclusions. The teacher guides the process through carefully structured questions, appropriate sources and purposeful support.

The method can reduce the proportion of teacher-led explanation while increasing students’ activity and responsibility for learning. It develops problem-solving, logical thinking, cooperation and evidence-based reasoning. It can be used both as a short classroom activity and as part of a longer inquiry process.