Enquiry-based learning (EBL) is a form of student-centered learning that is initiated by posing questions, problems or scenarios rather than simply asking students to learn facts or repeat established knowledge. In this environment the teacher is often seen as a facilitator rather than a ‘source of knowledge’. This way of learning is becoming more and more established as the benefits of student-centered learning over other systems are becoming apparent. These benefits obviously include giving students a choice in the learning context and providing a high degree of self-pacing but also postulating an audience for their work, empowering personal learning sequences and offering cooperation opportunities. As educators the challenge faced is actually asking the right question to stimulate ideas connection and steering students along the right learning path. When these benefits are seen in the context of a rapidly changing social environment I have no doubt that this will prove to be the way ahead and in the near future traditional learning systems, teacher and knowledge-centered, will be consigned to the dustbin of obsolescence.
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