INQUIRY AS A KEY TO DEEPER LEARNING

In spite of the fact that critical thinking is a vital skill not only during studying at university but in everyday life either, students are often unprepared for critically thinking when they start their studies. That is why it is so necessary to explain how to use practical strategies for developing these skills for a successful academic life. First of all, teachers should always bear in mind Bloom’s Taxonomy as it helps them to find the correct way for teaching showing the nearest and the furthest goals in their work. The levels start from the simplest and go to the most complicated ones showing that no one can acquire a higher level without mastering the lower ones and that their acquiring is necessary for bringing up critically thinking students. Creating a culture of inquiry is constant work which grows problem-solving learners with deeper understanding of important knowledge. Being convinced that a significant tool for creating a culture of inquiry is essential questions that drive and motivate learning, the authors have designed some recommendations that can encourage inquiry-based learning process and involve students in it. As inquiry-based learning elevates students’ autonomy and collaboration, and helps to create a culture focused on researching rather than reproducing information, the authors consider that teachers should focus on question formulation technique. Besides, four phases of inquiry-based learning have been distinguished and described in details.