1:- Definition of inquiry approach :

Inquiry approach or discovery method means that students should be asked to reflect on themselves by presenting different situations and experiences, draw conclusions and try to understand the nature of the problem. Inquiry or discovery method creates such a movement in the student that he studies and observes himself to answer problems and questions, Investigates and gathers information. Then he draws conclusions based on this information. The inquiry approach develops students' ability to think critically and inquire. A critical and scientific approach is developed in the student. For example, in the normal teaching method, the teacher explains the life cycle of butterfly to the students with the help of different forms. In this, students passively try to receive and remember the information presented by the teacher. On the contrary, if the teacher asks the students to explore the different stages of the life cycle of the butterfly based on their own observations. Then this inquiry method of education is called an inquiry approach.

2:- Necessity and importance of inquiry techniques:

Students have different natures and different learning styles depending on the teaching environment. They have different backgrounds and different study habits. In addition, individualized teaching relies on research to study mental abilities, behavior and learning. It is the teacher's responsibility to organize the teaching according to the quality and background of the students in order to make the teaching productive by providing a suitable environment for teaching and learning. Assessing the quality of students' ability and using techniques accordingly is the most important factor. But the basic issue of our teaching environment is lack of resources and the class rooms are full with students.

This background demands that we should prepare our teachers to deal with the situation and promote more effective teaching methods. This inquiry-based content aims to provide future teachers with the knowledge and skills to use inquiry techniques in the classroom and to create a positive response to the use of this approach.

According to Kohan and Overwar , students are central to inquiry-based teaching and this is an example of a move from passive to active teaching. Hence, inquiry-based teaching is a broad term that can be considered as according to which:

i- Limitations of teaching point of views.

ii- Guidance process through helpful inquiry.

iii- Active involvement of students to promote critical thinking.

Our approach to inquiry method revolves around inductive and deductive teaching techniques, application of scientific method and problem solving skills in teaching and learning. According to Prince and Felder (2006), inquiry approach is a teaching technique that offers questions and problem-solving techniques to provide an instructional context. Whereas deductive teaching methods depend on explaining facts and principles through interpretation and examples from which conclusions are drawn. It is based on the assumption that the teaching is a constructive process based on social and context influenced active integrity.

3- Methodology of Inquiry Techniques:

The main feature of the inquiry technique is to engage the students in an activity in which they can find the answers to the questions themselves to solve the problem. In this technique, instead of the teacher providing information to the students, the students themselves present the problem, ask questions to solve and then searching for their answers, while searching for answers, students get various information and their learning style matures. Regardless of the subject and situation, there are several research strategies. In research teaching, students are engaged in four stages and are given some freedom to carry out the activity. Students can do these activities in pairs or in groups.

The four steps are as follows:

i:- Problem awareness means creating insight of a problem in the minds of students.

ii:- From the students propose a testable hypothesis to solve the problem.

iii:- Gathering information and conducting research to test a hypothesis.

iv:- Draw conclusions from the available evidence and accept the hypothesis that meets the criteria and reject the others.

After this there is a turn of fifth step in which general principles are drawn from the results and applied to new data. The salient feature of all these stages is that the role of students is very active in all of them. While the role of the teacher is no more than that of a helper.

4- Other teaching methods under inquiry approach:

Inquiry Teaching is sometimes referred to as Discovery Learning, Problem Solving or Inductive Learning. Sometimes it is also called Scientific Method. All these techniques are included in discovery method.

Research-based teaching is considered appropriate for almost all curriculum subjects and schools. Therefore, this technique can be used in the teaching of social studies, English, science, mathematics and other subjects. In the teaching of all these subjects, the teacher's role as a facilitator increases while the student solves the problem with more enthusiasm. Like every method, this teaching strategy has its merits and demerits. The greatest salient feature of this is that the students get full knowledge through this technique. When students are fully involved in problem solving and use their skills, they go deeper into the matter, their knowledge is not limited to rote information. Rather, they apply their knowledge and draw conclusions from it and thus gain access to the details of the information, the knowledge acquired in this way proves to be durable. This method of teaching enhances the research skills of students which enables them to apply their skills in real life in future. More effective inquiry teaching brightens logical and reasoning thinking, it trains to face problems with courage and to make decisions in an integrated manner. This strategy is more effective than working with a group of students.

Limitations of Advantages of Inquiry Method:

1:- According to some consensus and evidence, from an educational perspective, inquiry is a motivational approach, purposeful method and a broad educational scope of teaching. This technique builds confidence in the traditional classroom by engaging students in logic and inquiry. In addition, inquiry as a teaching approach is often related to constructivist ideas, so it is consisted of central importance of students, warm involvement of students and more importance guidance of teacher.

2:- Inquiry can be defined as the search for truth, information or knowledge. That means getting information through questions. Individuals continue the process of inquiry from birth to death. This is a fact even if they don't think about it. Young children make sense of the world through inquiry. From birth, babies observe nearby faces, grasp objects, put objects in their mouths, and turn to sounds. Inquiry knowledge begins with gathering information and data through the application of the human senses (seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling). Unfortunately, our education system works in a way that discourages the natural process of inquiry. Students tend to ask very few questions while charting progress. Students in traditional schools ,instead of asking more questions to learn, just listen and repeat the expected answer.

3:- Lack of access to a sound understanding of inquiry-based learning is a major reason for discouraging our natural discovery process. Effective inquiry is not limited to just asking questions. Converting your information and data into useful knowledge is a complex process. A successful application of inquiry teaching consists of several elements such as a background for questions, a framework for questions, thorough attention to questions and different levels of questioning. A rightly designed inquiry teaching method creates a knowledge that can be applied in a wide scope.

4:- A discovery approach emphasizes the promotion and use of content to increase knowledge, method application and problem-solving skills. In this system students get central importance and the teacher plays a role of a helper.

How one acquires new knowledge is more important and what one already knows is less important. Students are actively involved in constructing knowledge. It becomes easy for the students who have more interest in a project or subject and are active to acquire extensive knowledge of the relevant subject. When something is attractive for students and reflects their interests and goals, teaching problems are almost eliminated. Inquiry class provides a spacious environment where they utilize resources outside the school and classroom.

5:- Teachers using inquiry technique use technology to connect their students to the local and international community, which is a rich source of teaching and learning materials. They transform the lesson plan into a slightly simplified teaching plan that causes little distraction but remains focused on achieving learning outcomes. They ask purposeful questions such as what suggestion do you give for the research of this question?

6:- Traditional schools emphasize the accumulation of information and do not foster the development of skills and habits of inquiry. Our modern society is moving in the direction of high-speed, globally networked technologies and requires skilled workers with critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Today, much, if not the most, the teaching is achieved in the later years of formal schooling. To produce students who can thrive in the modern world, our schools need to change their approach to education. Inquiry-based teaching can transform information into useful knowledge. It emphasizes the development of skills and formation of better mental aptitudes. Information without a useful context is not very applicable other than passing the exam. Developing a broader understanding of new information requires teaching strategies and content to be contextualized. It is often difficult for students to make connections between activities given in a particular subject. When students in a typical schools try to understand the relationship between different subjects this confusion is further increased.

7:- The question arises whether initiation itself is of primary importance in inquiry or recognition. While questions are also part of the traditional classroom, the means, objectives and standards of questions are a different matter. The purpose of questions is usually to elicit a reaction to a study or activity. In an inquiry classroom, the teacher asks questions that are more general and considerate. In the inquiry based classroom the suitable techniques of questions are important. Especially at the lower stages where they become base of self-existent questions.

8:- An inquiry classroom is radically different from a traditional classroom. This difference becomes more apparent as students and teachers become more comfortable in the inquiry classroom and become more experienced with the technique. It is often difficult to find the teacher in the inquiry classroom because he is not visible in his traditional place behind the teacher's desk. Students are also seen moving around the classroom and find the necessary materials for their work.

9:- Ultimately, the value of inquiry teaching is that students learn how to learn. This is what happens without the help of parents, without the guidance of textbooks, without an expert teacher, when they are alone in the process of teaching, it stays with them throughout their lives.

In a conceptual framework, discovery teaching and engaged students produce significant results. Students who actively observe, gather and analyze information, and they are developing a very useful ability of solving problems. These skills can be used both at school and at work to learn more about the situation.

10:- Another important benefit of inquiry-based learning is the formation of mental attitudes that last a lifetime and guide in teaching and creative thinking.

Following are some major merits of inquiry technique.

1-It is interesting and exciting.

2- Students communicate and learn from each other.

3- Promotes students' use of valid and up-to-date information while researching their teaching problem.

4- Creates a good learning environment for the group and enhances students' skills.

5- It causes to critical and creative thinking.

6- Promotes interpersonal communication.

7- Teaching based on personal instructions.

8- Teamwork.

9- Project management.

10- Ability to solve problems.

11- Students get to know each other better and make friends.

Demerits:

1:- A problem often encountered in examining inquiry instructions and in an inquiry program the big major problem is that the finding and interpreting appropriate measures for inquiry results is difficult.

2:- Quick review and analysis of inquiry results is difficult.

3:- Multiple-choice to assess the success of the methodology as required by critical thinking preferred methods of questions and standardized testing cannot be adopted immediately.

4:- Structured short questions and repetitive information have ability to assess problem solving ability

but it takes a lot of time to discover and count them.

5:- Time spent outside the classroom for study is a consideration for both teachers and students. This spends a lot of time.

6:- The scope of the inquiry method is limited depending on the different topics of the curriculum and for its application

more active and understanding students are required.

7:- In inquiry based learning for planning, designing, managing and supervises more able students are needed.