Direct Instruction or Inquiry Learning

People often debate whether direct instruction is better or whether it is inquiry learning. Research says that sometimes it's one and sometimes the other.

Direct Instruction
Direct instruction is an instructional approach which is structured, sequenced, and led by teachers. Direct instruction involves many features that are fundamental to good teaching:
Establishing learning objectives for lessons, activities, and projects, and then making sure that students have understood the goals.
Purposefully organising and sequencing a series of lessons, projects, and assignments that move students toward stronger understanding and the achievement of specific academic goals.
Reviewing instructions for an activity or modelling a process—so that students know what they are expected to do.
Providing students with clear explanations, descriptions, and illustrations of the knowledge and skills being taught.
Asking questions to make sure that students have understood what has been taught.

Some people argue that direct or explicit instruction implies that the teacher is an authority fully capable of delivering correct information in a natural progression - hopefully this is the case - if we are doing our jobs. As teachers, we should know more than students about the topic we are teaching because in fully preparing for lessons we should be making sure we do. Certainly, when it comes to teaching students reading, writing, spelling and maths facts, direct instruction is important.

Inquiry Learning
Inquiry learning is a constructivist approach, in which students have ownership of their learning. It starts with exploration and questioning and leads to investigation into a worthy question, issue, problem or idea. Effective inquiry learning needs to be well designed by the teacher. With its emphasis on 'hands on' learning inquiry learning fits in well with the old adage 'I do I understand'. Through inquiry learning, students can develop higher order, information literacy and critical thinking skills. In this age when students can 'Google' any fact it is more important that students are involved in meaningful, authentic learning tasks that lead to deep understanding about the world.

Inquiry learning fits is well with learning areas such as science, society and environment and general capabilities such as critical and creative thinking.

When it comes to the question of inquiry learning or direct instruction, it has to be a case of whatever fits the task at hand.