The Cognitive Theory of Inquiry Teaching, also referred to as the Cognitive Theory of Interactive Teaching, was developed by Allan Collins and Albert L. Stevens (Collins & Stevens, 1981). Allan Collins was a chief scientist at Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., a research firm in Cambridge Massachusetts. He is also a specialist in the field of cognitive science and human semantic processing. Albert L. Stevens was a senior scientist at Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc. He was also director of the company's Artificial Intelligence, Education Technology and Training Systems Division. He is also a specialist in cognitive science. (Reigeluth, 1983) The Cognitive Theory of Inquiry Teaching according to Collins and Stevens (1981) requires the learner to construct theories and principles through dialogue, the teaching of self-questioning techniques and the teaching of metacognitive or self-monitoring skills, all with the intent of clarifying misconceptions so the theory or principle is well articulated and developed. The essence of the cognitive theory of Inquiry teaching is that of developing students' metacognitive skills. Inquiry teaching deliberately attempts to develop these stills through instruction.
The theory is a prescriptive model rooted in the discovery tradition and cognitive sciences. It was derived form an analysis of the transcripts of teachers, described as interactive teachers, using a variety of teaching strategies. These strategies were in some way related to one of the following methodology: the inquiry method of the teaching, discovery method of teaching and Socratic method of teaching. The transcripts studied represent a variety of topics taught by teachers across different subject areas (Reigeluth, 1983). Collins and Stevens believed that their Cognitive Theory of Inquiry Teaching is domain independent or that it can be applied across subject areas or the curriculum.
Historical background
Inquiry teaching is rooted in the didactic methodologies of the ancient Greek. According Mayer and Alexander (2011), inquiry teaching is rooted in the didactic methodology of the ancient Greek, where the teacher poses a problem and assists the student in solving that problem by asking a series of question. They have also pointed out that this method of instruction can be seen in the works of Plato and Socrates. Bransford, Franks and Sherwood (1989), as cited by Mayer and Alexander (2011), have indicated that it was not until the 1960s that the role of teachers started to change from where the teacher provided the student with the questions as well as the answers. After the 1960s, instruction provided greater opportunity for students to engage in creating their own answers to questions posed (Mayer & Alexander, 2011).
Characteristics
The purpose of the Cognitive Theory of Inquiry Teaching according to Collins (1986) is to provide learners with the opportunity to “actively engage in articulating theories and principles that are critical to deep understanding of a domain” (p.1). Collins (1986) believes that the knowledge attained will allow the learner to actively and meaningfully engage in solving problems and making predictions. He also indicated that the knowledge acquire is not simply content knowledge. Figure 1 summarizes Collins and Stevens Theory of Inquiry Teaching.
The Cognitive Theory of Inquiry (Interactive) Teaching according to the Reigeluth (1983) consists of three parts: The teachers goals The teaching strategies employed by teachers The controlling structures used to govern their teaching.
There are two main goals teachers using the inquiry method seek to achieve, according to Collin and Stevens (1981): The teaching of a particular rule or theory Teaching students how to derive the rule or theory.
These two main goals are associated with several sub-goals. The list below identifies the two main goals and their associated sub-goal as posited by Collins and Stevens (1981): The teaching of a particular rule or theory Analyzing and addressing misconceptions of students hypotheses Students are taught how to make prediction in new situations Teaching students how to derive the rule or theory Students are taught what questions to ask Students are taught the nature of the theory or rule Students are taught how to test the rule or theory Student are taught how to articulate and defend the rule or theory