Inquiry Based Learning

I have never used Inquiry based learning in a classroom setting and I don't remember using it much in school.  Unfortunately, I had teacher that would sit at their desk and recite notes about dates and names from lesson plans they have had since the 60's. 
In my own personal experience, Inquiry Based Learning relates to hiring practices that I have used in my career in the restaurant business.  I always have tended to hire staff based on work experience and 'in the field' history.  I have always thought that a person who has actual  'hands on' experience to draw from, is more prepared than someone who knows formulas that may pertain to success in a certain business field.  Sometimes, both of these candidates poses the same basic knowledge such as what food-cost should be or where labor-cost should fall.  But I have always felt that the person who has real time experience in reaching those goals with the pressures of a fully functioning business and an owner's expectations of making a profit hanging over their head, is more prepared than the person who has read about these goals in a textbook.  Somewhat like the example in the article of the 'Earth's Crust' lesson, where the students not only learned the 'What' about the layers of the Earth, but in an Inquiry Learning setting they are encouraged to ask questions about 'How' we know this, which results in dialogue and understanding about the facts and how they came to be known.

I think the most important part of the article was in reference to the problem solving and critical thinking skills that are encouraged in an Inquiry Learning setting.  The students will eventually enter a fast paced and constantly changing work place and being able to think on your feet is a skill that will lend itself to better performance than regurgitating facts that have been memorized.  The article also mentions that since information is so quickly and readily available to the students,  the emphasis should switch to developing these problem solving skills rather than being focused on memorization.  I think that a lot of the issues in education today are due to the fact that many people in positions to decide on educational policies, are of an older generation and have a more traditional view of education.  I think that in time, there will be a changing of the guard and there can be more of a balance between traditional methods that are still useful and some aspects of Inquiry Based Learning methods.

In my classroom, I think that Inquiry Based Learning would be used as a platform to develop the problem solving skills I mentioned above and emphasizing the dialogue one can create by asking questions.  Asking questions helps develop interpersonal and collaborative skills and that is another valuable skill set for any work place.  I imagine that in an ESL setting, not every student is preparing to apply to the Harvard's and Yale's of the world so being able to work well with you peers is very important.  I think that creating a learning environment that encourages dialogue, and requires students to not only ask questions but to also look deeper to find the answers, will only make them more marketable when they do move on to furthering their education or joining the work force.  I've always felt that half of education is learning the facts and the other half is learning how they apply in whatever setting you're in, whether it's a work setting or school setting.  That would include having to apply what you know while managing the social and interpersonal aspects of a job or school setting.