Notes from the Field: Concepts, Prototype Theory, and Inquiry

Abstract

Introduction: One significant obstacle to teachers acquiring the skill of facilitating the quest for the meaning of concepts in the community of inquiry (CoI) is being trapped in the banking model of education (Freire, 1970, p.71). The conflict between P4C and the banking model of education has been extensively discussed in various contexts in Kizel (2022). Although teachers are eager to facilitate CoI in their classrooms, they also fear being unable to convey the necessary knowledge to their students in an inquiry due to the inherent involvement of conflicting views, confusion, and a lack of strict definitions about the concepts. Their criteria for success are determined by the knowledge attained at the end of the inquiry.