About

Students at Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts

OUR MISSION

At the Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts, we educate and nurture each child to develop his or her fullest potential. Our inquiry-based approach to a rigorous, standards-based liberal arts curriculum and our collaborative approach to our learning environment ensure that our students have the academic knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in college and in their future careers. Our administrators, staff, and students "Believe, Inquire, Learn, and Achieve" together so that our students can fully immerse themselves in the challenges and successes of 21st-century life.

TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH INQUIRY

The Inquiry method was first proposed in 1969, by Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner, who theorized that students learned best if they practiced learning skills–posing questions, gathering information, debating and discussing ideas with peers–rather than simply memorizing information given them by teachers.

At BILA, we've taken these ideas to heart: in our classrooms, students engage with unfamiliar information by considering how it connects to the world, then explore the topic in hands-on learning activities. From this exploration, students make connections and elaborate their ideas with peers. These activities prepare students for a final evaluation activity, demonstrating what they have learned.

Our curriculum, units, and lessons are all designed to facilitate this process and make classroom learning more authentic, so that our students are prepared to solve problems and make discoveries out in the world.

Students at Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts

INTERESTED IN INQUIRY EDUCATION?

For more on the inquiry method and how it impacts student achievement and understanding, try the following links: