How to do Inquiry Based Learning (In Detail)

Summary

Archer Newton presents inquiry-based learning as the central method in his study system. He says it helped him earn top marks in medical school while studying less than he did in high school. Rather than focusing mainly on memorizing facts or repeatedly answering similar questions, this approach uses curiosity, questions, and connections between ideas to build deeper understanding.

What inquiry-based learning is

• Learn by asking questions and exploring the answers.
• Focus on why something happens, how it works, and how it relates to other concepts—not only on what the fact or outcome is.
• Look for the reasoning and relationships that make facts meaningful.
• Aim to understand a topic well enough that conclusions and facts follow logically, rather than memorizing each one in isolation.

Newton argues that this approach supports long-term recall because connected, meaningful information is easier to encode and retrieve. He illustrates the role of curiosity by pointing to how babies learn language. He also says inquiry-based learning can help students handle unfamiliar exam questions by building understanding they can apply in new situations.

How to use the approach

1. Pre-study: Build a framework

• Don’t use pre-study simply to memorize definitions and concepts ahead of class. Newton describes that as early studying, not effective preparation.
• Instead, use pre-study to prime yourself:
  • Preview the material.
  • Ask questions that make you curious about the topic.
  • Begin identifying how ideas might connect.
• Think of this as setting up a “bookshelf” before learning the details. New information can then be placed into an existing structure instead of accumulating in a pile that must be organized later.
• Build a broad conceptual understanding while avoiding misconceptions.

2. While studying: Focus on meaning and relationships

• Ask why each concept matters and how it fits into the larger topic.
• Treat facts as more meaningful when compared with or connected to other facts.
• Look for causal chains and logical consequences. For example, historical events may be easier to understand as a sequence of causes and consequences than as a list of dates.
• In problem-based subjects such as mathematics, focus on:
  • Why each step is used.
  • Why the result follows.
  • Why other possible answers or approaches do not work.
  • Whether the problem can be solved another way.
• In subjects such as biology, go beyond naming a structure or describing its function. Ask why it has that function and how it affects the wider system.
• In chemistry, for example, explore why a concept such as electronegativity matters and how it relates to polarity.
• Attach questions to the material you are learning. This frames knowledge as a response to a problem and highlights the importance of each idea.

3. Revision: Test understanding from different angles

• Use revision to find gaps and weaknesses, then investigate the relationships behind concepts you do not understand.
• Newton emphasizes interleaving: learning or practising material in varied ways and from different angles, rather than repeatedly approaching it in the same format.
• Flashcards and practice questions can be useful, but relying on one format may prepare you mainly for familiar versions of a concept.
• Practice papers provide some variation, but Newton argues they may not fully prepare students for new “curveball” questions.
• To prepare for unfamiliar questions, build a deep understanding of how concepts fit together and practise applying multiple ideas at once.

4. Use guiding questions when curiosity fades

When it’s difficult to generate questions naturally, use prompts such as:

• Why is this concept important?
• How is it related to another concept?
• What problem does it help solve?

Write down questions and work through their answers. Newton suggests using a tool such as Notion, though the key idea is simply to record and investigate the questions.

5. Progress to flowcharts and mind maps

• Once you have identified relationships through questioning, represent them in a flowchart or mind map.
• Use the map to consolidate material and see how ideas connect.
• Creating the map can reveal further questions, which you can then add and answer.
• Newton recommends practising the question-based approach before relying on mind maps alone. He says he developed the process over time and now often creates maps without writing every question down, because questioning has become an internal habit.

Main lessons

• Inquiry-based learning is a skill to develop, not a quick study hack.
• Curiosity and relevance can make learning more engaging and memorable.
• Understanding relationships can reduce the need to memorize disconnected facts and help with application.
• The method complements other study practices rather than being identical to active recall or spaced repetition. Newton argues that it can strengthen understanding and make longer gaps between tests possible.
• Consistent practice matters: learners should expect to make mistakes while developing the approach.

Speakers and sources featured

• Archer Newton is the sole speaker in the subtitles. He describes his personal study system and provides the examples and recommendations.
• Newton makes general references to babies’ language learning and unspecified research on learning from multiple angles and interleaving. No specific researchers or external sources are named.