ABSTRACT
The discursive mode of teaching, it has been argued, will inevitably include an element of directive control in the way a teacher sets up and organises a classroom discussion. Inquiry teaching is founded on the premiss that children are by nature inquisitive beings. The teacher would be present in the room to receive pupils and this classroom would be her base where virtually all of her teaching takes place. Careful planning and lesson preparation are particularly important for beginning or inexperienced teachers. Usually, experienced teachers underestimate two important dimensions to the problem. The first is the psychological importance of planning to the beginning teacher. The second dimension which is often unrecognised is the wealth of experience that teachers store in their own heads. In preparing tasks, teacher has to think in terms of an investigation pupils will carry out, a topic to be explored, or, most especially, a problem that will have to be solved.
