Inquiry-based learning is a teaching approach that focuses on the student’s role in the learning process (Wolpert-Gawron, 2016). Instead of teaching the students what they need to learn, the teachers encourage the students to explore the lesson and ask questions. Additionally, Kampa & Vilina (2016) explained that curiosity and motivation are integral in inquiry-based education. For the past years, language teachers use inquiry-based learning in teaching language and they have found it effective (Kampa & Vilina, 2016). In line with this, inquiry-based learning could also be an effective approach to teaching Mandarin.

Inquiry-based learning is a natural way for students to learn the language (Kampa & Vilina, 2016). In other words, inquiry-based learning enables the students to take control of their learning while their teacher guides them. In teaching Mandarin, language teachers can use the Know-What-Learn chart (Kampa & Vilina, 2016). Before starting the lesson, teachers can ask their students to fill in the first two parts of the chart: (1) what the students already know and (2) what the students would like to know. The first part of the chart allows the teachers to gauge the students’ current knowledge while the second part of the chart allows the students to specify the topics they found challenging or interesting. Once the teacher knows what the student would like to know, the teacher can now device a way to help the students. Since the learners are interested in what they are about to learn, learning becomes natural and easy. The teachers can know whether the students learn something new through asking them to fill-in the “learn” part of the chart. The “learn” part of the chart also allows the students to recapitulate what they just learned.

Inquiry-based learning can be used in teaching Mandarin because language teachers consider this as an effective approach in teaching language. Language teachers may use teaching strategies like the K-W-L chart to encourage the students’ curiosity. On the last note, teachers should be cautious of the limitations of inquiry-based learning like students’ lack of readiness and teacher’s unpreparedness.