Students are often limited by rigid thinking and rote learning in current higher education. The rigid thinking and rote learning make it difficult for them to effectively solve complex problems. Moreover, teachers lack systematic and practical teaching methods to guide students to address this dilemma. In this paper, an innovative BUILD teaching model based on the theory of hierarchical cognitive thinking and inquiry-based learning is proposed. This model consists of five core stages and provides a progressive teaching implementation path. Specifically, the model aims to remove students’ cognitive barriers and stimulate their desire for inquiry in the “Breaking” stage. In the “Unifying” stage, teachers guide students to construct a systematic knowledge framework through integration and unification. Students are encouraged to dissect the essence of theoretical concepts and reconstruct them through targeted inquiry in the “Inquiring” stage. A comprehensive evaluation strategy with multidimensional feedback is designed for reasonable assessment of students’ learning outcomes in the “Learning-Assessment” stage. In the “Developing” stage, students can further get continuous improvement in knowledge and abilities through maintenance strategies. This model can help to establish students’ scientific thinking methods and improve their ability to solve practical learning problems.

Gang Liu, Mei Gao, Liqiang Niu. A Five-Stage BUILD Teaching Model for Hierarchical Cognitive Thinking and Inquiry-Based Learning. International Journal of New Developments in Education (2026), Vol. 8, Issue 6: 68-74. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJNDE.2026.080611.

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