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 Most classrooms have inquiry-shaped activities but not genuine inquiry. The difference is who owns the question. When the teacher owns the question and students investigate it, that is structured discovery. When the learner owns the question and the teacher's job is to resource, provoke, and get out of the way, that is genuine inquiry. These look similar from the outside. They feel completely different from the inside. I chose the image above, because it makes me happy and sad at the same time. There is a something within the child's eye in the upper left hand corner. He is genuinely curious. He wants to paint like everyone else, so he ventures to look around the group to see what everyone else is doing. He is not creating for himself, but for approval. His teacher owns the quesiton and he does not have the answer. This means we have to take a step back, so learners can choose the pathway for their inquiry. This is very difficult for us, because we don't want anyone to fail. I get it. I am have warm and fuzzy heart too. But, the teacher who steps back from inquiry is really guiding from afar. This is a chance for learners to really show us what they know and do not. This is not about replication. What does this mean for you and me? It means that we have to resist the urge to direct our learners when the inquiry goes somewhere unexpected, asking questions and not answering them, making resources available without prescribing which ones to use, and tolerating the visible messiness of genuine thinking without tidying it into a neat product. Teachers often make the mistake of stepping back in the moment the learning looks most alive. They get fearful, because chaotic learning is messy, loud, and usually off course of curricular objectives. What they don't know is this is the point where real learning happens. When did you last let go of the set objective and allow your learners to create for themselves?
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 Have you ever had those moments that when you opened your mouth and nothing changed?
This is how I felt about a particular student who still lives in my heart. He was a quiet, lovable soul, but he refused to complete some of tasks presented to him. I provoked, nudged, pleaded, scolded, and begged this child to change their behavior, but nothing worked. This reminds me of Parker Palmer's argument about learning is not about teaching techniques. It is about the person doing the teaching. His central claim is that good teaching cannot be reduced to method, because it emerges from the identity and integrity of the teacher. His catch phrase is: we teach who we are. This moment made me reflect on who I was as a teacher. I was practically begging this child to be the model learner, but I had yet to discover the reason behind his behavior. This connects to Palmer's thoughts about identity and integrity. Identity is not your job title. It is the crossroads between the forces that have made you who you are: your lived experiences, fears, loves, wounds, and convictions. It is the self you bring into the room whether you intend to or not. Integrity is not morality in the conventional sense. It is integration to the degree to which your outer life matches our inner one. A teacher with integrity is about being authenthic and is not performing who they would like to be to their students. This made me really think about myself. Am I should show authentic identity at school? Are my learners given the space to show their authentic selves? My learner was being his authentic self in my classroom and I was not honoring it. Instead, I wanted him to act according to my identity and sense of integrity. This awakening really had an impact on my behavior going forward. One of the things I began implementing was giving the learner two choices of activities. This was the hook. Soon, he was creating more work than I had seen in several months, because he felt like he has some choice. At times, he voiced how he wanted to do it and I let him. The change was not in my learner, it was in me. I had to let go of my identity of the learner and lean into his. I was excited to see that the IB has invested time in creating a personal inquiry guide for parents, so they can support their child at home. Naturally, this piqued my interest. You can get a copy by clicking on either image below.
Although brief, this guide prepares parents for the discussion about personal inquiries and why they are so important in school. The IB provides parents with some question prompts to get the conversation started at home.
One suggestion would have to been to include some examples of what personal inquiry can look and feel like. This might help parents. Anyone have something like this that they want to share?
I was excited to see that the IB creted a guide about personal inquiry. It was originally designed to support personal inquiry learning during the pandemic, but it can easily be applied to in-person teaching. As I reviewed the document, I was happy to see the structure of supporting a personal inquiry through the entire process, question prompts, transdisciplinary theme/ lines of inquiry/ concept connections, reflection tools, and success criteria. I can't wait to re-read through this guide to help me with my own personal inquiry. To get a copy of the guide, you can scan the QR code or click on the document picture above.
I'm a little late the game, but I showed up just in time! Nicola Millward, an instructional coach at IPS Hilversum @Nicola_EduCoach, shared on Twitter about her team's literacy planning through Kath Murdoch's inquiry cycle. I love Kath's cycle, because it provides shared language for learners and teachers new to inquiry teaching. Check out they approached inquiry learning through the cycle. I'm eager to delve deeper into the process.  by Lu Gerlach As we try to introduce inquiry into our classrooms, it can be overhwhelming. Where do I start? What tools will I need to make it happen? How can I break it down for my students, so they understand and can replicate the process on their own.? These questions are normal. To help you with this process, WeI have created short inquiry snacks videos found in our video library. They walk you through three of the engaging, challenging, relevant, and significant inquiry thinking strategies that are the closest to our hearts. If we were to start anywhere, it would be these 12 strategies. Each inquiry snacks video last 1-3 minutes long and goes over the process and things to consider when implementing. They are bite-size chunks of instruction to help you get started in your own inquiry journey. Before you take a snack break, you must remember that inquiry is about the process not a product to showcase in this school. We are trying to provide students tools where they can become independent thinkers who pose questions, test out wonderings, and make meaning of their learning. All of these steps need to be modeled, tried, and adapted to each student learning style before they can explore on their own. Now that's clear, let's take a snack break! Go to our VIDEOS section to find our Inquiry Snacks.  Once you've implemented the inquiry thinking strategies, you will feel more comfortable with the process of inquiry. You will see students enjoying the learning and taking more ownership of the learning process. When you feel more confident, you will be able to take larger portions of inquiry into your practice by reading the work of Kath Murdoch, possibly implementing the inquiry proces, and/or providing opportunities for students to explore their own inquiries based on their wonderings. Just like preparing a large meal, inquiry takes certain ingredients (time, space, materials), follows a recipe plan (inquiry process), and needs times to cook and meld the flavors together. This requires some patience and a belief that your learners are capable of directing their own path towards understanding. Just like a satisfying meal, you will feel comforted and filled with the knowledge that meaningful learning happened, because you released some control of the process.  It's up to you to decide...are you ready to take a bite or sit down for a feast?
One of the things that can bring about a lot of engagement is a classroom economy system. I've used it many times with my learners and tied it to their class jobs. Like most jobs, they get paid for the work that they do and they can get fired for being lazy. At the end of the month, they pay rent and go to the class store for goodies to buy. I know there are many who don't like extrinsic rewards. At the same time, many of us would not go to work everyday without a paycheck. This is the how I approach it. The one thing I don't promote is doing class jobs just for the paycheck. I frequently have them reflect on the lessons they have learned from the role and they must interview for a higher paying job just like in real-life. This makes them appreciate the job once they do get it. Here is a video with more considerations to think about. One of the things kids ask all the time is, "When will I use this in my real life?" This is a valid question, because how many times have I used PEMDAS in my daily encounters? Never. So how do we get learners engaged with real-life? We provide utility value. This means that we show how an idea is used in the everyday world and the jobs that it impacts. This helps learners to see how concepts are applied in real situations and not just hypothetical ones. Part of providing utility value is engaging with people in various roles that use the skill. This is a game changer when trying to get learners hooked into the topic. Take a peek how you might implement this into your practice. I remember when I learned about the SDGs for the first time, it was while I was reading @mscindypyp Twitter post. I loved the idea of exploring real-world issues from various lenses. This expands the inquiry thinking to go beyond researching a topic. This is perfect for a personal inquiry and/or PYP exhibition project. I love this engaging strategy so much, because it requires the learners to do all of the thinking. They have to take a very traditional engagement and turn it into something that is driven by agentic thinking. Love it! For more ideas, be sure to watch the video below. It's time to allow your students to create their own project or task checklist to keep them focused. The possible guiding questions to be answered:
Let's have some fun with this inquiry snack! Mystery Skype is a great first step to connecting to other classes around the country or the world. Two classes meet via video chat online to guess where in the world each other is geographically. This is a great way to learn about different regions and cultures. I can't wait to get started! Where do you want to call? At the beginning of the year, be clear about expectations during various learning scenarios. Create routine cards and randomly ask students to demonstrate the routine throughout the day. This will allow them to transfer desired behaviors to a variety of settings. This can range from:
I think this would be fun to mix it up with a task that is completely different, such as lining up for recess in the middle while reading independently. It could be hilarious! This is by far my favorite Project Zero visible thinking routine. I think it has to do with stretching our perspective by looking at our own, other people in our country, east and west of ourselves, north and south, and across distance. This really helps learners to see a wider range of perspectives that go beyond their own. If more people did this in the world, we might have more peace and equity. Welcome to an inquiry snack! These are bite-sized ways that you can bring about more inquiry into your practice. In this video, we are exploring Make Time for My Time or otherwise personal inquiry. Something that I've come to realize is the power of learners exploring ideas and processes on their own. They will make mistakes and fail, but it's part of the process of becoming a more sophisticated learner. I've used a form of My Time in my classroom during the last six years of my teaching career. It has been a practical way to merge the inquiry and scientific process together with topics that learners are interested in. Enjoy your snack! If you have been glued to my channel, you probably know that I love a good success criteria with goal-setting. Now, I might do it differently than you do, which is okay. I like to give six learning targets that are aligned with my process standards and approaches to learning (ATL). Then, I ask my learners to choose one that they think is an expert area. My expert criteria is that they can do it in 3-5 DIFFERENT ways, not different situations. Once learners have identified their strengths, they lean into their grow areas. Choose one skill that can be done with their table group, but they stumble on their own. This is at instructional level, which means a greater rate of success. Check out this video for more ideas. You are going to love it! Restorative Circle has changed my practice. My last school district began implementing it in 2017 and I was quite skeptical at first. I thought it was another Social-Emotional Learning program that would add time to my already crunched schedule. Little did I know it would completely change the relationships between me and my learners. There are several components to Restorative Circles, but the main ideas are:
I'll let you quickly watch the video for an overview and then I'll share some additional things to consider. There is usually a tool that sets the tone for the discussion, but that is too much for me. I just ask high-interest and low-risk prompts that I know my learners feel comfortable answering. Here are some examples.
As our relationship grows, I ask deeper questions.
We all need to know that someone cares for us. When I began running it each week, I didn't realize how much my learners needed it. I was often reminded by my learners that we needed to hold the meeting no matter what. It became part of my schedule each Friday morning. One question that I eventually began to ask, "What is an obstacle to your learning this week?" This was the last question every week. It became a habit. On Febuary 10, 2018, my mom passed away. I remember returning to school that week in a haze. I was preparing for a long leave to help my dad sort out funeral arrangements, personal effects, and keeping him company for several weeks. By Monday afternoon, my learners called a special circle meeting. One of my learners asked me, "Ms. Gerlach, what is an obstacle to your teaching this week, because you are not the same?" I'll never forget that moment. I began crying sharing with my learners about my heartbreak and the feeling of being lost. The response was immediate. I was flooded with hugs and tears. The shift went from, "What is wrong?" to "How can we help?". Those darlings were so kind and helped me through one of the toughest times in my own life. This would not have happened if I had not established the circle meeting as a weekly habit. If you are going to use Restorative Circles, you need to go all in. You can't miss. It may be the one time of the week where your learners feel safe enough to be vulnerable. Here is a guide I found that may help you to get started. This inquiry snack is all about getting our learners to take information that they learn and decide how they will market it to the school community and beyond. This is a lot of fun and I can't wait to use it again! The final challenge will be examining how we guide and assess inquiry. This process is not easy. How and what do we assess? How do we capture a broad enough picture of the learner? Have fun exploring this in our challenge below. Also, I have included the guide that accompanies this challenge. In Plan for Inquiry, you will have more information about guiding and assesing inquiry.  This challenge is all focused on asking the right questions. This is based on Lynn Erickson's factual, conceptual, and debatable question method. It's one of my favorites. I've created a guide that is posted below with the question framework and a matrix to post in your room. In the guide Planning for Inquiry has tons of questioning resources. Be sure to look for the Wiederhold Question Matrix. Have fun!  In Day 3 of our inquiry challenge, we are reflecting on our planning process. This requires us to examine the following:
There are so many goodies in this challenge. Be sure to download the accompanying guide too, which is linked below. I created the guide Planning for Inquiry in response to this challenge. I am always interested in how I might scaffold the inquiry process. I hope it helps you.  Wecome to the second inquiry challenge! In this challenge, we are delving into the terms...
When you see these terms, what do they mean to you? This is what this challenge is all about. How can we bring about more engagement, challenge our learners thinking, make learning real and connected to everyday lives, and globally significant. Learners want the answer to this big question: Why should I care? These strategies will help them find a meaningful answer. Let's take a moment to dive into this challenge. For more ideas, be sure to check out the accompanying guide to this challenge that can be found in Inquiry Thinking Strategies. The front cover is below.  Setting goals during this time has been difficult. I understand, because it has been a struggle for me too. With extra time on our hands on the weekends, I have been watching a lot of videos like everyone else. One that really resonated with me is How Great Leaders Inspire Action by Simon Sinek. Here is the video below. One thing that stuck with me is the Golden Circle. It's implicity is really powerful. I want to apply it to our inquiry challenge. WHY - Why is inquiry important during this challenging time? HOW - How can I sustain inquiry learning while teaching digitally? WHAT - What must I change about my perspective/feelings to make it happen? To be honest, these are difficult for me to answer, so I have broken it down into a simple goal-setting strategy. I get vulnerable by sharing some of the ways that I am holding myself accountable during this time. If you are interested in pursuing goal-setting further, I have created a guide to support your thinking. You can find what you are searching for in Define Your Purpose with the Golden Circle. The cover looks like this.  by Lu Gerlach I've had the opportunity to learn from Kath Murdoch in Dubai and in Houston. She is a wealth of information and her book The Power of Inquiry is amazing. Be sure to watch Kath's video about what it means to be an inquiry teacher.
by Lu Gerlach I am so excited to announce the FREE Five Day Inquiry Challenge between Aug 3-7 that is focused on developing inquiry-based learning. Teachers will be given different challenges each day to support their unit and lesson planning. Many of us are struggling right now and this is my way of helping the best way I can. Please forgive my video abilities as I am still learning. The main thing is that we are coming together as a community to build inquiry practice during such an uncertain time. Join the Five Day Inquiry Challenge Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1177890089215736/ If you prefer to learn on your own, you can listen to the podcast Confessions of a PYP Teacher for similar ideas at https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/podcast All of the printable materials can be found at https://thinkchat2020.weebly.com/resources.html I hope to see you! |
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