Dive into Inquiry

Aug 11

Written By Socrates - Head of School Team

Think you might want to read this book?

In Dive into Inquiry, Trevor Mackenzie shows us how he uses inquiry to drive the learning experience of his students. He tiers out four levels of Inquiry Based Learning and gives the reader comprehensive examples of each. Want to help students find their passion? Dive into Inquiry has the prompts to help. Want to open up the ways students do research and collect data? There are examples here for you. Want to demonstrate learning in public and in new ways? You guessed it… you will be guided on that front as well.

What Would Socrates Ask?

Do certain subjects lend themselves more to inquiry-based learning?
Does inquiry-based learning work better with certain age groups?
What if all inquiry-based units began with asking students what they want to learn and how they want to demonstrate mastery of that learning?
What if the beginning of the year started with a discussion asking students how they’d like to learn and how they want to demonstrate mastery of that learning?
If we shift the locus of control to the learner, are there costs in terms of rigor or standards?
If the role of the teacher in inquiry-based learning is so different, how do we train teachers to be effective and impactful?
How do we give credit for projects that are too abstract or complex to fit into traditional academic categories?
If schools move to an inquiry-based learning model, what happens to students who go through the process only to declare that they don’t have a passion or interest in anything?

Concepts

Relationships first- connect with every learner so you know their passions, goals, curiosities and challenges.
Structured Inquiry- all students embark in deepening their understanding of the same essential question using the same resource or resources.
Controlled Inquiry- the teacher provides essential questions and students deepen their understanding by using several resources determined by the teacher.
Guided Inquiry- the teacher provides a single essential question (perhaps several) and students select the resources they will use to research their answers.
Free Inquiry- students, with support of their teacher(s), construct their own essential question, research using a wide variety of sources, and design how they will demonstrate mastery.
Public Display of Understanding- in what ways can we showcase learning for everyone in our community or the world to see.

Quotes from the author

“To harness the power of inquiry-based learning, I begin each school year by laying the groundwork for a smooth transition for my students between other learning models they’ve experienced and inquiry-based learning.”
“Three goals for starting an inquiry-based learning classroom: 1- flip control of learning in the room from the teacher to the learner, 2- create an atmosphere of trust, and 3- unpack inquiry and build the foundation for the year of learning.”
“Student agency begins by creating strong relationships built on trust.”
“A strong inquiry classroom requires me to take on many different roles- teacher, coach, facilitator, networker, shoulder-to-lean-on- at different times for different reasons. In order for my students to understand why this “hat-wearing” is important, I make myself pretty vulnerable and open myself to criticism as we talk about my role. Simultaneously, this conversation empowers students as learners and helps them comprehend the type of teacher they will see in the coming months.”
“The more we make learning visible, the more students will understand the world around them and grasp that they have an important role in it.”
“A strong inquiry community requires a balancing of control over learning between the teacher and learner.”
“If students know their career path, they can begin to learn skills, content, and knowledge they will use in the future. They can get a head start on their future!”
“Beginning inquiry from a place of passion allows students to connect with something they’ve previously fostered and nurtured - and to which they’ve committed.”
“Your librarian is an inquiry ally.”
“I absolutely love asking students to show me the ‘gold standard’ of their authentic piece. I challenge them to find examples of work they deem to be professional quality. Questions to ask: ‘What sets this work apart from others?’ and ‘How do you want to emulate the example you found?’”
“It’s important to note that not all Free Inquiry units need to be displayed to such a broad audience. I have worked with many introverted students who have planned and executed exceptionally strong Free Inquiry units, create amazing authentic pieces, but shy away from sharing their learning with others.”

Quotes from others

“Inquiry-based learning is a process where students are involved in their learning, create essential questions, investigate widely and then build new understanding, meanings, and knowledge.” - Alberta Focus on Inquiry, 2004