Childs Elementary

An education that is focused on inquiry invites all students to engage and belong in the learning experience. Many of the traditional ways of doing school do not work for a majority of students. Teachers are the single greatest factor in ensuring a successful transition from traditional pedagogy to the adoption of inquiry in our classrooms.

What does it mean to teach from an inquiry stance? 

When we think about teaching from an inquiry stance, what are the ways curriculum, assessment, and instructional design empower students to engage, with confidence? In contexts where students are expected to question and inquire, the inclusive nature of student voice and choice becomes a norm.

As we scaffold our way to a more rigorous education might ask, are students acquiring skills that help them to ask great questions? Are we positioning students to take the lead in their own learning? Re-invigorating students’ natural curiosity requires teachers to demonstrate their curiosity and help learners to connect to subject matter through concepts and questions that frame the learning. 

An inquiry teacher possesses specific characteristics that empower them to harness the potential of increasing student agency over learning. The good news is that, wherever we are in our teaching career, these characteristics can be learned, nurtured, and honed. Through consistent and intentional use, these dispositions and understandings can become part of our teacher's DNA. And as we cultivate these essential characteristics, we will more powerfully be able to teach from an inquiry stance.  

Source: International Baccalaureate Organization