The Inquiry Process: At the Heart of Design

This week’s blog begins a stage-by-stage posting over the next four weeks that highlights learning by inquiry. My career in teacher-librarianship convinces me that at the heart of great curriculum design is the scaffolding of ways to guide all students in learning about inquiry as a process, not just as a product.

So many inquiry or research assignments/projects in school are what David Loertsher calls “Bird Projects.” They are poorly conceived, constructed, and delivered and rarely engage learners in subjects that matter to them. Knowing how students actually inquire (e.g., exploring, investigating, processing, and creating) is essential to learning. Building this into the collaborative design of an assignment, can make all the difference.

The diagram above represents Exploring, the first stage of inquiry in which students engage. Notice the guiding teacher questions to assist the process, as well as the achievement standards that are identical in each stage. Experience shows how vital this first stage is to success and joy in an inquiry-based activity in any subject, as it increases teacher awareness of affective and cognitive realities for all students K-12. For instance, do you ever ask students about how what they already know about a topic can change the way they feel as they begin their research? 

The diagram is based on work found in the new document from the Ontario School Library Association Together for Learning: School Libraries and the Emergence of the Learning Commons. I had the privilege of leading the chapter on inquiry with my colleague Cathi Gibson. We based our work on research and evidence (Ross Todd, David Loertsher, Carol Kuhlthau et. al.) about how student achievement increases when guided inquiry becomes part of a school’s learning culture. Carol's Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century is essential reading for all teachers and administrators.  

So throughout March I will be posting the following:             

• diagrams of all four stages of the inquiry process
• inquiry-based teaching and learning strategies on my Page 1
• web links to important writings on the inquiry process, particularly its connection to curriculum design.

I hope you remain inquisitive!