Small Steps into Inquiry
At Alexander, we are trying to create a culture of inquiry. We hope to maintain that natural sense of wonder young children have for years to come! It is not easy to hand over decision-making to young children. The teacher must learn to be comfortable with not being the expert on a topic.
However, by giving students voice and choice over what they learn, they become more engaged and curious and inquire about things they are interested in!
The science curriculum is an easy platform to foster inquiry. Rather than telling students what animal they were going to learn about, Janet, our grade 1 teacher, chose three local animals to pique students’ natural interest, and students got to use their voice to make their choice – which resulted in an examination around beavers.
Although Janet had limited prior knowledge of beavers, the results were in, and the beaver was the clear winner. Most students (and the teacher) knew very little of beavers, so the engagement was high as they learned about this fascinating creature. Not knowing all the answers and not having prescribed lesson plans and learning alongside students is integral to inquiry-based learning – and Janet did just that! A KWL chart was co-created and referred to through the learning process. It was exciting when students’ original thoughts and ideas were shifted from what they thought they knew to knowledge learned through the inquiry process.
Taking risks, having a willingness to learn alongside students and creating rich opportunities for students to wonder and ask questions creates amazing learning opportunities for students and staff! One step at a time!