How to Get Started with Inquiry: Using Provocations

One of the questions I get asked the most is, "Where do I start?". And while there is a depth and complexity to inquiry that gives me the opportunity to do the work I do in schools (and the very reason for my publication!), I understand that we all need something to get us going the same way our students need us to scaffold and support them in taking a risk and trying something new.

I remember stepping into my IB classroom for the very first time, inspired by the learning from my first training but so overwhelmed with the language, with how different it was to any type of teaching I had engaged in both professionally and as a learner and how everyone kept telling me to "listen to my learners to guide the learning", yet not quite knowing what that meant and where to even begin.

This newsletter is the first of a three part series. One in which I'll share and guide you through the three inquiry moves I suggest most often. Whether you are newer to this practice or inquiry is something you feel quite comfortable with, I'm hopeful that this series will get you started with something.

Perhaps it's an artifact that you bring to your next grade level meeting to start a conversation with your colleagues or maybe this gives you the push you need to try something new that you've been hesitant to move forward with. Either way, I hope you find these useful, that they help you further reflect on your practice and that they lead you more towards leading with an inquiry mindset.

First up?

Provocations

My campus is currently playing with this concept and considering the following during our planning and collaboration meetings:

💭 Where are we in the cycle and process of learning?

💭 How do we know this is something our students will be curious about?

💭 What types of thinking do I want my student to engage in?

💭 How can we best document and make student thinking visible?

💭 What am I curious to know about my students' thinking?

In addition to the reflective questions grounding and guiding our planning process, this week I'm sharing two additional ways you may consider the use of provocations in your classroom. After you watch the video but you're looking for some more inspiration, make sure you find and follow me on Instagram. I often share what inquiry "looks like" through stories and posts celebrating my learners and hopefully further nudging your thinking too.

Part two will be coming your way in just a bit. Enjoy this for now and if you're so called, share this with your colleagues, critical friends and thought partners as well.

I look forward to hearing more about how this impacts your thinking, what you decide to try and most importantly, what happens to the learning and your classroom.