It's the end of the year and you're looking at half finished
workbooks and worksheets that have been filled in shoddily and maybe
not even fully completed, and you feel as though you've failed.
The real issue isn't what you didn't complete, it's that
you're measuring the wrong thing.
Curriculum completion.
Feels productive.
It's often just means rushing through without real understanding.
Kids can finish pages without actually learning to think, question
or apply knowledge, and you end up teaching to a checklist instead of
teaching the child.
Today we're talking about inquiry-based learning as the
go-to strategy for deeper learning.
Now stay with me 'cause I'm going to show you why you should be including it
in your teaching practice, no matter how old the children are at your teaching.
Let's first look at the benefits of inquiry-based learning.
Children develop genuine curiosity.
That's the foundation of real learning and intelligence.
They learn to observe question and test their ideas.
These are the skills that transfer to real life.
Their understanding deepens because they're constructing
knowledge, not just consuming it.
And learning sticks because it's connected to real experiences and their
own questions from their experiences.
Now I know that inquiry scares people.
They think it means a free for all, and that children don't really learn anything.
I hear things like, I don't have time to add another thing.
Well, inquiry isn't an add-on.
It becomes part of your fabric of learning.
You don't replace your explicit instruction with inquiry.
These are different strategies that dovetail and complement each other.
Or I hear I need structure.
I need to cover the content.
Well, inquiry is structured.
You're still guiding the learning.
You are modeling and you're facilitating.
Like any good educator will do.
You just don't leave kids to figure out things for themselves.
You watch, you ask open-ended questions.
You help them find answers, and you teach them problem solving strategies.
These are the skills children need to succeed in life.
Or maybe you're saying, I don't know enough about science or maths,
or how to answer their questions.
Well, you don't need to know everything.
You are teaching them how to find answers, and with that you will
learn even more than you know now, or I hear it's so overwhelming.
Well, it's only overwhelming if you believe it is.
Inquiry starts with a small single step.
You don't change everything in one foul swoop.
That's just asking for failure.
So allow me to take you on a little tour of how simply and easily you can include
inquiry in your everyday experiences.
Let's take something as simple as going on a walk around the block to the park,
in the park, at the beach, even just around your garden or the playground.
What most of us do is we rush through it.
We tell kids, hurry up.
No, you can't stop for every stick.
Put that rock down.
Throw away that feather if it's dirty.
But inquiry.
What that looks like is allowing them to collect those
objects that they're drawn to.
, And in my free e guide that I'll share with you shortly, I'm gonna show
you how those little stones become objects for patterning and counting
and weight comparison and geology.
How sticks become measurement, balance structures, and engineering,
how leaves become classifications and observation of seasonal changes.
This teaches more than a worksheet ever could because the learning is motivated
by their questions, their finds, not your assignment or your worksheet.
In my free e guide, I break down exactly how to turn these kinds of
moments into learning experiences that don't even feel like learning.
It includes the specific skills the children develop and practical
ways to extend their thinking.
It's designed for both classroom and home school educators who want to see
real growth, not just completed pages.
This is where inquiry starts, not with overalling everything, but just with
noticing what's already in front of you.
And as a bonus, I've also included a little workbook that
accompanies the picture book, I went Walking by Sue Williams.
It has a literacy activity that children can do after they've come back from their
walk with all those little objects that they've seen or found or brought back.
So next time you feel behind on the curriculum, stop for a moment
and ask yourself, has my child or student has their thinking deepened?
Do they ask better questions?
Are they making connections?
That's the only growth that matters, and if you can be totally honest with
yourself and answer no to any of those questions, then it is time for you
to include inquiry into your teaching practice, and lucky for you, I have
resources that can help you do just that.
First go and download the E guide, how to nurture natural curiosity, and start
by going on a simple walk and putting the suggested experiences into practice.
And I guarantee you that your children will love it.
And secondly, go further with my inquiry, 101 guide that will take you
through the step by step process of implementing inquiry into your teaching.
I will leave a link in the show notes to both of these guides, how to nurture
natural curiosity and the 101 guide.
Now is the perfect time, December.
Holidays are coming.
It's the perfect time.
I know that you've just finished a year and you don't wanna start working
immediately and start planning, and I'm not saying that you should, but now is
the perfect time to just start thinking about the changes that you want to make.
So go there to the show notes, download , the free e guide and Inquiry 1 0 1 guide,
and start thinking in when you start your planning for the new year and start
thinking about how you're going to get children to go deeper in their learning.
These guides are going to help you start simply and easily
so that you can implement real learning, deeper learning, richer learning,
not just ticking off curriculum points or filling in worksheets.
That's not real education.
Now before I go, I would like to say a very big thank you for listening
and also ask you that if you like this podcast, please just take a second
and tap that share button and share it with a friend or a colleague.
And I'd also love you to leave a review as positive reviews really help to
push this podcast up the ranks where it stands a better chance of being found.
These are the only ways that the podcast can grow.
So thanks again for being here.
I really appreciate you, and until next time, stay blooming,
curious, and take care of yourself.