WEBVTT 00:00:00.130 --> 00:00:01.660 Here's what I want you to know. 00:00:01.720 --> 00:00:06.550 Even before we get into it, the fear is real. 00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:13.800 The fear is valid, and the fear makes complete sense because the 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:19.740 first time you open up a lesson for genuine inquiry, it genuinely does 00:00:19.740 --> 00:00:22.290 feel like you're walking a tightrope. 00:00:23.550 --> 00:00:28.680 You've worked hard at creating a calm and productive classroom, and you know 00:00:28.680 --> 00:00:36.150 your routines, and then someone suggests that you hand over more of the thinking. 00:00:36.540 --> 00:00:44.100 To the children and suddenly your brain goes straight to climbing on 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:49.830 tables, everyone talking at once and absolutely nothing getting done. 00:00:51.090 --> 00:00:52.020 I get it. 00:00:52.500 --> 00:00:54.360 I have thought those same things, 00:00:56.785 --> 00:01:01.170 but here's what I've learned after years of being in a K to two classroom. 00:01:01.965 --> 00:01:06.674 What teachers mostly imagine losing control looks like and 00:01:06.674 --> 00:01:11.234 what actually happens when inquiry learning is structured 00:01:11.324 --> 00:01:16.155 well, key words are two very different things. 00:01:16.875 --> 00:01:20.684 So today, let's talk about that gap. 00:01:21.734 --> 00:01:26.084 When most teachers say they're afraid of losing control, what 00:01:26.084 --> 00:01:28.514 they're actually picturing is chaos. 00:01:28.514 --> 00:01:31.845 Full, on noise kids doing whatever they want. 00:01:32.234 --> 00:01:36.734 No learning happening, kids running around, maybe one chasing another 00:01:36.734 --> 00:01:41.625 of a ruler, and then you're standing in the middle of it helpless. 00:01:42.345 --> 00:01:43.304 Do you get the picture? 00:01:44.354 --> 00:01:48.195 Well, that's not inquiry learning, that's the absence of structure. 00:01:48.945 --> 00:01:51.255 And those two things are not the same thing. 00:01:52.035 --> 00:01:57.014 Real inquiry, learning, the kind that works in real classrooms with real 00:01:57.014 --> 00:02:00.945 children still has clear expectations. 00:02:01.245 --> 00:02:03.195 It still has routines. 00:02:03.435 --> 00:02:05.055 It's still guided. 00:02:05.335 --> 00:02:11.725 The teacher is still very much in the room paying attention and guiding the thinking. 00:02:12.905 --> 00:02:17.855 What does change is this, instead of you doing all the talking and all 00:02:17.855 --> 00:02:23.615 the work, the children do more of the working and more of the thinking. 00:02:24.515 --> 00:02:28.685 Instead of you delivering the answer, you ask the question. 00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:36.650 And yes, it is noisier than a silent worksheet, but it's productive noise. 00:02:37.100 --> 00:02:42.230 It's the sound of children actually engaged, and it'll give 00:02:42.230 --> 00:02:45.050 you such a warm and fuzzy feeling like you've never had before. 00:02:45.590 --> 00:02:49.790 And once you know this difference between productive and unproductive 00:02:49.790 --> 00:02:52.070 noise, you will never go back. 00:02:52.730 --> 00:02:56.600 Here's an example in a traditional lesson. 00:02:57.485 --> 00:03:03.865 Let's say on floating and sinking, you might explain the concept demonstrate it. 00:03:04.055 --> 00:03:06.185 Have children record the result. 00:03:06.605 --> 00:03:09.905 It's structured, it's predictable, it's controlled. 00:03:11.435 --> 00:03:17.255 In an inquiry version of this exact same lesson, you might put a bucket of water. 00:03:19.295 --> 00:03:22.415 And a collection of objects on each table. 00:03:22.805 --> 00:03:26.195 And you might say to the children, what do you notice? 00:03:26.405 --> 00:03:27.605 What do you wonder? 00:03:29.975 --> 00:03:32.525 And yes, it's louder. 00:03:33.185 --> 00:03:41.555 Children will surprise you with where they go, but real learning is happening. 00:03:42.545 --> 00:03:45.815 And it's happening because they are genuinely curious 00:03:46.550 --> 00:03:48.320 about what they're discovering. 00:03:48.890 --> 00:03:51.050 That's not losing control. 00:03:51.590 --> 00:03:55.730 That's actually gaining something much more valuable. 00:03:57.020 --> 00:04:01.010 But I want to get practical because this is where it counts. 00:04:01.010 --> 00:04:06.800 Before you stick those buckets of water on the table, you need to first listen 00:04:06.920 --> 00:04:09.710 to this because this really matters. 00:04:10.490 --> 00:04:14.080 Inquiry learning doesn't mean open slather. 00:04:15.185 --> 00:04:19.355 The teachers that do well have four key structures in place, and I wanna 00:04:19.355 --> 00:04:21.035 walk you through each one of those. 00:04:22.025 --> 00:04:24.665 Number one is a clear entry point. 00:04:25.235 --> 00:04:30.995 Every inquiry lesson, needs a clear beginning, a provocation, something 00:04:30.995 --> 00:04:36.425 that sparks their thinking, whether it's an object, an image, a question on the 00:04:36.425 --> 00:04:40.175 board, a story, or a simple hands on task. 00:04:40.745 --> 00:04:46.265 Children need to know what they're looking at, what they'll be doing, and what you've 00:04:46.265 --> 00:04:49.355 expect of them in that first five minutes. 00:04:49.865 --> 00:04:54.665 A clear entry point sets the tone for everything that follows. 00:04:56.525 --> 00:05:02.315 The second structure point you need is to define the roles and the norms. 00:05:03.105 --> 00:05:04.935 Before you even begin. 00:05:05.295 --> 00:05:13.605 Children need to know what inquiry looks like and sounds like in your room. 00:05:15.255 --> 00:05:19.125 What does it sound like when they're thinking and talking together? 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:22.050 What do you do when you disagree? 00:05:22.590 --> 00:05:24.240 What happens when you're stuck? 00:05:24.990 --> 00:05:31.380 Just like any other well structured, explicit instruction lesson, you need 00:05:31.380 --> 00:05:37.230 to be explicit about your expectations and the norms around inquiry lessons. 00:05:37.830 --> 00:05:42.030 And once children know them, they largely police themselves. 00:05:42.990 --> 00:05:48.090 Structure Number three, you need a visible thinking framework. 00:05:48.795 --> 00:05:49.935 And this is a big one. 00:05:50.535 --> 00:05:53.655 When children are exploring or investigating, they need 00:05:53.655 --> 00:05:58.785 a scaffold, something that holds their thinking in place. 00:05:59.175 --> 00:06:04.245 It might be something as simple as a recording sheet with I notice, I wonder, 00:06:04.245 --> 00:06:10.065 I think it might a diagram, it might be a question map or a group discussion 00:06:10.065 --> 00:06:11.835 framework, like a think, pair share. 00:06:12.585 --> 00:06:15.960 But the framework keeps the children anchored. 00:06:16.320 --> 00:06:21.780 It also gives you something to assess and a structure for you. 00:06:22.450 --> 00:06:26.500 I will leave a link for you in the show notes, uh, or the description 00:06:26.890 --> 00:06:30.880 of some of the graphic organizers in my resource library that you 00:06:30.880 --> 00:06:32.530 might find valuable for this. 00:06:33.400 --> 00:06:36.310 Structure four is you need a strong close. 00:06:36.820 --> 00:06:40.480 Every inquiry lesson needs to come back together. 00:06:41.020 --> 00:06:45.935 This is where you as the teacher do some of your most important work. 00:06:47.020 --> 00:06:51.490 You draw those threads together, you name what you discovered, you 00:06:51.490 --> 00:06:53.680 connect it to the learning intention. 00:06:54.220 --> 00:06:57.910 Children need that landing and honestly, so do you. 00:06:58.400 --> 00:07:02.840 It is where you can see that they've actually understood where you can 00:07:02.840 --> 00:07:07.880 correct any misunderstandings or misconceptions and where you can 00:07:07.880 --> 00:07:13.160 celebrate the thinking that happened with those four structures in place. 00:07:13.835 --> 00:07:16.835 Inquiry learning doesn't feel like a tight rope. 00:07:16.835 --> 00:07:18.395 It doesn't feel like chaos. 00:07:18.845 --> 00:07:21.095 It feels like a really good lesson. 00:07:21.995 --> 00:07:27.785 Now, I wanna say this clearly, you do not need to overall everything 00:07:27.785 --> 00:07:33.335 you do, if the idea of a full inquiry unit feels overwhelming 00:07:33.335 --> 00:07:35.425 to you, start with five minutes. 00:07:36.055 --> 00:07:40.735 Five minutes at the beginning of a, of a science lesson where you put 00:07:40.735 --> 00:07:44.725 something on the table and you ask what do you notice before you teach 00:07:44.725 --> 00:07:51.375 anything or five minutes at the end of a maths lesson where you just asking, 00:07:51.375 --> 00:07:53.895 did anything surprise you today? 00:07:54.375 --> 00:07:55.905 Does it always work out? 00:07:56.355 --> 00:07:58.575 Can you think of a time it might not work out? 00:07:59.880 --> 00:08:04.680 Or just five minutes of wonder time, a weekly time slot where children 00:08:04.680 --> 00:08:09.450 can write or draw something that they're curious about with no pressure 00:08:09.630 --> 00:08:11.700 to find the answer on that day. 00:08:12.090 --> 00:08:16.735 And I've spoken about this on other episodes where we can use 00:08:16.735 --> 00:08:20.515 those wonder questions and I'll link for you in the show notes episodes 00:08:20.515 --> 00:08:23.515 where we spoke about what you can do with those wonder questions. 00:08:25.075 --> 00:08:27.160 Inquiry is a muscle. 00:08:28.450 --> 00:08:30.490 For you and for your students. 00:08:30.790 --> 00:08:35.110 And like any other muscle, it gets stronger the more you use 00:08:35.110 --> 00:08:40.360 it, but you don't build a strong muscle by lifting the heaviest 00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:42.820 weight you possibly can on day one. 00:08:43.420 --> 00:08:44.380 You start small. 00:08:45.160 --> 00:08:48.070 You notice what happens and you build from there. 00:08:48.970 --> 00:08:52.030 Now, if you're sitting there thinking, okay, I wanna try this, 00:08:52.300 --> 00:08:56.590 but I need something to get my hands on to get started, well, 00:08:56.590 --> 00:08:58.570 I've got several resources for you. 00:08:59.060 --> 00:09:02.200 I'll leave links to them all to help you get started straight 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:07.900 away in the show notes and episode description, they're all tried and 00:09:07.900 --> 00:09:12.240 tested and they worked brilliantly with K to two, even three kids. 00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:18.240 Listen, if this episode resonated with you today, I'd love you to share it 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:22.650 with a colleague, a teacher, or a parent who's curious about inquiry learning, 00:09:22.890 --> 00:09:24.990 but hasn't quite taken the step. 00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:29.860 Sometimes all it takes is hearing someone say. 00:09:30.275 --> 00:09:33.575 The fear is normal and here's what to do with it. 00:09:34.385 --> 00:09:40.445 Thanks so much for spending time with me here today and like always take care 00:09:40.445 --> 00:09:43.475 of yourself and be blooming curious.