What is inquiry? Inquiry is a dynamic process of being open to wonder and puzzlement and coming to know and understand the world (Friesen, Jacobsen, Brown, Saar, & Hampshire, 2015). In a classroom setting it is a systematic investigation into a problem, issue, topic or idea. John Dewey (1938) was the leading twentieth century scholar on the topic. He wrote about the importance of students formulating problems related to their own experiences and constructing their knowledge based on new understandings. Dewey believed that the teacher should not simply stand in front of the class and transmit information to be passively absorbed by students. Instead, students must be actively involved in the learning process and given a degree of control over what they are learning. Coiro (2015) stated, “When curriculum is built around learner instincts to talk, investigate, construct meaning, and express new discoveries with others, meaningful and transformative learning happens quite naturally” (p. 189). Inquiry learning leads to a path of lifelong learning in which students develop into citizens who can make significant contributions to society.
The most innovative business people, the ones who change the path of society, are people who ask questions. They live a life of inquiry, passion, determination, and failure. Yes, failure. Persistence in the face of failure is what separates these innovators from others who see the stop sign and stop. Innovators see a stop sign as a pause and they go after their goal via an alternate route. The late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple; Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon; Larry Page and Sergey Brin, founders of Google; and Van Phillips, creator of innovative prosthetic feet and limbs are people who asked “why” and “what if” questions. They wonder (Berger, 2014). Inquiry that begins in school creates opportunities for individual growth that can spur ground-breaking inventions to better society. Benefits of inquiry
Students progress academically when they participate in learning through inquiry. They are more engaged, persevere through difficult tasks, and ask high quality questions when they are in control of their journey.
Engagement in school
Taking ownership and doing research on self-selected topics makes school a place where students feel that they are part of the process, rather than simply the recipients of information. Students are more engaged in school and persevere through difficult tasks when they are actively pursuing knowledge (Berger 2014; Davey, 1986; Meyer, 2010; Spires, Hervey, Morris, Stelpflug, 2010). When students ask questions that are meaningful to them, they are able to isolate their confusion and the teacher can provide resources they need for further exploration. The teacher’s role is facilitator rather than the director (Tovani, 2015). Rothstein, Santana, & Minigan (2015) studied how to help students ask questions and they found that when students set their own learning agenda they felt more empowered and were invested in their learning. “As students become more curious and engaged and take on the new ownership of their learning they will leave school as sophisticated questioners who can use the skill of question formulation in higher education, the workplace, their lives, and our democracy” (p.75). Chin (2002) also reported long-term positive outcomes when students are encouraged to ask questions. She wrote about Isidore Rabi, a Nobel prize winner in physics. “Every other Jewish mother in Brooklyn would ask her child after school: ‘So what did you learn in school today?’. But not my mother. ‘Izzy’, she would say, ‘did you ask a good question today?’ That difference - asking good questions - was what made him become a scientist, the Nobel laureate maintained” (p.65). How does a teacher begin the process of learning through inquiry?
Non-fiction reading
Reading proficiency and content knowledge increase when teachers weave science content and literacy strategies together (Connor, Kaya, Luck, Toste, Canto, Rice, et al., 2010). Their study indicated that all students at all levels of understanding benefit from reading non-fiction. Students (many of whom were living in impoverished areas) who entered the study with less background knowledge and academic language showed gains in learning. We are fortunate (mostly) to live in a digital age where information is readily available. Dwyer (2016) sees teachers forming partnerships with students and learning with them as they assist students in exploring reliable on-line sources and filtering through unnecessary information. This is a shift in the traditional model of the teacher as the primary expert in the classroom. Stead (2014) stresses the importance of non-fiction read alouds in elementary classrooms. Non-fiction texts can serve as mentor texts for students in how to craft creative leads, organize information, include visuals, and traditional text features like captions, headings and sub-headings. Fisher and Frey (2015) emphasize the importance of students producing, rather than simply consuming, non-fiction text. Aligned with Dewey, these researchers see a larger purpose for learning in school, which is to take action and make positive changes in communities.
Strategies
Long ago when I began teaching, the strategy I saw used most to teach non-fiction was the KWL chart. What do students already know? What do they want to know? What have they learned? My enthusiasm for teaching non-fiction has been reignited by learning about a variety of methods now used to teach non-fiction. Coiro (2015) wrote about engaging students at the beginning of a unit of study by using a small portion of a photograph and asking students to consider what the image might be. Students collaborate and explain their predictions. The teacher then provides other resources and students begin to ask questions. Teachers model thinking aloud, strategies used to ask questions, navigate books and websites, and decide which information is relevant. Scholars (Fisher & Frey, 2015; Palmer & Stewart, 2005; Richetti & Sheerin, 1999;) concur about the importance of student collaboration and asking questions in a logical manner. They showed how problem solving matrices as graphic organizers help students make their thinking visible and show a path to discovery. Peer interaction is an important part of the inquiry process in internet research. They take on roles such as questioner, navigator, and summarizer, and they pose questions, take notes, and synthesize information (Chin, 2002 and Dwyer, 2016). Spires, Hervey, Morris, and Stelpflug (2012) reported on middle schoolers’ reflections from their investigation about a self-selected topic. Students reported that creating a video with a flip camera using narration was meaningful and helped them develop research skills and learn a new way of presenting their findings. They collaborated with an expert in the field of video recording, and found that connection particularly meaningful. It is refreshing to see a variety of research-based practices for engaging students in reading and responding to non-fiction.
Obstacles Fisher and Frey (2015) report that teachers have difficulty finding non-fiction books that match the content standards, have text that is appropriate for students’ reading levels, is accurate, and interesting. Non-fiction books should serve as mentor texts for students, and often they are written as merely a collection of facts. Teachers sometimes feel that they don’t know how to read non-fiction books in an engaging manner, and subsequently don’t know how to have students respond in a creative way (Stead, 2014). Although the internet offers a variety of alternatives to traditional books, teachers either don’t have access to enough computers, have slow internet, or lack the knowledge about how to use the technology effectively. Teachers need training about how to teach their students to seek, evaluate, and synthesize information from several internet sources. They report that students lack persistence in the process (Dywer, 2016).
As students get older, they ask fewer and fewer questions in school. Older students fear they might look dumb or too excited about school. There is tremendous pressure to fit in and not be the nerd who holds up the class with a “stupid question.” Tovani (2015) quoted Ralph Fletcher who gave a keynote address at a conference. “If the first troops that hit the beach get mowed down, no one will follow. Be careful about how you respond to the first troops.” Berger (2014) saw the structure of learning in schools as an obstacle. “…Our current system of education does not encourage, teach, or in some cases tolerate questioning. Somehow we have defined the goal of schooling as enabling you to have more ‘right’ answers than the person next to you. And we penalize incorrect answers. And we do this at a pace-especially now in this highly focused test-prep universe-where we don’t have time for extraneous questions.” Teachers feel tremendous pressure to teach the mandated standards and they simply cannot go off course, which limits the possibility of student driven learning and inquiry. Students ask fewer and fewer questions as they progress in school. Berger reports that a professor at the Harvard Business School said his students are far less curious and willing to ask questions than his students were twenty years ago. He believes that students are not encouraged to ask questions in their early years of school so they never develop the “muscle” required to think in that manner. Inquiry requires time to think and take a step back to ask questions that begin with why, what if, and can we. Our society is focused from the time children are in pre-school to “getting things done.” The pace of modern life simply does not leave much room to wonder or inquire.