Inquiries can begin in many places. But inquiry-led learning depends on educators own CURIOSITY, their ability to manage UNCERTAINTY and to be open to POSSIBILITY.
Maybe you NOTICE children laughing, surprised, arguing, returning to something, repeating something. These are signs of something significant to the children.
Maybe you are CURIOUS about WHY the children are interested in something. WHY are they interested in that one large green truck? Do the children think it works better than the yellow and red ones? That it goes faster? That it carries more sand? Is there power gained by having the only green truck? Is it the favourite truck and if so, why?
Maybe there is a social issue, a technical problem or organisational decision that you would like the CHALLENGE the children to help you solve.
Maybe you WONDER how the children might engage with a material, space or topic.
Maybe there is another starting point. What was the starting point for the last inquiry you facilitated?
To build your attitude of inquiry, to suspend your need for certainty, to remain open to possibility, some experiments will make your inquiry much richer.
Set up some experiences that enable the children to engage and you to observe:
- with whatever is delighting, surprising, challenging or confusing them. Don’t leap in and rescue, give answers, provide solutions.
- with the material or objects that appear to be interesting or what you are interested in the children’s engagement.
- to begin to explore the issue you are intending for them to solve.
Move the experience to a different space or do it at a different time. For example, place the trucks in a smaller space or offer them as a play option early in the day but not later. Do the children engage with it differently?
Have a different educator work with the experience. Do the children engage with it differently?
Offer similar materials for the children to engage with in the same way. For example, substitute the trucks for large cars. Do the children engage with the experience differently?
Provide experiences that encourage children to experiment with the purpose (the WHY) of the experience (or the suspected purpose). Have the green truck disappear. Offer three green trucks. Set up a small incline plane. Provide resources to fill the trucks to move from one place to another.
NOTICE what the children are doing and document that. Take photos and videos.
Be CURIOUS about what they are doing. Talk to them about what they are doing. Document their responses.
CHALLENGE the children. Offer different perspectives. “Ï think the yellow truck is just as fast/ holds just as much/ is much nicer.”
WONDER out loud. “Would this work in the mulch area?”
Put all the information you have gathered in one place: a display board, a floor book, a scrapbook, a digital device. Discuss it with your team. Discuss it with different groups of children.
What is significant? What is worth investigating?
Write your focus and your WHY.
And now plan.
Facilitating Conversations 