Inquiry in elementary school? Let's test it out.

Step 1 of planning inquiry is to inspect - SPARK INTEREST!
I learned as a museum educator that it's often the regular every day items that future generations will most inquire about. 
We wonder about a sad iron, a snood or a horseshoe but 150 years ago no one wondered about them at all.

My inquiry item: postcards from the "Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls" series.

I asked my rebel girl 4th grader which of the 5 categories were most interesting: 

• Warriors
• Creators
• Champions
• Pioneers
• ​Leaders

Creators most sparked her interest.
I spread out the 8 cards and then I asked open-ended questions:
What do you notice?
What did the people on the cards have in common?
Which two would you like to ask more questions about?

Inquiry is about questions:
Step 2: Investigate - Scaffold knowledge for students so they can ask their own questions

Just like any good detective, an inquiring 4th grader needs to get the big picture and then generate new questions.

We read the brief bio on the back of two post cards: Maria Callas and Millo Castro Zaldarriaga.

Millo was definitely the winner. She created Cuba's first all-girl band and played the drums!

What 3 questions would you ask about Millo?

​1. How did she keep herself from getting discouraged?
2. How did she prove herself to the haters?
3. What does her music sound like?

Step 3: Interrogate-Guide students to answer their supporting questions

Before jumping into any research, we talked about how we would like to tell other people about Millo's bravery.
Would a topic paragraph really help people experience her music?
An interview might be a good idea. Questions are good?
How would anyone hear the interview?

We settled on creating a news story about Millo for the radio or TV.

Now we had a purpose for our research and we knew that we should be looking for great sounds for our radio news story.

Step 4: Interpret- Empower students to trust their ideas and share what they learned.
Evaluate information - We jumped to youtube and found two songs. Then we tried Spotify but had not luck.
Synthesize evidence - Our next step would be to learn more about Millo's life. We could read the book Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle and in fact we found a website full of sources
Analyze - The analysis comes in answering the supporting questions.
Draw Conclusions - When that evidence is connected to our big question we can draw a conclusion.
Share in a meaningful way - Finally we can record our radio news story.

My conclusion is that inquiry is possible for elementary and it just may be the key to keeping curiosity-driven learning alive.

​As the students who are learning virtually through this pandemic grow up and shape the future of higher education they will be clamoring for authentic experiences.
Project-based learning is already bringing real-world methodologies and problems into the elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. Children are learning to be problem solvers.
​By the time they reach the college level they will need authentic, not simulated, experiences. Colleges would do well to invest heavily in counselors who can make the college experience exactly what kids need to grow and create the career they want. Managing work-life balance and dealing with an increasingly anxious group of kids who are stressed about the future requires a personalized-learning approach that we have started in Prek-12. It's hard to imagine giant Econ 101 lectures with 250 students at a public university being a realistic model for learning when we are applying Universal Design for Learning and personalized learning to create 21st-century thinkers. Authentic learning concierges will help students navigate learning options and build experiences like education travel agents.

I'm finding myself speaking a lot about civics education lately. I'm fielding questions about how it can be improved. What is next? What will it look like?

As long as people are asking what civics education needs to be, this is the framework: 

1. Start with inquiry. Always.  - Student voice has to drive learning.
2. Problem solve - Equip kids with the tools they need to research, gather evidence and make their claim. They will want to understand the structures and mechanisms of government if they have a need to know.
3. Value literacy beyond reading - When readers who struggle are empowered to make a difference, they find motivation to read and gather information from sources beyond the written word. Literacy is multidimensional. For many students who struggle to engage in school their interpersonal literacy and storytelling power is untapped potential.
4. Equity- Ensure every learner has what he or she needs to be successful by ensuring that they see diverse problem-solvers represented in current events and in history.
5. Cultural humility means admitting you aren't the expert on others' cultures or view of the world. Empower children to tell their story and use their own voice. Create a brave space where those voices are lifted up and heard. Teach empathy.
6. Ground learning in understanding - Read the world to read the words as Paulo Freire said. Build confidence in context and children will be motivated to want to know more. The desire to learn and wonder beyond the classroom natural follows. Those who wonder about problems beyond the classroom and learn to problem solve become civic-minded global citizens

I've even been asked if balanced civic education is  possible.
Of course it's possible!
If I can become the poster child for civics education, anything is possible. 
​
It just takes the real world, creativity, and listening to kids.
All apologies to Mr. Palmer, my 12th grade social science survey teacher, but I never wanted anything to do with civics. I loved Mr. Palmer's survey class and it influenced the historian and teacher I became but I took the class to avoid senior-year civics. 
Cue 2011- My first teaching job was as a long-term substitute teaching early US history with a focus on government and civics. 
When confronted with a need to care about the structure of government, I found a way to care about it and make kids care

When our national politics became so frightening that currents events quizzes became anxiety-inducing, I knew that it was civics o'clock. Our children needed to be equipped with tools to tackle the problems they see in the world.
As a teacher my job is empower them to change the world.
Social studies teachers - it is time to seize the day. This is our moment.