Threads of Inquiry
I love that I am still inquiring into inquiry!
This post is based on something that Kath Murdoch shared with staff at the International School of Paris last week and that sparked a new pathway in my own journey of inquiry. It's always fascinating and insightful to go beyond thinking about inquiry to engage actively in the process of inquiry to deepen learning.
Discussing possible starting points for inquiry, Kath gave two quite different examples.
1. A starting point that could go off in any number of unknown directions
2. Introducing an authentic project or action that will take place in the future to frame an inquiry
Making connections to these different approaches, I recognised so many examples of the first proposal. Through reflection, I realised I actually use the second approach quite often in Kindergarten, often using the word "challenge" to promote playful learning. It was then I became curious about the "elements" or characteristics of inquiry that transcend both examples and visuals that might capture these for myself and others.
I found myself using the term "threads of inquiry".
The more I started to explore the qualities and properties of threads, the more parallels I was finding and developing, and the more parallels that were revealed. The analogy of the threads was helping me to make meaning and capture the essence of inquiry in a way that a list of words might not.
I also wanted to unpack the two approaches and investigate some of the different scenarios that they might be played out in.
1. A starting point that could go off in any number of unknown directions. This starting point could be anything - an observation, a special event, a surprising response, a child's working theory about how something functions, something noticed on the way to school, a moment or creation from a child's play, a comment made by a visitor, a change in the school, a puzzled look, a child's doubt, an object brought from home, a provocation used in a unit of inquiry, a guest speaker, a field trip, an invitation to use a new material... Something that captivates interest, triggers curiosity or a noticing that causes wonder or something that doesn't quite make sense! Recently, a field trip to France Miniature captivated children's attention in trains and has since led to explorations of non fiction texts, construction of cardboard trains, imaginative stories involving the train and questions linked to time, distance, speed and location of trains, and wonderings about how trains and underwater tunnels are constructed. After sharing theories and thinking about how we might found out more, we watched a video that has now prompted the children to build tunnels for the train between classrooms! There are limitless opportunities and possibilities still to explore, not knowing where this journey of inquiry might lead.
2. Introducing an authentic project or action that will take place in the future to frame an inquiry. This could take many forms such as a creative task, a problem to solve, a challenge to tackle, an event to prepare for or a goal to work towards. It could come from an adult, an individual child or a group of children. This might be seen to be "less inquiry-based" but there are still so many possibilities and potential journeys within the frame and the limits set. Kindergarten students have all chosen a personal goal to work towards. Examples of these goals include tying shoelaces, writing a message to mum and dad and learning strategies to win a game in class. The end goal is set. The inquiry is the exploration and meaning making that happens to move towards this goal. For example, children are thinking about how they can make progress, who might be able to support them and how often they want to work on their goal. Challenges such as "Create the tallest structure possible" invite a playful spirit to explore different ways to meet the success criteria that has already been set. Thinking within limits often inspires the most creative and innovative of ideas through active investigation and problem solving. Yesterday, Kindergarten were exploring Paris as a Classroom and were going to a park for the first time. The destination was decided. I used Google Maps to show the route we were taking, but without stating where we were going. The children had so many personal connections and stories about maps and features they saw on the map, as well as theories and wonderings about the colours, words and images as symbols used to figure out where we were going and how. The walk itself then helped to make even more sense of the abstract ways used to represent place on the map.
Judith Lindfors describes inquiry as uncertain and invitational. Both examples illustrate Lindfors' words.
The key is to understand inquiry as the how of learning - thinking about inquiry as a process, a pedagogy and a way of being. The children have an active role in investigating something of importance to find out more and move forward in their learning. This aligns perfectly with the notion of agency. Helen Hedges (2022) writes: Inquiry is tentative and subject to ongoing investigation and exploration in multiple ways.
The 'threads of inquiry' transcend both (and many more) examples as they bring together different features of inquiry. There are many 'stitches' that shape inquiries that become woven together over a period of time. If they are rushed, threads become broken, lose their place and lack flow and cohesion.
Threads of inquiry can have different:
- quantities showing that more than one line of inquiry is possible
- colours to capture the diversity of inquiries
- thicknesses to represent that some inquiries may be more dominant than others
- lengths to convey that some aspects of inquiry last longer than others
- strengths to show that children hold some inquiries stronger than others
- levels of flexibility to demonstrate that some inquiries can bend and take on new pathways, or veer away from the anticipated destination
- points of tension to illustrate that a journey of inquiry often encounters a difficulty, a point of confusion or a place of doubt
- directions to indicate that inquiry is not linear and inquiries often unravel along different tracks
- meeting points to explain that inquiry involves making connections to make sense of information. How, when and where the threads of inquiry meet differ each and every time.
These threads of inquiry make the process of inquiry more easily seen and tangible. It is important that when working with children, we take the time to notice these threads through active listening and observing.
What threads of inquiry are you noticing with the learners you teach right now?
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