Retrieved from https://www.inquiringteacher.com/10-characteristics-of-the-inquiry-classroom/

In class, we were lucky to have Trevor Mackenzie talk to us about the importance of inquiry in the classroom. We were shown this graphic and asked to consider what we feel we are already incorporating in our teaching practices as well as what we feel we need to work on in order to foster an inquiry classroom.

Though I have not had much classroom experience, I do work in afterschool care and I feel like many of these characteristics apply to my job there.

Here are the characteristics that I feel I am already incorporating:

1. Nurture student passions and talents

I feel that I do this whenever I am talking with the kids at my work and they tell me about their interests. I love to ask kids questions about things that they are passionate about because it shows that I care about them and their interests, and I also get to learn about the things that they like.

2. Empower student voice and honour student choice

At work, I don’t like forcing my kids to do things that they don’t want to do. There are of course some exceptions to that depending on the activity and the situation. But, for example, if I say to my kids that today we will be playing Mario Kart on the Wii, but they all agree that they would much rather play Just Dance, then I have no problem changing to Just Dance. The same goes for if the kids have thought of a modification for a game we are playing in the gym. As long as the modification is fair, and all of the kids agree to make that change, then I see no problem with this.

I do not believe that the teacher/adult should be the all-powerful dictator of what the kids must do. In the case of school, as long as the kids are learning and we end up covering what is stated needs to be covered in the BC curriculum, I see no problem with making changes that are suggested by the kids.

I especially do not believe in forcing students to do things that they are not comfortable with such as a dissection or a debate on a topic that is too personal for the student.