Inquiry is about being open to new learning and taking informed action
Key Messages
• It requires collaboration.
• It starts with a deep understanding of learning and the experiences of learners.
• It is specifically designed to change outcomes for learners in important areas.
• It respects the judgment, experience and language of teachers.
• It is informed by the best of what we currently know about powerful professional learning
• It starts with a deep understanding of learning and the experiences of learners.
• It is specifically designed to change outcomes for learners in important areas.
• It respects the judgment, experience and language of teachers.
• It is informed by the best of what we currently know about powerful professional learning
Three big picture questions
A spiral of inquiry can begin at any point--
with an opportunity, an issue, a directive, maybe a hunch. Throughout the process, the inquiry is guided by these core questions:
• What is going on for our learners?
• How do we know?
• Why does it matter?
These three questions keep learners at the centre of the inquiry.
In improvement planning, the conventional question is How are our kids doing? The answers are typically quantitative, measured by test scores, graduation rates and post-secondary options.
The spiral of inquiry considers the quantitative data but goes deeper, asking where the learning is leading—socially, emotionally, intellectually and academically.
with an opportunity, an issue, a directive, maybe a hunch. Throughout the process, the inquiry is guided by these core questions:
• What is going on for our learners?
• How do we know?
• Why does it matter?
These three questions keep learners at the centre of the inquiry.
In improvement planning, the conventional question is How are our kids doing? The answers are typically quantitative, measured by test scores, graduation rates and post-secondary options.
The spiral of inquiry considers the quantitative data but goes deeper, asking where the learning is leading—socially, emotionally, intellectually and academically.
These principles underpin what researchers now know to be key influencers for why and how students engage with and own their learning.
Click the buttons below to access guidance and advice for each mode of the Spiral of Inquiry
Jump to...
"The more intentional you are about using the spiral of inquiry to change outcomes for learners in your setting, the more coherent and innovative the whole system will become."
-Spiral of Inquiry Playbook
References for Spiral of Inquiry section of the site:
Spiral of Inquiry Playbook
Spiral of Inquiry Playbook