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I am excited to co-lead with Aga Chojnacka-Al Atat and Kirti Kale a book club for Kath Murdoch’s latest title, Getting Personal with Inquiry Learning. I am already several sections into the book and I’ve found a treasure trove of little gems that resonate deeply to my teaching philosophy.  Each week, our book club will focus on two to three sections and apply them to our practice. This podcast will serve as a reflection tool and also tap into parts of the book that resonated with me. Let’s get started! For the first book club, I was delivering a workshop in the Colorado Rockies and I was a little bit unwell, so I didn’t get to join the book club. For this episode, I’m going to solely focus on what resonated with me. Going forward, I will merge the two experiences together. Who is this for? Besides educators, parents, leaders, and policymakers, this book has been written for our young people, so they can “experience a stronger personal connection between what they care about and what they are learning at school.” Wouldn’t it be magical if all educators thought through this lens? Imagine how dynamic school and life would be in the future. How do we create personal inquiry? First, we must understand what inquiry is and what it means to be personal in order to put them together to create something unique.  Inquiry“An inquiry is generally driven by questions and these questions may arise from a need, a problem, a puzzle, or an interest.” How many of us are truly teaching this to our learners? “There are numerous contexts and approaches that lend themselves to learning through inquiry. While these may differ in emphasis, they all position learning as an act of exploration and construction.” Some of approaches are:
There are many more that Kath references, but they are equally fabulous in their own way. It’s about our intention and our focus on what and how students learn. PersonalWhen we make learning personal for our learners, what does that mean? Here is what Kath purports it is not. “While differentiation is important, it is not the same as making it personal.” I’m always thinking about ways to differentiate learning, so this made me pause. She continues, “The term ‘personalized’ is used in a range of ways. One definition suggests that pathways are designed for individuals by educators, and goals are set and tracked for each learner in one or more subject areas. Learners may be working at their own pace through a program designed by or negotiated with the educator.” “There is a difference between simply learning something that is pitched at the right ‘level’ for you and learning something that you are personally, genuinely invested in.” I don’t know about you, but this has made me really pause and think about how many times I’ve been well intentioned to support my learners, but it was not truly personalized to meet their needs. This explains why they did not truly understand the content, they weren’t invested in the process. It’s tough to admit, but it’s how we grow into better educators.  Personal + Inquiry = Personal InquiryNow that we have strived to understand each component, what exactly is personal inquiry? “Personal inquiry is about the needs, interests, passions of each learner being met through opportunities for them to inquire. While personal, these opportunities do not preclude collaboration with others. In fact, the process of engaging in a personal inquiry inevitably involves collaboration with others in order, for example, to gather expert information, receive feedback, or share learning.” Think about your own personal learning journey. There were probably plenty of times where you collaborated with friends and colleagues to make sure your ideas made sense or resonated with others. These interactions probably made all of the difference, because they verified that you were on the right track. This is why we need others while delving into our personal inquiries. “Having agency in your learning and being part of the decision-making about what, how, when, where, and with whom you will learn is not a treat or a reward, it is a right.” How many times have we told students, if you complete this task, you get to work with this person? Yikes? It’s not a reward, but a right. The ‘Why’ of Personal InquiryThere are so many reasons why we should honor personal inquiry in our practice. Here are some ideas that Kath presented that really stood out at me.
“Curiosity is at the heart of the inquiry classroom. Inquiry both activates and is activated by curiosity.” “Inquiry strengthens transferable skills and dispositions needed throughout our lives.” “The most powerful inquiry is concept-based.” “When learners are engaged in learning with real purpose and real audiences, and are taking real action, they see the relevance and meaning in their learning.” All of these ideas resonated with me, because it reminded me of my learning journey. I can remember a handful of teachers, ironically all strong, independent women, who shaped my identity as a learner. The commonality between all of them is that they asked more than they told, they saw my potential and shared their observations with me, and they gave me time and space to figure things out on my own. All of the other educators labeled me as an English language learner, shy, Asian, and compliant. They didn't see “me” as a learner, but as a label. Thus, they didn’t see my potential. The last paragraph in this section touched me the most, because you can feel Kath’s heart come onto the page. It’s what I will leave you with as we close this episode. “When I sit with a young learner engaged in an exploration of something they really care about and when I can show them that I am there to support that passion, that I am truly with them, listening and learning with them - I feel I am my most authentic self as an educator. These are the moments when I feel my head and heart are working together and when my teaching ‘soul’ is nurtured. It is an incredibly powerful experience.”
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