C2: Defining our Purpose in Inquiry

by Lu Gerlach

In our last episode, we spoke about how to find our focus as teachers, especially when we encounter uncertain times.  One of the things that centers me is the Golden CIrcle by Simon Sinek. As we look towards making our WHY happen in our teaching, what are some practical things we can implement now to see a difference? 

One of the best tools I created while still in the classroom revolves around the terms: engaging, challenging, relevant, and significant.  The PYP refers to these terms when thinking about inquiry and developing inquiry-based lessons.  

Like most teachers, I thought of them as isolated terms until one day my students asked to assess my lessons.  At the time, I thought this was a bit cheeky for my students to ask to assess my brilliance, but these terms came to my mind instantly.  Here is a brief definition: ​​

Engaging

​To engage is more than having fun, it awakens the mind to think and connect

Challenging

​To challenge is confronting misconceptions and stretching ideas to a place of discomfort​ 

Relevant

To find relevance is reflecting on prior and current experiences and delving into their implications​ 

Significant

To find significance is bridging issues from our local experience and finding the commonality of the human experience around the world
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I made a list of these terms on a piece of construction paper.  After a set of lessons, I would ask my students to assess our learning through these lenses. I discovered that my students were able to articulate ways that our lessons met the criteria.  If we had missed an area, they would brainstorm ways to do it in the future. 
 
This sparked an internal discussion within myself on how I could use these ideas to guide my lesson planning.  Look at the diagram below to see how this improved my planning.

As you can see, when you plan from using these four lenses, it greatly opens up greater possibilities for student learning and helps to provide a broader focus.  Students are able to engage in deeper thinking about energy, rather than simple investigations and foldables about types of energy.
 
See you in our next episode
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Remember, hold on to that passion!