Spiral of Inquiry

Spiral of Inquiry

Teacher Inquiry is an area I feel that a lot of teachers struggle with. Over the years many schools have developed their own models of inquiry that they use with their children to explore concepts or big questions and link these in with a 'So What.' At our school we developed the TREES model to fit in with our environment - T - tuning in, R - research, E - explore, E - evaluate and S - so what. This works well for these big concepts and the children actively engage in the inquiry process.
However, teacher inquiry is an area that we have been given very little solid PLD around. The model that we have been encouraged to use can be found on TKI and is the Teaching as Inquiry model - model. I have never really liked this model of inquiry as I have found it very limited and forced in the way it handles a real teacher inquiry. Through this model there is no sense of focus or honing in on a particular area, or discovering new ideas or challenging current beliefs. I have found over the past few years that the inquiries I have done at school have been very limited and have often been difficult to continue or have simply ended without action, next step or outcome.

Recently I heard the term - Spiral of Inquiry, so I decided to look into this and see how this model of inquiry differed from the Teaching as Inquiry model. I read a paper by Helen Timperley, Linda Kaser and Judy Halbert called A framework for transforming learning in schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry (Spiral of Inquiry) and as soon as I read the beginnings of it I had an 'aha' moment. I really liked the way that this model of inquiry initiated the inquiry, involved student, staff and community voice, looked at leadership, had teachers question their own practice or the status quo, required new learning, had an action component as well as a checking and reflecting phase. This model also appealed to me because at any stage you could spiral back to a previous stage/part to reassess your inquiry. And always at the heart of this model is the question - What is Going on For Our Learners?

Below is a graphic from their paper showing the Spiral of Inquiry. Underneath the picture I have included a small break down of the parts/stages as taken from the Educational Leader where they talk about this particular model.

The six parts of the spiral of inquiry:

• Scanning 
  What’s going on for learners? More emphasis is placed on teacher observations of students, in all circumstances. There are some difficult questions to ask, such as: Is it all right for some learners to experience challenging and engaging learning in one classroom while in the room next door the students are not? Scanning is not done overnight, can last two months, and may turn up surprises.
• Focusing 
  Where will concentrating our energies make the most difference? Focusing well will lead to informed actions, and usually means selecting no more than one or two areas so that the inquiry is "focused and deep". The authors point out that a common focus generates the momentum to transform schools.
• Developing a hunch 
  How are we contributing to the situation? "Hunch" is an important word – hunches may not be totally accurate, but it is essential to get them all on the table because they guide the focusing. Sometimes they might be well-established routines of the school or the classroom, and be relevant to your own school. Hunches need testing.
• New learning  
  How and where will we learn more about what we do? Teacher learning must be connected to identified learner needs. External expertise is important here and the school must make clear to externals what makes a difference to learners. We all need to know why new ways of doing things are better than what we did before.
• Taking action 
  What can we do differently to make enough of a difference? "Genuine inquiry needs space to take risks, make mistakes, and try again – and again". Changing things can also feel risky for some learners who then resist change, and in turn bring concerned parents. We need to build understanding for all, right from the outset.
• Checking  
  Have we made enough of a difference? Checking doesn’t have to be formal, or at a set time. It can go on throughout the spiral. The importance of trust should be a recurring theme throughout the cycle, and it certainly is true of checking.

Reference: Educational Leaders - website: Educational Leaders

More information about the parts of the the Spiral of Inquiry - Spiral of Inquiry

Also woven into the Spiral of Inquiry are the 7 Principles of Learning in the book called: The Nature of Learning by Dumont et al, 2010). The 7 principles are:

1. Learners at the centre: learners are the central players in the environment, and activities centre on their learning and growth; learning is constructed through engagement and active exploration; mix of teaching/learning pedagogies; and developing 'self-regulated learners' who understand themselves as learners and manage themselves accordingly.
2. The social nature of learning: we learn through social interaction; co-operative group work that is organised and structured - this can push learners of all abilities; autonomous learning.
3. Emotions are integral to learning: learning results from the dynamic interplay of emotion, motivation and cognition; positive beliefs about oneself as a learner are vital.
4. Recognising individual differences: students differ in many fundamental ways - prior knowledge, ability, conceptions or learning, learning styles and strategies, interests, motivation and emotions; learning environments.
5. Stretching all students: Understanding individual differences and needs, but also challenging students enough to reach above their existing level and capacity; high achieving students can help low achieving students; underscores need to avoid overload and de-motivating regimes based on grind, fear and excessive pressure.
6. Assessment for learning: Learning environment needs to be very clear about what is expected, what learners are doing and WHY; formative assessment should be substantial, regular and provide meaningful feedback, this knowledge should be used to shape direction and practice.
7. Building horizontal connections: Understanding that learning isn't segmented and only occurs in one situations; important between the formal learning and environment and the wider environment and society; authentic learning.

These 7 principles will have a big impact on my thinking during the scanning phase as well as relating it to my big question.

I intend to use this model of inquiry as the basis of my leaderhsip inquiry for NAPP.