Have we made enough of a difference? Checking doesn’t have to be formal, or at a set time. We need to build understanding for all, right from the outset. Changing things can also feel risky for some learners who then resist change, and in turn bring concerned parents. ![]() 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". ![]() We all need to know why new ways of doing things are better than what we did before. External expertise is important here and the school must make clear to externals what makes a difference to learners. How and where will we learn more about what we do? Teacher learning must be connected to identified learner needs. Sometimes they might be well-established routines of the school or the classroom, and be relevant to your own school. 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. The authors point out that a common focus generates the momentum to transform schools. 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". 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. What’s going on for learners? More emphasis is placed on teacher observations of students, in all circumstances. Another difference is the link to the seven principles of learning (boxes 1 and 2, pages 5 and 8) listed in the OECD publication The Nature of Learning (Dumont et al, 2010). The spiral has six parts and makes more explicit the process of developing collective professional agency either within a school or across a cluster. The authors walk the reader through the framework and illustrate it with examples. The authors explain how the spiral of inquiry differs from the cycle of inquiry. ![]() One of the important differences in this new approach is involving learners, their families, and communities in inquiries. The paper focuses on a rethink of the cycle of inquiry (2007) to the spiral of inquiry. It also provides a model for long term PLD within schools. Using a range of examples from New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, this paper makes the case for new approaches to designing learning and teaching and how we might achieve this. This paper argues for a “sea change in learning settings for young people”. We have been fortunate to receive permission to add the PDF of this paper to Educational Leaders. Spiral of Inquiry Paper - Timperley Kaser Halbert (PDF 993 kB)
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