So I wrote a real inquiry question, rooted in a big idea from my curriculum, considerate of my students interests and curiosities, but you are saying I need to refine this question?

Yes!  Many times!

Here is why.... 

• We know our students will be motivated to learn when they stay curious and connected 

• Refining your questions (tweaking it) will allow you to be responsive to your students evolving interests and developing background knowledge 

Here is how.... 

• By listening and watching your students, you will learn what parts of your inquiry they are connecting to and are remaining curious about  

• After posting your initial real question and inviting students into the inquiry, listen for their reactions, responses and personal connections 

• Reflect on them and consider if refining your question to include their connections to the question will deepen the inquiry and their engagement 

Here is an example...

From a Kindergarten inquiry rooted in the BC Social Studies Curriculum...

• Your initial real question: Do stories have power?  

• To engage students initially in the inquiry you share your story of how you lost your first tooth.  Students are then invited to share the story of how they lost their first tooth or how they hope to if it hasn’t happened yet! 

• During the story sharing you hear a theme of parents being involved in building traditions about what happens to the tooth after it is lost 

• You refine your inquiry question to explore stories and how they shape family culture and tradition (you know your curriculum and this is where you hoped it would lead!) starting with losing our teeth!  Your refined real questions could be: How might stories shape our families? 

• Engage students in the new direction of your inquiry in various ways: 

  • Interview a family member on how they lost their first tooth 

  • Record their family tradition on what happens to their teeth after they come out 

  • Read books together about losing your teeth to explore others experiences and traditions 

  • Hope someone in your class loses a tooth during this time and celebrate together 

  • Reflect together on how students knew they were going to lost a tooth, what it would be like, what would happen 

• Add depth to your inquiry now by circling back to your refined question.  Does sharing your story about how you lost your tooth and what happened after have power?  Does that story tell us about your family?  Will you share this story with your children?  Why or why not? 

• Connect your inquiry back to your refined question and see if a new path can be taken.  Ask, “What other powerful stories are told in your family?” 

• Listen carefully to your students and connect themes to take your inquiry in a new direction.  Maybe they will talk about holiday traditions, connections to a larger family community, or how their own stories shape who they are.  Knowing your curriculum, you know this is where you hope to take your inquiry driven by your students genuine connections and engagement

Tips for Success

• Stay flexible and keep listening 

• Refine your question when: 

• You feel the interest moving in a new direction 

• You feel like students are losing engagement 

• Keep your invitations to inquiry fresh and exciting (A book! A guest speaker! A shared experience! An artifact! A photo!) 

• Keep the real question at the forefront of your mind and the minds of your students during the inquiry 

Remember a real inquiry question...

• Is an invitation to think (not recall, summarize or detail) 

• Comes from genuine curiosity and/or confusion about the world 

• Makes you think about something in a way you haven’t before 

• Invites both deep thinking and deep feeling 

• Leads to more good questions 

• Asks you to think about the essential ideas in a discipline 

“An Effective Inquiry Question.” THINQ 4-6: Inquiry-Based Learning in the Junior Classroom, by Jill Colyer and Jennifer Gail Watt, Wave Learning Solutions Inc., 2016, p. 45.