Curiosity in the Classroom

Aleta recently sat down for an interview on the City Neighbors podcast, Flip-Ed. Listen today to hear their conversation on engaging education.

As we celebrate 30 Years of Inspired Teaching, Aleta reflects on what has changed in education –and what hasn’t–over three decades.

In recognition of Pride Month, Inspired Teaching shares the ABCDE of Learner Needs as a tool to build belonging for everyone in the classroom.

Deepa Iyer offers us all actionable steps to take in strengthening our communities and the causes we believe in.

A visit to an Inspired Teaching Fellow’s classroom inspires reflection on the importance of helping young learners navigate life’s uncertainty.

Susan Coti, longtime Inspired Teacher and the mother of a fallen Marine, shares how she keeps her son’s legacy alive through education in Myanmar.

To celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month, we hear Amber’s story—rich with history and informed by research—as a Black Jewish American living in Israel. 

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week and we’re sharing the moments during this school year that have made us especially appreciative!

Jenna speaks with Sheena Styles, a math teacher in Washington, DC, and Inspired Teaching Fellow. Ms. Styles shares her advice for creating a classroom where students feel empowered to take the lead in their learning.

In addition to supporting the monumentally important health of our planet, the number of useful things that can be made by recycling materials is astounding. Upcycling your work in the classroom may lead to similarly impressive outcomes–sustaining you, your students, and your creativity.

Libraries serve a unique function in society: hubs of reading, literacy, and knowledge that are also havens for children and families in need; people seeking vital career skills and public health access; and more.

What if we could get good at wading through the uncertainty of the moment? What if we could become cultivators of peace, calm, and even hope?

At this point in the school year, we have established relationships with our students built on trust and respect. This is the time to be intentional in handing over the reins and letting our students take the lead in their learning.

Starting today, Girl Math means seeing the world through curious eyes. It means wondering about how many ways to calculate the right amount of postage on a letter and what the methodical marching patterns of ants can teach us about geometry.

If we only learn pi as a number that can be plugged into equations to find the radius and diameter of a circle, we’re missing something really interesting and curiosity-producing.

We cannot expect math and reading scores to improve, or for our young people to grow into capable leaders in the future, if they are not given the opportunity to be curious, compassionate, critical thinkers today.

A recent classroom visit inspires Jenna to reflect on handshakes, trust, and peace.

An exploration of the city and Mardi Gras from Inspired Teaching’s Project Manager and New Orleans native Meag Campos.

Curiosity is fueled by learning content in context, by connecting what we learn in the classroom to our own lives and the world beyond the classroom walls.

We’re redoubling our dedication to making school a place where both teachers and students feel safe, respected, and engaged in their learning.

Arts educator, NASA outreach professional, and design thinker Sandra Vilevec shares her thoughts on AI, design thinking, and curiosity.

Carrying forth the legacy of Dr. King is as much a call for curiosity as it is for service.

Which kinds of questions serve to teach us something, and which just make us think we did?

Teacher guests at Inspired Teaching’s November online Institute share with us the many ways observation supports a diverse classroom.

These issues of Hooray For Monday exemplify the Inspired Teaching Approach and what is possible when teachers and students learn strategies for cultivating engaging, curiosity-fueled classrooms.

What if this winter break, we prioritize connection and learning new things over all the other usual demands?

Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2024 is Polarization; what would it take to make Curiosity the choice in 2025?

What can our students teach us about making better connections?

If curiosity leads us to approach things from a place of wonder and interest, what does the opposite look like?

Why might your next lesson be interesting or important or useful?

Asking big questions is one of the most important things we can teach our students to do.

Engaging with students from a place of curiosity, a genuine desire to deepen your own knowledge and understanding of that student, conveys respect and humility.