Learning Deeply through Questioning - Center for Inspired Teaching

July 16, 2015

(Photo: Bria Stephens/Center for Inspired Teaching)

Written by Aleta Margolis, Inspired Teaching’s Founder and Executive Director, this piece first appeared in Inspired Teaching’s July 2015 newsletter.

I have the great pleasure of spending most of this month at the Inspired Teaching Institutes, getting to know the outstanding new and experienced teachers who have begun the joyful, challenging work of deepening their practice as Inspired Teachers over the coming year. We teach our teachers to transform their role in the classroom, from deliverers of knowledge to Instigators of Thought^®.

An Instigator of Thought asks more questions than she answers. She supports her students as they undergo a productive struggle more than she solves problems for them. An Instigator of Thought creates a safe learning environment and then encourages his students to take risks and move out of their comfort zone. He expects his students to continue their quest for discovery beyond a single lesson.

Over the intensive four weeks of training that kicks off our time together, we act as Instigators of Thought ourselves, modeling our expectations for teachers. Questioning is our primary strategy to provoke deep learning. We guide teachers through the Inspired Teaching 5 Step Process:

Step 1. Analyze and deepen my understanding of the ways I learn.

Step 2. Articulate and defend my philosophy of teaching and learning.

Step 3. Make the connection to classroom practice – develop new strategies to make sure my philosophy of teaching and learning matches what I do in the classroom.

Step 4. Build the skills of effective teachers, including listening, asking thoughtful questions, observing, and communicating effectively.

Step 5. Practice!

We open the Institute with a series of exercises that challenge teachers to become learners again. We calculate math problems silently in our heads and report back as a group. We write down a true statement and its opposite – and then find a way to change the context in order to make both statements true at the same time. We engage in cognition and metacognition, thinking about the skills required to learn any subject: concentration, creative thinking, experimentation, persistence.

Then we reflect: how do I learn best? What do I learn when I memorize and follow a procedure that the teacher lays out? What do I learn when, instead, the teacher prompts me as I experiment, focusing me on my goal and asking me questions that will help me figure out how to achieve it? What are the most lasting positive memories I have from my own schooling experience – and what are the negative ones? How do I create an environment where students feel safe to explore and learn deeply?

After 20 years of research and practice at Inspired Teaching, we feel confident in our answers to many of these questions. But we also know that, to achieve a shift in mindset, it is not enough to deliver a packet of information and expect teachers to understand and embrace it. Much like our teachers, we have to make way for each learner to interrogate the material, see the connection to their own lives, and pursue the questions it generates – and provide them thorough, thoughtful support all along the way.

Teaching through questions – and refusing to provide the answers – demands a lot from any learner. It also empowers that learner to take charge of his or her own journey to discovery. I have every confidence in our teachers as they move forward, continuing to question their own practice and grow as Instigators of Thought.

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.