Why We All Need To Focus on Geo-Inquiry More Than Ever!

Schools, districts, and government agencies have all done their best to step up and try to create plans that don’t focus on deficits, but instead find opportunities to help students that create conditions for success. More and more, we are seeing these plans include opportunities for exploration, student-led learning, and reconnecting to the world they were shut out from. What’s more, recent guidelines released by the Department of Education supported these same ideas, creating a “trail” of sorts that schools and teachers can employ to help return students to a sense of normalcy that has escaped them during this past school year. Continue reading Why We All Need To Focus on Geo-Inquiry More Than Ever!

Four children stand in a circle, one person is holding a map and pencil, two people point to the map, and one person looks at the map

Agency and Inquiry: How I Built a Unit on Exploration for My Students

Educator Edgar Filipe wrote this post. As a designer by training, I like to give students tools they can use to answer questions and solve problems. One of the greatest tools all people have is our innate curiosity and creativity. So, when I had the opportunity to help develop a unit for third graders at the international school where I work in Switzerland, I knew … Continue reading Agency and Inquiry: How I Built a Unit on Exploration for My Students

Strategy Share: Using Immersive Stimuli to Drive Student Inquiry

As student inquiry becomes a primary focus of social studies and science instruction, educators across the nation are designing lessons that challenge learners to ask and answer their own questions. Asking effective questions is a critical authentic skill, yet it can be challenging, especially for learners new to the inquiry process. Continue reading Strategy Share: Using Immersive Stimuli to Drive Student Inquiry

Strategy Share: Cultivating a Sense of Wonder with Early Elementary Students

After ten years in the classroom, I can attest that children have a natural propensity for wonder. At the same time, I wholeheartedly believe it’s my responsibility to cultivate their curiosity and wonder. I do this by deliberately employing strategies and designing experiences that celebrate an inquisitive nature and build students’ confidence in wondering about the world. Below are two practical strategies I encourage you to try. Continue reading Strategy Share: Cultivating a Sense of Wonder with Early Elementary Students