Skip to main content
Our Inquiry Process

The purpose of the Learning Plan page is to synthesize the outcomes of each phase of inquiry from a school perspective. The following criteria for each phase have been provided below to guide the description of the work in each phase at your school.

Scanning

  • During our scanning phase, we took to time to meet with our students, teachers and parents.      


  • Scanning is NOT:

    • seeking evidence to reinforce the status quo
    • Only looking at aspects of academic learning that are easily mesaured
    • exclusively what the professionals think

Focusing

  • Focusing involves:

    • Using information from the scan to identify an area for concentrated team learning
    • Gathering more information if you need it to understand the situation
    • Building on strengths or positives, as well as clarifying challenges
    • Identifying a common area that the team can work on together
  • Focusing is NOT:

    • The time to introduce completely new areas disconnected from the scanning process
    • About assuming you have it all figured out and don't need to investigate any further
    • Just about problems or challenges
    • About everyone choosing his/her own area of interest

Developing a Hunch

  • Developing a hunch involves:

    • Getting deeply held beliefs and assumptions out on the table about your own practices
    • Focusing on things your team can do something about
    • Checking your assumptions for accuracy before moving ahead
  • Developing a hunch is NOT:

    • A general brainstorm of all possibilities
    • Being obsessed with the actions of others or with issues over which you have limited influence 
    • Venting about the past, fuming about the present, or finding someone to blame

Learning

  • New Learning is:

    • Tailored to the situation
    • Directly linked to the focus identified earlier in the spiral
    • Exploratory testing how new approaches could be better than previous practices
    • Sustained and supported over time
  • New Learning is NOT:

    • Pursuing the latest trends 
    • Disconnected from the context
    • Uncritically adopting new ways without understanding the purpose
    • A short-term or quick fix

Taking Action

  • Taking action involves:

    • Learning more deeply about new ways of doing things and then trying them out
    • Evaluating the impact on learners and seeking their feedback
    • Building trust and cultivating a growth mindset
  • Taking action is NOT:

    • Trying something new without considering its value and relevance in your situation
    • Implementing without monitoring the effects on learners
    • Assuming everyone feels OK about the change

Checking

  • Checking involves:

    • Knowing what you want to accomplish for your learners and having specific ways to determine how you are doing—early in the inquiry process
    • Setting high expectations that your actions will make a substantial difference for ALL learners
    • Setting the stage for what comes next
  • Checking is NOT:

    • A routine to follow at the end
    • Seeking some difference for some learners
    • Judging the capacity of learners to succeed
    • Justifying your actions