Try to see it once my way - everything zen (Bush)

Inquiry learning is on my mind lately. Mainly because I've adopted it as an educational philosophy that is right for now.

So it will be my focus for the next few posts. 

First - a refresher. 

Inquiry learning is not new, but it has come back into fashion because of a new emphasis on the power of students’ innate curiosity to drive learning. 

Inquiry-based learning asks students to discover knowledge on their own with guidance from me. 

Rather than receiving information up front through the teacher, students are choosing what standards they will work on, researching what they need, thinking about what they'll do, asking their own follow-ups and getting help from me along the way.

It can be messy. It can be frustrating (shouldn't I be doing what I used to do - teach them content?). It can be stressful for the student (just teach me the content).

So why do I love it so much? Easy - it gets rid of those industrial model classrooms (please - desks in rows? 60 minute periods? Let go of your control and move away from the dark side).

It's a high trust model and it puts the burden of responsibility for completing tasks and meeting deadlines on the shoulders of students. 

I've seen the future of teaching when that happens and it can be joyous!