Leading a Discussion About Collaborative Inquiry With Our Colleagues

Primary teachers explore collaborative inquiry in the classroom.  They discuss successes, problems, and questions.  Working in small groups is examined.  The primary teachers also discuss strategies of how to work in small groups without interruptions and the value getting kids back together after the small group work time.  It is agreed that having students take their learning public and teach others is important. 

Junior and Intermediate teachers focus on literature circle inquiries.  The discussion begins with teachers sharing their own experience with book clubs or literature circles.  They identify successes, problems, and questions.  Teachers observe a literature circle in action and share what they notice about the students' interaction, social skills they see the kids using, and how students draw extensively from notes and their books.  Teachers discover that it is important to have students identify and research lingering questions rather than traditional after-the-book projects.