After about two decades of teaching, I’m finally doing what I probably should have done a decade ago: opening up my classroom to the wider world.
I settled on the name “Inquiry Project” as an attempt to capture what I’m trying to achieve in my classroom. I hope to center learning on students by sparking their curiosity and maintaining classrooms as spaces genuinely open to varying perspectives and potential pathways. It’s both a description of my teaching philosophy and an invitation for others to join me in examining what works, what doesn’t, and what might be possible.
Like many educators, I’ve accumulated binders (both literal and digital) stuffed full of lesson plans, resources, and various other materials. They detail the structure around Harkness discussions and projects including websites, podcasts, films, and even a museum exhibit. I developed most of these in isolation, without much chance to work through ideas with others. Now they’re basically archived—I hardly even go back to them myself.
Teaching today is increasingly challenging. There’s more to learn, for example, from neuroscience and adolescent psychology. Meanwhile, our classrooms are less insulated from a troubled politics and rapidly-shifting technology.
Still, I’ve never been more confident that the core skills we teach in the humanities are essential to the health of our democracy and communities. Critical reading, respectful listening to multiple perspectives, confident articulation of beliefs both orally and in writing, and time for intentional reflection. These are no longer just academic exercises; they are urgent civic necessities.
By moving materials online and reflecting publicly on my practice, I hope to take a more active role in examining strategies that most influence learning. I would love to know what others are doing in their classrooms and would welcome opportunities to collaborate. If you are working on similar challenges or have approaches to share, please reach out.
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