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Our Common Ground
From Natural Curiosity, 2nd Edition, by Doug Anderson, Julie Comay, and Lorraine Chiarotto (pg. 9)
“Perhaps what is needed is a ‘reconciliation pedagogy,’ a recovery of relationships, an encounter that brings all of us together as co-creators of our children’s survival.”
Inquiry Questions
As a teacher, I bring knowledge of art history and design foundations to our class. Students bring rich experiences with evolving games and entertainment options. The two powerful sources of knowledge will move us toward exciting discoveries and new ways of creating.
Honoria's guiding question:
What techniques from the history of visual storytelling are used to wow us today?
Our goal is mutual inquiry, to learn from each other.
Inquiry directions
Story genres
Principles and Elements of Design applied to storytelling
Vocabulary about creative work to use in career interviews and team meetings
Visual Hierarchy to focus a story
Lighting, emotions, and storytelling
Color, emotions, and storytelling
Camera angles and storytelling
What are key questions to ask about these topics from a 2025 perspective for success in our creative processes in the arts and entertainment technologies fields?
Ideas: Teaching with your Mouth Shut by Donald Finkel
Inquiry Democracy
This semester is organized around a method called Inquiry Democracy.
"Inquiry democracy" in a classroom refers to a teaching approach in which students actively participate in the learning process by asking questions, researching, and forming their own opinions on a topic, while also being encouraged to express their views and perspectives openly within a respectful, democratic environment.
Examples include: students collaboratively develop research questions, facilitate class debates with diverse viewpoints, holdi student-led discussions on creative work, vote on class projects or learning activities, and participate in collaborative group work where everyone's input is valued.
Inquiry democracy empowers students to be critical thinkers and active participants in their own learning while respecting the opinions of others.
Specific examples of inquiry democracy in the classroom:
"Compelling question" discussions: Students collaborate on thought-provoking questions related to a topic, students research and share their perspectives on the issue, and then collectively analyze different viewpoints to reach a deeper understanding.
Conversational Exams: Students take turns leading discussions by asking open-ended questions to their peers, encouraging critical thinking, active listening to diverse opinions, and using course vocabulary to discuss creative work. This method prepares students for future job and internship interviews.
Partners: Students individually brainstorm ideas on a topic, then discuss their thoughts with a partner, and finally share their combined perspectives with the whole class.
Student-led speed research with online whiteboarding prepares students for team meeting brainstorms and design ideation.
Class polls and voting: Students vote on classroom decisions like project topics, learning activities, and class rules, fostering a sense of ownership and participation.
Community-based projects: Engaging in real-world issues by researching local problems, proposing solutions, and presenting their findings to the community, encouraging civic responsibility.
"Inquiry-based learning" Students start with a central question about a visual story that they find compelling, research different perspectives, and draw their own conclusions based on evidence.
Key elements of a democratic inquiry classroom:
Respectful dialogue: Encouraging all students to listen actively, consider different viewpoints, and express their opinions without fear of judgment.
Collaborative learning: Foster group work where students contribute ideas, share responsibility, and build upon each other's strengths.
Critical thinking skills: Promote analysis, evaluation, and questioning to form well-informed opinions.
Teacher as a benevolent expert and co-adventurer: The teacher acts as a guide, supports student-led inquiry, and provides information as needed rather than being an authority with answers.
Inquiring towards Innovation
As an educator, librarian, researcher and learner, I have engaged with and taught about inquiry learning in many ways. Valuing openness and access, I share some of this teaching online; here you can see the most recent iteration of LCN616 Inquiry Learning, which I am currently teaching. I place a great deal of value in inquiry learning, however each time I speak with teachers about inquiry, I…
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Studies suggest that curiosity is linked to joy on the job, social skills and even a happy disposition. And in an academic context, greater curiosity generally predicts greater success.
Teachers Trevor MacKenzie and Rebecca Bathurst-Hunt share how they guide students to become independent learners.
Follow the arrows and teach ANYONE how to think about thinking. This is an infographic of Inquiry Learning.
Fabulous Beasts: An Inquiry
Grade: ¾ Subject: Science Cluster: 1 (Habitats and Communities)
Class: 24 Students, 3 on the ASD Spectrum, 3 EAL Learners one of whom uses glasses for reading and writing
Time: Two forty-five (45) minute classes
Learning Outcomes
Students will…
Recognize that each plant and animal depends on a specific habitat to meet their needs (4-1-02)
Identify the components of an animal habitat (4-1-03)
Identify physical and behavioural adaptations of animals and plants, and infer how these adaptations help them to survive in a specific habitat (4-1-05)
Investigate alternate explanations of plant or animal adaptations based on traditional knowledge from a variety of cultures (4-1-05)
Materials
One (1) Copy of “DK Smithsonian Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide”*
One (1) Copy of “DK Smithsonian Wildlife of the World”*
Twenty-four (24) Hilroy Studio Pro Sketch Book, 8-1/2″ x 11″
Activation
Read a story about a mythical creature to the students, especially one that emphasizes the traits from multiple animals that could be considered physical adaptations.
Ask students about how they think such an animal would fit in a wider community.
Ask students about what kind of animal they would like to be.
Acquisition
Introduce students to the inquiry project, which is to research three (3) different animals of the student’s choice in order to create one Fabulous Beast/chimera.
Provide the students with the visual encyclopedias mentioned in the materials lists as primary research materials. If applicable with the school environment, students can be provided with laptops from the laptop cart, or sent to the library to use a desktop.
Application
Students will create a depiction of their Fabulous Beast/chimera in whatever medium they wish, such as a physical illustration, photo manipulation, written description, story, 3D model, etc.
Students must provide a bibliography in MLA format in order to show where they found their information.
Assessment
Bibliography will be used as assessment of learning
Students will share their creature and its adaptations with the class in a form of assessment for learning in order to demonstrate their knowledge of an animal’s needs and adaptations.
So, this inquiry project is a bit of a gamble. It is pretty open-ended, and relatively high concept for a fourth grade class, but things like folkloric creatures and chimeras are generally absorbed through cultural osmosis for years. Most students already have a loose (or very specific) idea of what a folkloric creature is, and that gives a foundation that the lesson can build off of.
This inquiry would be a lot of work for both students and educator, but it would ultimately be a rewarding one. I based it mostly on two of my favourite projects over my academic career, both design briefs, one titled “Build a Beast” in Grade 11 Biology, and the other being the “Invent an Alien” division of the Manitoba School Science Symposium. Leaving this creature folkloric and fantastic leaves a lot of leeway for students to stretch their imaginations. It doesn’t particularly matter if the creature’s needs are biologically possible so long as they make internal logical sense and demonstrate that the student understands that an animal has needs and those needs to be filled so it can continue living. That is the goal of the inquiry. Creating something that could plausibly exist is a much more complex activity that requires a cohesive and holistic understanding of biology, and this activity is much more about demonstrating comprehension in a way that shows the students’ ability to research, communicate, and express their ideas in a creative fashion.
