In this Voices Inside Schools essay, Dr. Pat Clifford and Susan Marinucci take us inside a classroom engaged in “genuine inquiry.” As we follow Russell and his fellow fifth-grade scientists through their exploration of desalination, we witness the evolving nature of questioning, learning, and understanding in spaces of inquiry. The authors offer insights into three central issues: (1) the character of genuine questions for inquiry; (2) intellectual rigor as students grapple with real ideas in real ways; and (3) how inquiry can be adapted to meet the requirements of mandated curricula.
Clifford, P. & Marinucci, S. (2008). Testing the waters: Three elements of classroom inquiry. Harvard Educational Review. Winter. Available online http://hepg.org/her/abstract/665