Spiral of Inquiry

A framework for transforming learning in schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry 19as learners. Engaging families and learnersthroughout the entire inquiry process reducesanxiety and builds understanding right from theoutset. It is better to communicate directly withfamilies rather than waiting for the confusedand occasionally aggressive reactions fromparents and learners who have been excludedfrom the process.We like the spirit of the Australian secondaryschool staff that gets together every Fridayafternoon to celebrate intelligent risk taking bydescribing their flop of the week. There is somuch to learn from a frank appraisal of whatdoesn’t work – perhaps even more so thanreflecting on what worked flawlessly. See Box7 for an outline of what taking action is andwhat it is not.Box 7. What taking action is and is notWhat taking action isTaking action is■■learning more deeply about new ways of doingthings;■■informed by a deep understanding of why newpractices are more effective than others;■■about evaluating the impact on learners;■■about acknowledging feelings of vulnerabilityand building conditions of trust.What taking action is notTaking action is not■■just about implementing some new strategies;■■trying out innovative ideas just because theylook exciting;■■doing something different and failing to monitorthe effects on learners;■■assuming everyone feels OK about the change.CheckingHave we made ‘enough’ of a difference?The whole purpose of the spiral of inquiry is tomake a difference to the learning environmentsfor learners and to valued outcomes for them.The checking question asks, ‘Have we madeenough of a difference?’The innovative changes we are talking about arecomplex and our best efforts to address themusually have mixed results. It is only throughcareful checking that we can decide if we havemade enough of a difference – and this willstart to inform where we go next. What is mostimportant in this question is the word ‘enough’.Most of what we do as educators makes adifference, but collectively we still have muchmore to do before every learner crosses the stagewith dignity, purpose and options.How will we determine what constitutes‘enough’? In the scanning and focusing stageswe gained a deeper understanding of whatis going on for our learners, by asking somevery important questions. We also developedsome hunches based on what we learned fromthese questions and discussions. Now we needto go back to these same sources of evidenceso we can see what gains we are making forour learners. Looking back brings intellectualdiscipline to our inquiry work.Checking does not always have to be formalor at a fixed time. Throughout the spiral weare constantly asking ‘What’s going on for ourlearners?’ and ‘How do we know?’ This is thepoint in the spiral where collectively we checkin to see whether or not we are making enoughof a difference as a team.