The Keys to Inquiry
Introduction
Everyday Classroom Tools

"We learn best when we learn from our own experiences."

"Children need to be active learners, seeking answers to questions that they care about."

"Science should be hands-on and minds-on so that children make sense of what they experience."

The goal of the Everyday Classroom Tools Project is to provide opportunities for students to learn that inquiry and their own experiences can help them achieve a deeper understanding of their world. It aims to foster a spirit of inquiry in all students. These goals promise to help students grow into life-long learners who are curious and set out to seek and achieve deep understanding of the world that they live in.

This document has two sections. The first is a series of six brief essays to address the kinds of questions teachers often have about inquiry based learning and learning from one's experience. The intent is to place the central concepts of The Everyday Classroom Tools Project in context--to provide a sense of the variety of ways that the concepts have been thought about as well as how they are interpreted in this project. These essays are written for a teacher audience. The second section is a set of big ideas, questions, and attitudes that are central to the project. This section is written with the expectation that teachers will communicate these messages to their students.

Author: Tina Grotzer
Project Zero
Harvard Graduate School of Education

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