This document discusses teacher inquiry as a process for improving teaching and learning. It defines teacher inquiry as when a teacher asks intentional questions about their teaching and collects information to focus on a specific area of improvement. The process involves assessing an issue, implementing strategies to address it, studying the results, and reflecting on the need for continuous improvement. Some examples of issues a teacher could inquire into are a dilemma in their classroom, a puzzle about a student's learning, or a question about their own teaching practices. The goal of teacher inquiry is to maximize student potential.

1. Stacia M. Stribling, Ph.D.
George Mason University

2. Teaching involves a search for meaning in the world.
Teaching is a life project, a calling, a vocation that
is an organizing center of all other activities.
Teaching is past and future as well as present, it is
background as well as foreground, it is depth as
well as surface. Teaching is pain and humor, joy
and anger, dreariness and epiphany. Teaching is
world building, it is architecture and design, it is
purpose and moral enterprise. Teaching is a way
of being in the world that breaks through the
boundaries of the traditional job and in the
process redefines all life and teaching itself.
—William Ayers

3. Teacher Inquiry as a Habit of Mind
1. How do you know that? (What’s the
evidence?)
2. Who said it and why? (Whose viewpoint is it?)
3. What led to it, what else happened?
4. What if, supposing that…? (Hypothesize)
5. Why does it matter? (Who cares and why?)

4. Teacher
• Asks questions about
teaching and learning
• Collects information about
students
• Often feels overwhelmed or
isolated
Teacher Researcher
(Inquirer)
• Asks intentional questions
about teaching and learning
• Organizes and collects
information
• Focuses on a specific area of
inquiry
• Engages in reflection
• Benefits from ongoing
collaboration and support of
critical friends
Goal: Facilitates teaching and learning and maximizes student
potential (Adapted from Michelle Crabill and Gail V. Ritchie)

5. • A problem from your classroom
• A puzzle or dilemma about the learning of a particular
student or group of students
• A question you have about your teaching
• A situation that has arisen in your classroom
• How to develop and support particular learning
qualities

6. • Dilemma: How am I going to cope with the wide
discrepancy in reading levels in my classroom?
• Focus on teacher action: What can I do to help
Johnnie learn to read?
• Consider an hypothesis or strategy to try: What
happens when I give Johnnie reading materials
appropriate to his reading level and interests?

7. • Dilemma: Why are these kids so noisy and frenzied?
• Focus on teacher action: What can I do about the
chaos in my classroom (noise, movement, off-task
behavior, lack of attention . . . .)?
• Consider an hypothesis or strategy to try : What
happens when I use children’s energy and need to be
social as an element of my classroom pedagogy using
cooperative learning, literature circles, . . . ?

8. ASSESS
need for a change or action
(Data Collection & Analysis)
IMPLEMENT
the change or action
(Try out new strategies)
STUDY
the results
(Data Collection & Analysis)
RETHINK
the need, the change, and
the results
(Reflection & Dialogue)
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT THROUGH TEACHER INQUIRY
A
I
S
R
A
I
S
R
A
Goal-to meet
the learning
needs of
every child

9. • Mills Teacher Scholars: http://millsscholars.org/
• George Mason University Teacher Research:
http://gse.gmu.edu/research/tr/
• National Writing Project:
http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/programs/ti
c
• Networks: An On-Line Journal for Teacher
Research:
http://journals.library.wisc.edu/index.php/netwo
rks/index