Sharing Good Practice
NURTURING INQUIRING MINDS
BY MARY SAAD
Questions that lead to more student questioning and inquisition
2 . A curriculum which allows for freedom . Freedom to follow one ’ s interest and provides the time and environment for it .
3 . An instructional approach that does not focus on processes before developing thinking skills or habits of mind . Following a set of steps correctly doesn ’ t make one a researcher .
4 . Educational resources and set up , that encourage un-coverage rather than coverage of knowledge
5 . A school leadership that believes in inquiry-based learning for all .
My four-year-old , who is inquisitive by nature and nurture , developed an interest in science . It all started with the common genuine question “ Where does food go when I swallow it ?” It then developed into an interest in the human and animal body organs and systems and how they function . “ Where is the stomach of the fish ?” “ Do ants have lungs ?” He then got obsessed with medicines . He would collect medicines from all around the house and wants to learn about each and every one of them . He would pretend that he is a pharmacist and I call him to prescribe medications for me . My mother thought that I am a terrible mother for letting him play with medicine boxes . It was supervised play of course . We then bought him an experiment kit , and this was a trigger to the many experiments he would do every day . He would mix ingredients ( Baking powder , yeast , food coloring , water , soap , etc .) and observe for changes . I never noticed anything changing , but he did . Then , during our summer vacation he discovered insects . He would trap them in a jar and design a bigger house to put them in , he would also add some bread crumbs
and wait to see how they respond to him .
At school , science is touched upon very briefly . At first , I was worried that his interest in science will not be developed there and I wondered whether his passion for science would fade away .
Then one day I thought that I don ’ t want school to teach him science , at least not now . I don ’ t want his teachers to answer his questions . I don ’ t want his questions to be answered . All I would like to have at this stage , is what keeps him inquiring , wondering , and researching . All I would want is for school to provide :
1 . Teachers who master the art of questioning ( not answering ).
The other day he was playing with a helium balloon tied to a ribbon . He started wondering what is it that he could do to keep the balloon from flying . He came to me asking to tie the ribbon around his snack bar . Then at bath time , he spots the cotton buds and asks , “ How many cotton buds do I need to tie this balloon to , so it doesn ’ t fly away ?” We started with one bud , then two , then three , then the whole pack . Then he started wondering “ If I remove one of the cotton buds , will the balloon fly ?” and he started experimenting and he noticed that the balloon could even bounce when the cotton buds are not too many .
Ideally , I would want the school curricula to be designed around units of student-initiated inquiry , but if this is too big of a dream now , especially with the preschools racing to get children to read and write at the earliest age possible , all I ask for , is for studentinitiated inquisition to be valued and nurtured . The key to that will always remain the teacher . A teacher with an inquisitive attitude herself , will model and foster children ’ s thinking habits .
Mary Saad is an educator working with the public and private sectors - ministries , NGOs , and schools on areas including evidence-based policy reform , schoolbased improvement , and capacity building for teachers and school leaders .
Mary holds an MA in Education , Teaching Diploma , and BS in Mathematics and is passionate about sharing her experiences as an educator and as a parent .
Class Time | | May - Jun 2018 | 37