Teaching as Inquiry, with a Focus on Priority Learners

This book shows how teaching as inquiry can be built into the everyday work of classrooms to make a difference for all students, particularly priority learners. Based on findings from the Secondary Student Achievement project, it is richly layered with whole-school, classroom and learner perspectives. The author highlights the successes that emerged as teachers re-examined their curriculum and teaching practices with the goal of raising the achievement of the priority learners they had identified. The introduction takes the reader back to the basics of what teaching as inquiry is and then the book steps through aspects of the inquiry process, from identifying students' needs to developing feedback loops to evaluate student progress and teacher learning. It's a focused and deep approach, with just four or five students the subject of inquiry at a time. The research took place in secondary schools but the issues and strategies and the interactions with students will have resonance for all practitioners. This is a professional learning approach with wide application across sectors, as well as internationally. Detailed and varied case studies and guiding questions engage readers and will get them started on their own teaching as inquiry journey. Professor Lindsey Conner is the Director of the Science and Technology Education Research Lab at the University of Canterbury. Previously, Lindsey has been a teacher educator at the Christchurch College of Education and University of Canterbury, and a secondary school biology teacher and Head of Department. She has also been a national examiner, a developer and examiner of national standards assessments, and an international consultant on developing science curricula and assessment practices and development projects on teacher education.