At first the concept of Inquiry was very puzzling. I didn’t understand what it looked like and what the purpose of it was. Although my inquiry question changes almost every time I do any research, I finally do have a grasp of inquiry and why it is important to me.

“Inquiry is a dynamic process of being open to wonder and puzzlement and coming to know and understand the world.”  

(Galileo Education Network)

When I first started the inquiry process I wasn’t really sure what my inquiry was going to be about. I attended classes, lectures, professional development days and visited schools. I began linking pieces of a puzzle and figuring out what inquiry is as a teacher candidate.

The amazing and frustrating thing about inquiry is that at some points I thought I had it all figured out and the next it had just slipped through my fingers. I kept hearing new bits of information and either things would click into place right away or I would need time to reflect and understand how that information fit and changed my inquiry.

I have learned a lot through inquiry, not only about my inquiry question but about learning itself.  I have come to understand that learning hurts, it’s uncomfortable and it’s hard. One of my instructors, Maryam Dalkilic, describes learning as a spider web. It is not about getting from point A to B, learning is circular. You may branch out to the far edges of the web but something will always bring you back in to the center.

I have always known that being a lifelong learner was part of who I was. Before inquiry I thought about lifelong learning only in the terms of my subject area. I love that inquiry has taught me about another area to remain current and informed on; how to be the most relevant and effective teacher I can be to my students and that will mean different things throughout my career.

Galileo Education Network. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2015 from http://galileo.org/teachers/designing-learning/articles/what-is-inquiry/