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Source: Pedagogical Leadership K-3: Learnteachlead.ca

Explore: Play-and-Inquiry-based Learning

Possible Questions to Explore

Being in an inquiry stance means positioning ourselves as the  What is play-and inquiry-
curious, ‘open-to-new-thinking’ learner. based learning?
Inquiry-based learning is an approach to learning and teaching  How are educators using
that places students’ questions, ideas and observations at the children’s questions, ideas
centre of the learning experience. and theories, connected
to big ideas, as an entry
Educators play an active role throughout the process by
point to inquiry?
establishing a culture where ideas are respectfully challenged,
 What is the educator’s
tested, redefined and viewed as improvable; moving children
role in play-and inquiry-
from a position of wondering to a position of enacted
based learning? The
understanding and further questioning,” (Scardamalia, 2002 in
student’s role?
Capacity Building Series: Inquiry-Based Learning, 2013).
 How do we create
Underlying this approach is the idea that both educators and learning environments
students share responsibility for learning. that support learning
through play and inquiry?

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PRINT RESOURCES to support your inquiry questions.

CMEC Statement on Play-based Learning (Link to Resource)

At the World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, organizers, keynote speakers,
scientists, experts, and political figures underscored the enormous benefits of early learning. CMEC
believes that purposeful play-based early learning sets the stage for future learning, health, and
well-being.

Capacity building Series: Inquiry-based LEARNING (Link to Resource)

This monograph is a review of the key characteristics of inquiry-based learning that support students
to become thoughtful, motivated, collaborative and innovative. These learners are capable of
engaging in their own inquiries and thriving in a world of constant change.

The Third Teacher: Designing the Learning Environment for Mathematics and
Literacy, K to 8 (Link to Resource)
This monograph explores the learning environment as a third teacher, that is responsive to the
children’s interests, provides opportunity for children to make their thinking visible and fosters
further learning and engagement.

Natural Curiosity (Link to Resource)

Natural Curiosity is a pedagogical framework that explores Environmental Inquiry. It identifies four
branches of Environmental Inquiry; Inquiry-based learning, Experiential learning, Integrated
learning, Stewardship.

Part 2 provides examples of classes who have engaged in this inquiry process, highlighting the
journey and how it was initiated.

Can Children Really Create Knowledge? (Link to Resource)

This article explores the question, “Can children genuinely create new knowledge, as opposed to
merely carrying out activities that resemble those of mature scientists and innovators?”

Supporting English Language Learners in Kindergarten: A practical guide for

Ontario Educators (Link to Resource)
This resource supports teachers, administrators, and other school staff as they help English
Language Learners in achieving the overall expectations of the Kindergarten Program. It will help
them provide a quality beginning school experience for English Language Learners.

Integrating Aboriginal Teaching and Values into the Classroom (Link to Resource)

This monograph explores the relationship between Aboriginal students‘self-esteem and educational
attainment.

VIDEO RESOURCES to support your inquiry questions.

Re-imagining Literacy and Mathematics Throughout the Day (Link to Resource)

This resource explores literacy and mathematics woven throughout the day in a play- and inquiry-
based environment. Educators and children show how children express, communicate, construct,
test and re-construct their theories that give meaning to events and objects in the world.

21st Century Teaching and Learning: Student Inquiry (Link to Resource)

In this video, children reflect on what it means to learn through inquiry; how finding new
information, sparks more learning; how they learn from each other; how they represent their
learning and thinking in different ways and how asking deep questions leads to deeper learning.

Kindergarten Matters Intentional Play-based Learning (Link to Resource)

This series of videos explores inquiry and intentional play-based learning in kindergarten.
OTHER RESOURCES to support your inquiry questions.
K to 2 Connections (Link to Resource)
This Digital paper offers a number of provocation pages on play-and inquiry-based learning,
featuring videos of early primary educators and children, reflections from educators in the field and
links to research.

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CONSOLIDATING YOUR LEARNING

Potential Reflection Questions

 How do we model being in an inquiry stance, in our role? Personal Reflection
 How does being in an inquiry stance, shift the focus from  What was added to
teaching to learning? my/our thinking today?
 How are we being responsive to the cultural and learning (e.g. Before I thought…
identities of our students in the play-and inquiry-based Now I think…)
classroom? What does this mean for
my role? (e.g. So what?
 How do we responsively use structures such as: literacy and
Now what?)
numeracy blocks, guided reading, three part lesson, within a
play-and inquiry-based learning environment? What does
planning look like in a play- and inquiry-based program?