Inquiry in the PYP

“Inquiry is a dynamic process of being open to wonder and puzzlements and coming to know and understand the world.” (Galileo Educational Network 2004).

Children can create a positive relationship with peers, teachers and others in the learning community through the inquiry process. This helps them for their effective contribution towards independent learning. It would be an encouragement for the children to make meaningful connections with their surroundings, ideas and concepts. This will lead them to acquire knowledge, to build conceptual understanding and also to develop their skills naturally. Inquiring is a natural habit of a child that develops the curiosity to understand the world. It is an opportunity to explore and get excited about what’s happening around them. The questions that our children ask are powerful and that will lead them to understand the concepts and also to engage themselves in critical and creative thinking.

Play is a natural way of learning and they learn to the best when they are expressed to nature. The inquiry approach is tuned within the child when they find a sit spot in the garden, build a sandcastle in the park, gaze at the clouds when they swing, read under the tree, make a splash in the puddle and during their imaginative free-play. These may be the small steps taken by our children for the big findings. This will foster our children’s intellectual, emotional, social and physical development. By being outside and surrounded by nature, children will inquire a lot and experience an ever-changing, free-flowing environment that stimulates all the senses.

Manchester International School, an IB continuum school is a center of high-energy learning where children are excited to learn and participate. The teachers always strive to provide opportunities and also to create an environment to motivate children to ask questions, seek answers and make personal connections. They focus on continuing and maintaining the curiosity of the children throughout their learning process. Asking questions and expressing keenness are the watchwords of our classrooms. It is the perfect place for the students to realize that their voices do matter in their learning. This allows them to take the ownership of their action that comes from learning. Our learning engagements will provoke the children to ask more of why and how questions than what questions. The classrooms are highly organized and has clear intentions for children’s learning.