Fostering+Inquiry

**Fostering Inquiry**
Collinson and Cook (2007) outline inquiry as their second core assumption related to organizational learning. If we are going to prioritize learning for everyone than we must understand what problems need to be addressed at our school. In science classes we typically explain to students that a good experiment, project or discovery begins with a good question. Without a question our research, hypothesis, etc would be meaningless. Just as we explain this to our students organizational learning requires that we engage in a similar form of questionning. If standardized test scores are problematic at our school we might engage in formal and informal conversations to help understand why the problem might be occuring. However, it is important that we avoid being too vague when engaging in inquiry. Statements such as, "the tests are not culturally conducive to our students", are likely to not lead to solutions. Collonsin and Cook (2007) explain that direct inquiry should reduce ambiguity (pg. 61). Maybe it would be more prudent to ask, "what types of words, statements and assumptions exist on a standardized test that are not culturally appropriate?" In order to truly engage in inquiry we must be willing to let go of our pride and be prepared to learn what we can improve, as opposed to looking for validation for our practices. Of course for teachers to do this, school leaders need to foster a culture where teachers can take risks and fail.





Not all inquiry is direct.

Indirect inquiry often brings out tacit information that teachers carry. Often this information is not talked about in formal settings rather comes out over a beer with co-workers. It is through these types of "social" conversations that direct inquiry can emerge. In organizational learning inquiry does not simply solve one problem, it usually helps raise more questions that can eventually go through the organizational learning cycle. It would seem that a product of quality inquiry would be the emergence of double loop learning. As inquiry leads to a deeper understanding of a problem, it would seem likely that it would foster the willingness of organizations to change its structures as opposed to simply tweaking its practices.

Six Conditions