Discover the Power of Shared Inquiry
Strong inquiry-based learning has been proven to engage all students at higher levels of reading and thinking. Our research-based approach to learning through questioning and collaboration is what we call Shared Inquiry™.
In Shared Inquiry, the teacher serves as model learner and coach, showing how to explore complex texts and rich content while shifting to a student-centered process. The goal is creating a community of learners where every student is supported and challenged to find his or her own voice, develop deep understanding, and engage in respectful, civil discourse to learn from others.
Shared Inquiry enhances all the basic language arts skills—reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, speaking, and listening—and enables students to learn more across the curriculum.
In Shared Inquiry, students—guided by their teacher—explore fiction and nonfiction texts by discussing open-ended questions and sharing responses and insights. In schools that use our classroom materials and method of teaching and learning, students consider important ideas, discover how these ideas have shaped events of the past, and learn critical thinking skills that will prepare them for the future.
See the Impact Inquiry-Based Learning Can Have
on Teachers, Students, and Communities
The program teaches teachers and students to dig deeper, create an opinion using textual evidence, collaborate, talk about their reading, and invest in the story. The exciting part of the process is watching the students change their minds and opinions based on text evidence shared by their peers. I absolutely recommend Junior Great Books to fellow educators!
I think Junior Great Books is an important component of a balanced literacy program because it really incorporates the reading, writing, speaking, and listening components that are at the heart of balanced literacy. Kids are really driving the process. They’re driving the discussions. . . . Their thinking is at the heart of it.
Engaging in a Shared Inquiry experience is one of the finest examples of culture and community building I have ever experienced. Great Books professional development was the best we’ve ever had the opportunity in which to engage. I learned more in 10 hours of your training than I have from some of the biggest names in education.
I like when I get to share my thoughts with the whole class. It makes me feel kind of, like, happy because everyone is paying attention. It’s great because you actually get to share your thoughts, and it makes you feel good. You’re being respected and everyone’s listening to you . . . and you should do the same thing to other people.
Involving people in the conversation is something you have to learn. I think Junior Great Books is great in having people practice that. In my class, the people who talk a lot try to engage the people who don’t talk a lot by asking, “Do you want to say something?” or “Do you want to contribute to the conversation?”
In today’s world, what most companies or jobs are looking for is the ability to collaborate well, and I think the best collaborators are those that know how to listen to others, to take different points of view, and then take on a leadership role . . . That is a skill that is just going to be beyond helpful to students, and the fact that they are getting to practice it now, in a safe place through fun stories, is the greatest.
For students that are age 5 or 13 right now, we don’t know what the world is going to look like when they’re 25. I think Shared Inquiry then is a really powerful way to help kids learn how to think, how to analyze, ask and answer questions, the kind of skill set that in 20 years [will] be very helpful in every aspect of your life.
We have been using the Great Books program for quite some time, and it is amazing to see the skills of the students who have been enlightened! Their discussions with not only our Great Books stories but also in any subject area are filled with higher-level thinking, discussion, and reasoning skills. We are seeing great results!
Great Books was an awesome program, so just connecting in the Great Books Program to what we do in the Boys and Girls Club, it was the perfect fit, because it definitely gave kids the confidence to not just only want to read, but to pretty much be good leaders moving forward.
The students have gained confidence in sharing their ideas with explanations. They also communicate respectfully and have come to understand that different ideas and opinions are acceptable!
Junior Great Books teaches me how to talk to someone. It helps me think about how other people are dealing with stuff and how I could be a better person to help them get through that stuff.
Lower-ability readers worked collaboratively with high-level readers. The high-level readers gained oral skills and became more comfortable speaking in class. The lower-level readers gained confidence and deeper thinking skills. Each group grew in their thinking, writing, and reading skills. Best, they learned social and interactive skills.
Great Books Professional Development
Our professional development programs are designed to help educators learn, practice, and master the Shared Inquiry method of teaching and learning.
Our online Shared Inquiry training courses will get educators up to speed and give them the confidence and support they need to lead engaging discussions with their students.
Our experienced trainers have helped thousands of educators use this method with Junior Great Books classroom materials and other curricula. Learning Forward has cited the Great Books Foundation’s professional development courses as effective in improving students’ learning results.
