In Shared Inquiry™, we provide teachers and students with a powerful framework that puts the focus on a collaborative process of critical thinking in which teachers and students work together. The goal is to create a community of learners within which every student:

  • Can develop and express a deep understanding and comprehension of texts they read
  • Is supported and challenged to find their own voice
  • Engages in respectful, civil discourse, expressing their own ideas and learning from fellow students

The Shared Inquiry method empowers teachers to use interpretive, evaluative, and factual questions to help students dig deeper into what they are reading so they can express themselves, listen to others, and synthesize new ideas.

Teachers find that they can apply Shared Inquiry across the curriculum. Many educators find that the Shared Inquiry methodology resonates with their students and defines the “why” they became teachers. Teachers who use Shared Inquiry have found that:

  • Students are excited to complete the readings so they can participate in discussions
  • They gain authentic insight into students’ comprehension of a text
  • They can release discussion leader roles to students, freeing themselves to coach emerging leaders in the classroom

The Great Books Foundation provides professional learning to enable educators to learn, practice, and continuously improve their use of Shared Inquiry. We offer introductory and advanced courses in-person, online, and on-demand, and we also provide custom consultations to address issues in your setting. To learn more about Shared Inquiry and arrange professional learning for educators, please get in touch with your Great Books K–12 partnership manager.

Great Books students participating in a Shared Inquiry Discussion

“I’ve seen teachers transfer the structure that Shared Inquiry discussion brings into other subject areas. So we see inquiry in social studies or in science, and our teachers are equipped with the knowledge of how to support students in looking at complex texts, in note-taking, annotating texts, and in discussing texts.”

Becky Gill
Director of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction
Community School District 220
Barrington, IL

“After doing this program for a year, I’ve noticed that the level of discussions we can have about a piece of literature is so different now. The students can analyze underlying meaning, how each story relates to their life . . . different things that I did not see before. They’re just better readers. They understand so much more of what they’re reading.”

Megan Hubbard
Montessori Adolescent Lead Guide
San Tan Charter School
Gilbert, AZ

“Shared Inquiry is responsible for my students loving and respecting literature. They learn how to consider and understand various points of view and how to build answers upon others’ thoughts and ideas. This process is the secret ingredient to reaching those levels of higher-level thinking, and it opens the doors to writing and response.”

Danielle Gladstone
Instructional Coach
Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163
Chicago, IL

All successful Shared Inquiry sessions follow these five guidelines:

1 Participants must read the text carefully before the discussion.
2 The entire group discusses the ideas in the text and explores them fully.
3 Participants support interpretations of the text with evidence from the text, not their own opinions.
4 Everyone listens carefully to the other participants and responds to them directly.
5 The leader asks questions rather than offering their own interpretations of the text.