IB PYP: Raising an Inquirer

Every family at GIS is an essential member of our learning community. As parents, guardians, and caregivers, you play an important role in helping your child to take their learning deeper.

Take an inquiry stance

Don’t feel like you have to be an expert, just be a learner.

Grown ups don't know everything and that's ok! Not knowing presents an amazing opportunity to model your own approaches to learning for you children.

Saying,  “I don’t know,” or, “I have no idea,” can be the beginning of an inquiry. Make sure to follow with, “Let’s figure this out together!”

Meet a question with a question

Generally our first impulse when our children ask us a question is to provide an answer. While this is one way children can learn, it is also a missed opportunity to learn about learning. So next time your child asks a question (Why do leaves fall? How do you multiply fractions? What happens when….?), respond:

Great question! How could we find the answer?

Inquire together

The more hands-on the discovery can be, especially for young children, the better. There are a multitude of resources about small, simple experiments and activities to investigate everything from light breaking to make a rainbow to how it is impossible to make a circle with only straight sticks.

Next time your child asks a question, think about how you can help your child discover the answer. The goal is to develop their skills as independent lifelong learners!

Here is a great website to draw inspiration from: https://www.lovemyscience.com/experiments.html

Open ended questions

Use open-ended questions in your conversations with your child.

For example, “What do you notice?” No matter what subject, what area of learning, it will help to deepen understanding and learning. Other example questions: “What else do you notice?”, “Can you tell me more about what you are thinking?”, “How do you know that?” This will foster your child’s creativity, curiosity and thinking skills!