Inquiry goals, what are they and how can they help you teach?
Well, you’ve probably heard talk of the inquiry process during your training. It forms an important part of your teaching journey.
On your journey towards full certification, you’ll need to undertake one or more inquiries.
However, you may not be sure what they are or how they fit into your overall development. Let’s explore what inquiry goals will cover and the benefits they bring.
Inquiry Goals: How They Can Help You Be A Better Teacher
What Are Inquiry Goals?
Inquiries help you to focus on specific aspects of your teaching. They allow you to reflect on what you are doing well and where improvements can be made. They are a critical part of your journey to Full Certification and of the Professional Growth Cycle throughout your teaching career.
During your inquiry, you will gather evidence and then reflect on what you have observed and learnt. You can then use these learnings to change or develop your teaching to offer improved outcomes for the children.
In order to successfully complete each inquiry on time and to a great standard, it is helpful to set goals. These goals will keep your motivation and progress high while giving you a plan to follow so you can stay on track.
How To Set Good Inquiry Goals
So, how do you set a good inquiry goal? When setting any goal, you want to make sure you are using the SMART goal formula. If you aren’t sure what SMART goals are or how they can help your teaching, check out my recent blog here. https://steppingforwardtosuccess.co.nz/stagingsite/setting-smart-goals-can-help/
Apart from being SMART, when you are setting an inquiry goal, think about:
- Your strengths and areas where you think you could make improvements
- Areas where you feel children’s experiences could be improved
- Challenges created by the setting of your centre that could be improved
- New ideas from professional development or research that you could incorporate into your centre’s teaching
At first, you may be unsure what to focus on for your inquiry, but your mentor will be able to help you decide as part of your initial meetings and planning sessions.
How Do Inquiry Goals Help You Improve Your Teaching Overall?
Inquiry goals are obviously an essential part of your certification journey and are required as part of your qualification. But, beyond that, they also help you become a better teacher.
Here are four ways they can do that:
1: Improve a particular area
Inquiry goals linked to your centre’s practices or planning can help to improve a particular area or overall planning techniques. This can improve outcomes for children and create a better environment for teachers, allowing you to refine your planning skills when creating your own areas of learning. It may also help you develop closer partnerships with other teachers at the centre as you work through processes and procedures together.
2: Improve your skills
Inquiry goals that are linked to personal strengths can help to highlight areas in your teaching skills that could be further developed. This can be via further practice or experience, or with some more professional development. Reflecting carefully on your teaching as you begin your career can help set you up for success right from the start.
3: Improved learning for children
Inquiry goals linked to a particular area of children’s learning and how it could be improved can give you plenty of ideas. Not only do these help for the particular area that your inquiry focused on but can also create learnings that can be transferred to other areas. You might also choose to pursue an inquiry goal that improves learning for a particular group of children, such as Mᾱori or Pasifika children or children with additional needs.
4: Improved professional knowledge
Inquiry goals that are linked to new research or professional development that either you or other teachers at your Centre have undertaken can help you expand your professional knowledge and broaden your skills in your day-to-day teaching.
Choosing Your Inquiry Goals
Wondering how to choose your inquiry or want some support with your Certification?
Your journey to Full Certification includes two years of teaching and learning as you teach. It can feel like a daunting prospect to fulfil all of your certification requirements while teaching.
But don’t worry – help is at hand!
The Roadmap resource helps you break the two-year certification process down into manageable steps. It helps you at every stage of your journey – from working out your timeline to planning your inquiry goals to arranging your meetings with your mentor.
Plus, you’ll get extra support from me and from our private Facebook group, where you can share your experiences with other teachers on the same journey.
Ordering your Roadmap to Certification is easy. Follow these links to order a copy of The Roadmap to Certification. Please get in touch if you have any questions.
Click here to read more about the Roadmap or click here to purchase the Roadmap to Certification ebook for Provisional Certified Teachers. Or if you are looking to get started on your professional Certification journey, the Kete Ako programme is a great starting point – check it out here.