Hubbard & Power, from The Art of Classroom Inquiry

 This article is about doing less research and zeroing in on your own classroom and your own teachings. They want teachers and youth to also be knowledge creators not just knowledge consumers. 

I started thinking about what I am most curious about in my professional life. Some of these questions come from things that are working well, some from things that feel challenging, and some from things I just wonder about. 

1. How do I balance meeting curriculum requirements with fostering creativity and student voice? ( I am newly working a charter school and it's a 360 from working with Boston Public Schools)

2. What kinds of classroom routines build the strongest sense of community? 

3. Are these routines beneficial or detrimental to the students?

4. How do young people define “success” for themselves, and how does that compare to how schools define success? ( Aligning these are crucial) 

5.  How can technology be used to empower students rather than distract them? ( In terms of AI) 

6. How do trauma and outside-of-school stressors impact classroom behavior and learning? ( Coming from and working in a low income neighborhood) 

7. What is the impact of representation (books, posters, role models) on student identity development? ( I try to be a role model for young black girls) 

8. How do students respond differently when I give them choices versus when I make all the decisions? ( Giving choice in class ie. read independently or in pairs)

9. How do family expectations shape how students show up in school or programs?

10. How do power dynamics between adults and youth shape student confidence and participation?

11. How can we create healthy power dynamics but still have the teacher student relationship/

12. How can I better support students who are bilingual or learning English?

13. What kinds of feedback do students actually find helpful and motivating?

14. When is it a good time to allow students to discuss?

15. What makes students feel safe enough to share personal thoughts or vulnerabilities in class?

16. Should Ethics be apart of curriculum 

17. How can I make sure quieter students have space to contribute without feeling pressured?

18. What strategies actually work for engaging students who seem completely disengaged?

19. How can I help students see mistakes as a natural and valuable part of learning?

20. How do my own biases (spoken or unspoken) shape the way I respond to students? ( currently reading a book about this with my students)