Think of a time when you were totally engaged in learning, when you were excited about something new that you discovered, or when you connected a new idea to an existing problem. Chances are you were involved in an inquiry or investigation. It may have been inside the classroom or it may have been on your own time, working to solve a problem that was meaningful to you. It is this type of enthusiasm for learning that we all want for our students and ourselves. An inquiry-based classroom fosters this sense of discovery as students move beyond the core curriculum to more complex investigations.

What is an inquiry-based classroom? It is a classroom in which students actively pursue research ideas and concepts, using sound research skills to explore, discover, and learn information. It is a classroom in which investigations are the means to an end--a product, proposal, or presentation--a classroom that deals with real world problems and questions. It is a classroom in which student interests and questions fuel the curriculum. An inquiry-based classroom can be found in any discipline and extends the core curriculum of the discipline by examining issues in depth and complexity. Inquiry flourishes when a classroom teacher who is committed to challenging all students to pursue the complexity of our world develops and supports an atmosphere of discovery.

Student Inquiry: Conducting Real-World Investigations in Your Classroom is a resource guide for teachers in any discipline who want to encourage inquiry in their classrooms. It offers lessons, handouts, and scheduling ideas for a semester-long inquiry class that addresses the main components of an inquiry-based curriculum. In addition, it includes practical tips and ideas based on my own experiences developing and teaching inquiry classes. Topics appear in chronological order, as a semester would progress, from developing an intentional culture of inquiry to project assessment. The appendix presents teacher-ready forms to use in the classroom. Please feel free to photocopy and use them. Teachers are some of the busiest people on the planet, and any time we can share materials is a tremendous gift.

For teachers who want to make inquiry a part of their existing curriculum, this book demonstrates how to teach discrete skills--such as evaluating material, developing higher--level questions, and keeping track of research information--that can be part of the curriculum in any discipline. In fact, these are the very skills necessary to help students develop into life-long learners. My best advice for incorporating inquiry projects into an established curriculum is to start small. Try integrating one or two new things into your existing curriculum or set aside one day a week for inquiry and enrichment projects. Teachers are wonderfully creative and will be able to adapt much of the material from this book to fit their needs and situations.

Besides providing resources for curriculum and instruction, it is my hope that this guide also will inspire teachers. It is really a story of my attempt to develop a challenging curriculum that could adapt to the differing needs of learners, a curriculum that truly challenges all students. If I can do it, you can do it, too! To that end, I have included stories from my own journey into inquiry, some stories of success and others lessons I learned about how to do it better next time. These classroom examples appear in gray boxes so that you can easily identify them and choose when you want specific examples.

Chapter 8 addresses international collaborations: where to find them and what to do to make them as successful as possible. A list of existing programs gives teachers a place to start, and I also provide guidelines for setting up your own international collaboration from scratch. It is my belief that international education will become an essential part of our students' education as our global marketplaces change. I have seen first hand the significant impact it has in the lives of students. I have also seen how important it is to prepare for collaborations that span countries and cultural differences. Much of the chapter centers around a class-wide project that resulted in Nuclear Legacy: Students of Two Atomic Cities, a hardbound book co-authored by my students and students from Slavutych, Ukraine. The book examines the histories of and commonalities and differences between Richland, Washington, and Slavutych, two communities that were developed to support the nuclear industry. It stands as an example of the amazing things students can accomplish

I hope that this book is used to inspire students who are too often bored and unmotivated within the confines of the regular curriculum. For these students, Student Inquiry offers a way to discover some of the amazing opportunities available to those who are willing to explore, discover, and learn. Hopefully inquiry projects will give them the vision that they can do remarkable things.

The goal of an inquiry class is to foster learning by allowing students to pursue an area of interest in depth while relating their work to the real world. While I was not familiar with the School Wide Enrichment Model (SEM) developed by Drs. Renzulli and Reis (1985, 1997) when I developed the curriculum for my inquiry classes (which I called Passion Projects), I have found they are a perfect fit. In fact, the curriculum in this book parallels Type I-III enrichment.

A semester long inquiry class begins with Type I presentations and demonstrations to arouse student interest. The role of the mentor/presenter is crucial during this time as he or she introduces students to a variety of fields (many of which are unknown to students) in an engaging manner. Each of these presentations is an invitation into a field of study and an opportunity to explore the field.

Type II enrichment activities provide ³training opportunities to improve a wide variety of process skills not normally taught within the grade level curriculum." (Renzulli, 1994, p. 217). In an inquiry class, Type II enrichment skills are taught throughout the semester that enable students to tackle their areas of interest in a meaningful way. For example, the group of students who wrote Nuclear Legacy decided that they wanted the book to look different than a textbook. They wanted it to be visually appealing and look like teenagers wrote it. They realized that if they wanted to accomplish their goal, they needed to know more about layout and design. An independent graphic artist met with the students several times to show them different types of layout and design, help them evaluate different types of layouts, and then select the style they preferred, training that equipped them to make real-world decisions about a real-world product. This opportunity and many others like it provided students with the skills and techniques professionals use in their careers.

Often these training opportunities introduce students to other areas they may choose to explore. One of my students realized that graphic design was the aspect of the publication process that most appealed to him. He explored graphic design and discovered an interest in digital animation. That student is my son who is now combining an art and computer science major in part because of the training opportunities provided while writing Nuclear Legacy.

Writing and publishing a book is only one example of grappling with a real problem and developing a creative product. So is designing a solar robot, presenting and explaining the conflict over use of public lands, and creating a work of art. Students chose these projects because they were meaningful to them; they had a passion for the subject. Each is an example of Type III enrichment and is a sample of the type of projects this curriculum guide will help you design and manage. The Type III inquiry class allows all of the pieces of enrichment to come together from exploring interests to developing skills resulting in a final product that is meaningful to the student and to a larger audience. And through this type of learning schools and students can be transformed.