In this Voices Inside Schools essay, Dr. Pat Clifford and Susan Marinucci take us inside a classroom engaged in “genuine inquiry.” As we follow Russell and his fellow fifth-grade scientists through their exploration of desalination, we witness the evolving nature of questioning, learning, and understanding in spaces of inquiry. The authors offer insights into three central issues: (1) the character of genuine questions for inquiry; (2) intellectual rigor as students grapple with real ideas in real ways; and (3) how inquiry can be adapted to meet the requirements of mandated curricula.

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Pat Clifford was cofounder of the Galileo Educational Network and had an extensive teaching background that included grades 1 through 12, university undergraduate and graduate classes, and a wide range of teacher in-service topics related to curriculum, school improvement, and leadership. She was the recipient of numerous awards for both research and teaching practice, including the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. She published in scholarly journals including the Journal of Curriculum Theory and in books on issues in education reform. She was coauthor with Sharon Friesen and David Jardine of Back to the Basics of Teaching and Learning: Thinking the World Together (2nd ed., 2008), winner of the 2004 AERA Division B Book Award, as well as Curriculum in Abundance (2006). Dr. Clifford also published a book of poetry entitled Embracing Brings You Back (2006).

Susan J. Marinucci is principal of Glendale School (www.cbe.ab.ca/b143) with the Calgary Board of Education in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where she leads a learning community committed to inquiry-based teaching/learning and promoting educational practice. Her work with Pat Clifford was funded in part by the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI), which provided professional development for school principals interested in writing, recording, and examining best practice.