Cultivating a Culture of Discovery and Inquiry

A classroom with a culture of discovery and inquiry is a different place, a place that is alive, where students see the joy of being a learner and see life as more than boxes of facts and rote patterns, but instead see it as a place of wonder and interest.

A culture where discovery and inquiry are in the fabric of the day is possible.  A teacher may use one of many resources that provide step-by-step instructions to create a program of discover and inquiry, but without culture the programs can become empty and lifeless. Before a program or plan works, culture gives life to the tools we use.

Discovery and inquiry as a strategy of teaching and learning began in reaction to a pedagogy of lecture and worksheets that created dull students. Perhaps we should take it further than a culture of discovery and inquiry and call it a culture of “wonder.” We keep the interest in discovery and inquiry but expand what we are doing to emphasize wonder. A culture of wonder is big enough not only to include discovery and inquiry but also to hold the majesty of God. It is a culture that looks outward and sees more, that asks questions and expects to learn and be amazed.

By God’s grace, we can create a classroom where wonder is part of daily life, where learners are drawn to the awesomeness of God and the subject, and to learning itself.

Beginning Steps
Culture is found in the little things like common language, how people are treated, what is celebrated or ignored, and feelings about the moment and place. As we create “excellent educational environments,” a hallmark of TeachBeyond transformational education, we can create a culture that uses best practices and goes beyond to become an environment where learning and wonder are woven into the fabric of place and people.

A culture rests in people, not in a program, and the culture creator is the teacher. Nothing changes culture more than teachers who let their excitement spill over as they are being transformed by God, as they are learning and growing. Creating of a culture of wonder really is about the “living curriculum” of the teacher’s life touching students’ lives and showing passion for God and the things being learned.

It isn’t about working harder or creating a program. It is about letting the things you as a teacher are learning come into the classroom and sharing them with your learners, not being afraid to show your own wonder and joy in discovery and inquiry. You will still do normal things, but around the edges and woven throughout routine activities are things you are seeing and excited about.

Let me encourage you to read Colossians 2:1-5, especially where Paul says, “Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”[1] What a treat that, as we learn and ask questions, the end is Christ! Whether we are excited about right angles or adjectives, all learning points to and ends with Jesus. What a joy to be a part of that and to let students see this wonder in our lives as we uncover treasures of wisdom and knowledge!

In order to help you cultivate this culture of discovery and inquiry – or, really, of wonder, here are some helpful practices:

1. Learn something new all the time. It doesn’t have to be something big. You can pick it up in a sermon, follow tweets from organizations in your area of interest, read something different than normal. Stay fresh by always learning.
2. Know your learning goals. As you make lesson plans, realize they are the steps for students to learn the goals. You can change your steps and leave room for wonder if you know what students should learn that day and make sure you end up there.
3. Reach to the heart. Learning begins at feeling levels. The affective area for learning goals is the third taxonomy that Bloom developed. He did not just focus only on the cognitive aspect but knew that goals that impact feelings and attitudes (such as wonder) were legitimate and valuable.
4. Guide your learners. Mountain trail guides don’t just have people follow them. They give hikers a chance to lead. They keep them safe. They get them to where they should go, sometimes in different ways. They know places of joy and wonder to take their groups. This is your role.
5. Ask questions. And teach learners to ask good, valuable questions, too. Have questions about many things, and when those are answered, create more questions. Teach your students the joy of this process, and fit it into your instruction.
6. Find the answers. Unlike some programs for discovery and inquiry that let the learners decide what they are learning, we know there are truths of value. Help students find the answers, while also letting them be a part of the joy of discovery. Don’t just tell, guide them into God’s truth.
7. Create space for sharing. You can pick the topic or leave it open. Give students the opportunity to share what they have discovered. Give them assignments of odd things like, “Ask you parents what they think about black holes,” and then let them share.
8. Give students tools to know how to discover and inquire, how to find new ideas and go deeper. My joy and wonder of Bible study grew when I was given good study tools. Teach students how to learn, not just the content they need to learn.
9. Change your routines. We live in a cute English town, but after a couple of years we started to not notice the beauty and quirks. We followed the same patterns of stores and travel and stopped being full of wonder with fresh eyes. By changing routines, you can help students look around and not lose wonder.
10. Come. One of my favorite passages is John 1:35-39. Two disciples follow Jesus, and when He sees them, He asks “What do you seek?” They respond: “Where are you staying?” They want the address. But Jesus wants more. He says, “Come, and you will see.” What they saw changed their lives. Know that God wants us to come to Him, and not just to get the answers. Teach your students to find areas in their thinking, discussions, and reading, where their questions aren’t satisfied by the simple answer, and invite them to dive deeper into those.

A culture of discovery and inquiry – or better, a culture of wonder – is not out of reach. By engaging in these practices, you can help to cultivate a culture of wonder in your classroom, and by doing so, you can grow students’ excitement and joy of learning more deeply about the great treasure of wisdom and knowledge, Jesus Himself.


Joe Neff
Joe serves TeachBeyond as Global Director of Educational Services and School Services. He has helped lead schools for thirty-six years mostly in three Christian schools in the States and in a school in Southeast Asia. He loves to see students and educators become all God intends.