Children's Inquiry

Children's Inquiry Synopsis

This fascinating exploration of children's inquiry-what it is, how it develops, and how it contributes to children's learning-will help teacher educators and elementary teachers to understand, appreciate, and foster children's inquiry in classrooms. In this volume, Lindfors introduces a theoretical framework for understanding children's inquiry language-not as linguistic forms (questions), but as communication acts in which the child brings another into the act of sense-making. By closely examining these "inquiry acts," the author uncovers new possibilities for our understanding of how children learn and how teachers can foster their learning in classrooms. The text features a wide range of voices and writings, including transcripts from homes and classrooms, class exercises, research findings, classroom episodes, and the author's own reflections.