Leading with Inquiry Part 1: Getting Curious about Inquiry

03/16/23 • 31 min

What does it mean to lead with inquiry? And what does that actually look like in a classroom or when working with other adults? Today, we begin a four-part series exploring those questions and more about leading with inquiry. 3Ps host Paula Watkins and Jessica Vance, the author of Leading With a Lens of Inquiry, will lead us through this exploration, setting the stage in our first episodes about what inquiry is and how to integrate it into leadership. In the final two episodes, you’ll hear Jessica and Paula engage in an inquiry-focused coaching conversation as an example of how others can use a lens of inquiry in their coaching and leading.

In this first episode of this series, Jessica shares about her background and current work as an inquiry leader. She makes clear that being an inquiry leader is not exclusionary of being a managerial leader but that leaders can use both approaches in tandem and when most appropriate.

Jessica details the need for inquiry leaders to understand their values and for a critical friend to help keep your inquiry leadership focused. She also suggests having the sentence frames “What would happen if...” and “How may/can I...” ready to use in an inquiry process.

Throughout the episode, Jessica and Paula reference the work of Trevor MacKenzie, who you can listen to in previous 3Ps in a Pod episodes on “Cultivating Inquiry,” “Creating a Culture of Inquiry with Kass Minor and Trevor MacKenzie,” and “Diving into Inquiry.” Jessica also mentions these additional resources:

“ The Inquiry Leader” sketchnote, “Managerial Leader, Inquiry Leader” sketchnote, and “The Ripple Effect” sketchnote can be found at leadingwithinquiry.com/sketchnotes
Elena Aguilar’s work with the core values of leaders, such as “ How Core Values Foster Resilience in Educators,” and other resources available at brightmorningteam.com
Brene Brown and her Daring Leadership Assessment at brenebrown.com/hubs/dare-to-lead/
Kimberly Mitchell’s book Experience Inquiry and other resources at inquirypartners.com
Jessica Vance’s website at leadingwithinquiry.com
Jessica Vance’s Instagram at instagram.com/jess_vanceedu
Jessica Vance’s Twitter at twitter.com/jess_vanceedu

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

“ The Inquiry Leader” sketchnote, “Managerial Leader, Inquiry Leader” sketchnote, and “The Ripple Effect” sketchnote can be found at leadingwithinquiry.com/sketchnotes
Elena Aguilar’s work with the core values of leaders, such as “ How Core Values Foster Resilience in Educators,” and other resources available at brightmorningteam.com
Brene Brown and her Daring Leadership Assessment at brenebrown.com/hubs/dare-to-lead/
Kimberly Mitchell’s book Experience Inquiry and other resources at inquirypartners.com
Jessica Vance’s website at leadingwithinquiry.com
Jessica Vance’s Instagram at instagram.com/jess_vanceedu
Jessica Vance’s Twitter at twitter.com/jess_vanceedu

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Previous Episode

Welcoming New Teachers to National Board Certification

Today we welcome Danielle Brown, NBCT, a former host of 3Ps in a Pod, and now the senior manager of candidate experience at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. She and host Donnie Dicus discuss the changing landscape of education and how the National Board is approaching some of that change.

Brown first shares how her role at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards combines her passion for National Board Certification with what her work had been at the Arizona K12 Center supporting new teachers before talking about how early career educators can now pursue National Board Certification.

The National Board has updated its policy as the teacher landscape has changed, Brown explains. Allowing new teachers to pursue National Board Certification provides an opportunity for those teachers to reflect on their practice earlier than they may have, rather than getting set in routines that may need to be shifted.

Brown talks about the importance of supporting newer teachers in pursuing National Board Certification both for the benefit to their own practice and impact but also as they more quickly become veteran teachers and leaders.

Learn more about how the Arizona K12 Center can support you in pursuing National Board Certification at azk12.org.

Next Episode

Leading with Inquiry Part 2: Provocations

We’re continuing our series with Jessica Vance on leading with inquiry, this time focused on provocations.

In the last episode of 3Ps in a Pod, Jessica set the stage for what inquiry in leadership is. Today, Jessica and host Paula Watkins dive into a discussion about provocations, what they are, how to use them, and why they’re important.

Jessica and Paula also touch on some of the misconceptions about provocations. They discuss how provocations are not the same as anticipatory sets, how teachers are not the only ones to introduce provocations, and the idea that using provocations takes too much time.

Jessica gives several examples of provocations and ideas on how to find your own. She also shares a variety of examples of how to integrate provocations into the classroom as well as in situations with other adults.

In our next episode, Jessica and Paula take what they’ve talked about in the first two episodes of this series and apply it to Paula’s work, as an example of how others can use a lens of inquiry in their coaching and leading.

Here are ways to continue to connect to Jessica: