Inquiry supports Curiosity, Critical Thinking and lifelong learning.

In adolescence, learners’ interests and motivations become more social and emotional, with relevance, respect, and autonomy becoming increasingly more important in their social and academic worlds and behaviors. By creating space for learners to be truly involved in their learning journey, for instance designing inquiry-based learning, and engaging in real-world scenarios that are relevant to their own worlds, they can begin to engage in their learning in meaningful and powerful ways.

• When inquiry and exploration are valued and scaffolded, learners’ Motivation and Curiosity can flourish. As learners continue to explore and ask questions, they engage in Critical Thinking and reasoning to explore increasingly complex questions about how the world works.
• Adolescence is a developmental period marked by cognitive changes that influence Critical Thinking, including an increased ability to think abstractly, use logic, and consider hypothetical scenarios or ideas. Critical Thinking involves many reasoning processes and cognitive skills that are important for preparing learners for their future roles as active, participating members in society.

Adolescents are increasingly engaging in Collaborative and Creative Learning

Engaging students in ways that support their Collaboration can spark Creativity as they learn to improvise, consider others perspectives, and build off one another, generating novelty both individually and as a group. Collaboration includes the ability to work with diverse teams, exercise flexibility and compromises to accomplish a shared goal which is important for success in the workforce.

• Creating an environment that fosters true Collaboration means ensuring that everyone feels comfortable, supported, and engaged and invested in the work. Using a strengths-based approach that helps students build awareness of their strengths can help students engage more effectively in collaborative projects.
• Engaging and supporting learners’ cooperative problem-solving allows them to work together to collaboratively discuss and analyze complex concepts, navigate social scenarios, and can provide autonomy for learners as they begin to grapple with more complex content.

Adolescents continue to explore Identities through various communities

Adolescents are becoming more engaged in their communities, both local and digital. They are exploring their civic and social identities, values, and worlds. A learner’s Civic Identity is grounded in having a sense of self as part of a larger whole. A learners’ exploration of their identities and values is key to guiding their actions in their communities and developing Civic Mindedness.

• As adolescents become more confident in their ability to engage and act on social issues, they can also become more empowered as individuals and engaged in their learning. Encouraging students to consider their needs and encouraging self-advocacy can support their sense of self, and Civic Mindedness.
• Providing students choice over different aspects of what and how they learn promotes their sense of agency in the classroom.

Digital spaces and social media can also provide opportunities for adolescents to present and explore their individual identities. As digital spaces provide increased access to information, digital literacy skills, including heightened critical understanding of source evaluation and digital problem solving, become incredibly important.

• In adolescence, increased screen time, including passive social media use, may increase the risk of mental health challenges. However, extracurricular activities such as sports, arts, and community programs can reduce the risk of these challenges