All the talk about systems change in education is great, and a topic we cover lots on the podcast. But the current reality for many educators might feel very removed from such visions. And yet, when you get into the details of what really deep and energised inquiry looks like with curious and questioning young people in classrooms, the two worlds feel a lot closer. And there are few people that know the specifics of what great inquiry-based learning looks like in theory and practice better than Trevor Mackenzie, so it was fantastic to be able to sit down with him this week to chat about it.

We talk about teacher dispositions, question routines, provocations, levels of structure, and also the way that an inquiry stance can show up in all cultures in different ways as humility and curiosity.

Trevor MacKenzie (https://www.trevormackenzie.com/who-i-am) is an experienced teacher, author, keynote speaker and inquiry consultant who has worked in schools throughout Australia, Asia, North America, South Africa and Europe. Trevor’s passion is supporting schools in implementing inquiry-based learning practices. He is a highly regarded speaker known for his heartfelt storytelling, kind demeanour, and student-first philosophy.

Trevor’s graduate research focused on identifying and removing the barriers to implementing inquiry-based learning in the K-12 setting. He has three publications: Dive into Inquiry, Inquiry Mindset Elementary Edition, and Inquiry Mindset Assessment Edition all published by Elevate Books Edu. He has vast experience supporting schools across several years in implementation strategies in public schools, international schools, and International Baccalaureate programmes (PYP/MYP/DP).

As a classroom teacher in Victoria, BC, Canada, Trevor brings a unique lens to authorship, consultancy, keynoting, and research. He is in his own classroom working with scholars in inquiry and he visits schools around the world supporting them in their inquiry implementation. This provides rich context and experience, a holistic approach to the work, and authentic and refined resources to be shared.

Trevor is the best selling author of three publications: author of Inquiry Mindset Assessment Edition (2021), co-author of Inquiry Mindset Elementary Edition (2018), and the author of Dive into Inquiry (2016) all published by Elevate Books Edu.

Trevor's new book Inquiry Mindset Questions Edition will be published later this year: https://www.trevormackenzie.com/posts/2024/4/14/announcing-inquiry-mindset-questions-edition

Social Links

LinkedIn: @trevor-mackenzie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-mackenzie-37103b261/

Instagram: @trev_mackenzie - https://www.instagram.com/trev_mackenzie/

X: @trev_mackenzie - https://twitter.com/trev_mackenzie

398: Samantha Harvey - Orbital - Booker Winner 2024