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I also feel it goes deeper than that. I feel I get a true opportunity to see my students persevere, problem solve and demonstrate their level of critical thinking. I am not hung up on the final results of an inquiry. I am enthralled with the process and where an inquiry will lead or fade out. I never fully know what will happen throughout an inquiry and that sometimes scares me but it also keeps me engaged and excited about the next pathways.

We've worked hard to develop an understanding that inquiry learning is messy and NOT limited to a step by step approach. True inquiry learning is neither linear nor cyclical, but rather moves back and forth between the different stages identified by most of the inquiry models.

Although the format and tools have changed over the past year, the philosophy has remained the same: Unify learning at school, learning at home, and learning anywhere, anytime. Empower learners to engage in and reflect on their own inquiry processes. Encourage interest- and passion-driven learning. Integrate peers, parents, communities, and global networks into the inquiry process.

The Personalize Learning Webinar Series presented The Inquiry Hub with David Truss and five amazing learners. The Inquiry Hub provides 9th through 12th grade learners an innovative, technology driven, full-time program that allows learners to pursue their own learning by shaping their educational experience around their interests and questions instead of structured classes.

In Sept 2012 The Inquiry Hub was launched as a grade 9-12 school in Coquitlam, British Columbia. It started with a presentation to the board of trustees by Principal Stephen Whiffin, David Truss, and Superintendent Tom Grant. Stephen and David, the school's current lead administrator, helped articulate a vision of learning focused on: Inquiry, Voice, Audience, Community, Leadership, Play, and Networks. The school motto is Connect | Create | Learn.

I realized then that we adhere to different instruction theories: project-based vs. concept-driven learning. On the surface, many can mistake one for the other, especially since both use inquiry as a vehicle to construct understanding. It is, if you wish, the distinction that Carl Bereiter made when he talked about shallow vs. deep constructivism: The shallowest forms engage students in tasks and activities in which ideas have no overt presence but are entirely implicit. Students describe the activities they are engaged in (e.g., planting seeds, measuring shadows) and show little awareness of theunderlying principles that these tasks are to convey. Unfortunately, much of what is currently promoted and practiced under the label of "project-based learning" does not fit this definition but instead represents the traditional "project" or research report dressed up in modern technology.

If kids can access information from sources other than school, and if school is no longer the only place where information lives, what, then happens to the role of this institution?

"We want to take the existing unit plans and adjust the language so they are more globally accessible and do 5-to-10-minute interviews with teachers about the unit and with students to talk about how they learned and what they created," she says. Her goal is to have the written unit and about 20 minutes of video so teachers can see and hear how a unit works. "We want teachers to see the learning potential of the unit. Over the next three years we plan to build out as many SLA units as we can."

Educators can play a key role in assisting learners in building upon and expanding their self-regulation skills. Strategies include using metacognitive reflection questions both prior to and after learning tasks to assist students through a process of guided inquiry: What is the best way to go about this task? How well are my learning strategies working? What changes should I make, if any? What am I still having trouble understanding? What can I recall and what should I review? How does this material relate to other things I've learned or experienced? Supporting Self-Regulation in the Classroom)

That may not sound like "grit" to some though.  An article by Jordan Shapiro suggests that "grit" may just be another buzzword in education.  He references the work of Avi Kaplan, teacher and researcher, and states, "Instead of celebrating the Grit, value the ability to figure out what to do after each failure." The Learning Partnership post also referred to the importance of resilience and emotional intelligence, It's becoming clear that resilience - the ability to bounce back from adversity or defeat and keep on going no matter what - and emotional intelligence (EQ) - the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways to communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict - are greater skills to possess in today's rough and tumble world.