Adding Inquiry to My Modern Classroom Through Building Thinking Classrooms
Following COVID, I encountered behavioral issues, unfinished learning, and a decline in students’ problem-solving skills—particularly those needed for success in later STEM courses. In response, I implemented the Modern Classroom approach, which involves students learning through teacher-created instructional videos, working at their own pace, and completing end-of-lesson mastery checks.
This model fostered collaboration, metacognition, and a sense of student ownership. However, I noticed memorization, repetition without a deep understanding of underlying concepts, and a lack of authentic inquiry. For students to truly learn the material, they needed opportunities to explore.
To strengthen my Modern Classroom Project course with inquiry-based learning, I attended a workshop focused on using inquiry in Modern Classroom settings. I was especially struck by research presented in the workshop, which highlighted how inquiry-based learning increases student engagement, boosts academic achievement, and enhances learners’ ability to direct their own learning. The workshop introduced the 5E instructional model—a constructivist framework developed in the late 1980s by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) under the leadership of Roger Bybee—as a common structure for implementing inquiry. The model is grounded in Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and Lev Vygotsky’s social learning theory. The five Es are: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate.
A Modern Classroom lesson typically consists of an instructional video, individual practice, and a mastery check. These elements naturally align with the explain, elaborate, and evaluate components of the 5E instructional model. However, without opportunities for engagement or exploration, these components became less meaningful and impactful.
Shortly after the workshop, I began planning my unit on exponential and logarithmic functions, determined to create opportunities for students to engage deeply and explore the content. The first lesson focused on exponential growth and decay, and I saw a natural opportunity to engage students by using models based on the infection rates from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. I challenged students to investigate two types of exponential graphs and determine which would more accurately model this real-world phenomenon.
The exploration task was inspired by Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms framework. Key elements included students working at vertical surfaces, random grouping, group roles based on student readiness, and the use of well-posed questions to construct conceptual understanding. Afterward, the class engaged in a consolidation activity. Students completed a noteguide chart either independently or in small groups. This note guide was intentionally minimal, offering only key vocabulary terms and space for students to record examples and definitions in their own words. Following this, the class came together to discuss the concepts and examples, collaboratively filling in a master note guide sheet, which was later shared online. By generating their own definitions and examples before the class discussion, students actively constructed their mathematical understanding, rather than passively receiving information.
Students shared that the task helped them better understand the differences between exponential growth and decay. They also gained confidence in representing key characteristics of these functions graphically and in tables, and in interpreting the data.
After completing the exploration task, students transitioned to the explain phase of the 5E instructional model. They engaged with either a teacher-created instructional video on Edpuzzle or participated in small-group direct instruction. Some students preferred the video format, appreciating the opportunity to take ownership of when and how they learned the concept. Those using the video remained engaged through Edpuzzle’s embedded multiple-choice questions and guided notes. The same guided notes supported both video-based and small-group instruction.
Students expressed greater confidence when learning from the video, as their prior exploration gave them a strong foundation. They experienced fewer misconceptions and, as a result, asked fewer clarifying questions.
Having completed the engage, explore, and explain phases of the 5E instructional model, students moved into the final two phases: elaborate and evaluate. During the elaborate phase, students deepened their understanding through required individual worksheets, along with optional online practice for additional support. The evaluate phase was centered around a mastery check, which served as a formative assessment to ensure students had a solid grasp of the material before progressing to the next lesson.
In earlier iterations of this lesson—when real-world applications and the Building Thinking Classrooms task were not included—students relied heavily on answer keys during practice and on multiple revisions or reassessments during mastery checks. This time, I noticed that students relied less on those structures and instead drew upon the generalizations they developed through exploration, supported by their guided notes and practice.
The inquiry-based learning workshop I attended transformed how I approach teaching by helping me make every concept more meaningful and connected for students. It shifted my focus from purely procedural instruction to fostering deeper, relational understanding—enhancing the efficacy of my Modern Classroom.
Joseph Chaves Lombardi holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Southern Connecticut State University, an M.S. in Mathematics from Central Connecticut State University, and is currently completing a Sixth Year Diploma in Educational Leadership at Quinnipiac University. He has five years of classroom teaching experience in both suburban and urban settings and has taught a wide range of courses, including Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Honors Algebra I, Honors Geometry, Precalculus, AP Calculus, Modeling with Mathematics, and Problem-Solving. Mr. Lombardi serves as an Expert Mentor for the Modern Classrooms Project and teaches Precalculus and Calculus in the Early College BioCity Pathways program with New Haven Public Schools. Beginning in August 2025, he will also serve as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Central Connecticut State University. Follow Joseph on LinkedIn.
