Making student thinking visible.
We built InquiryCycle to solve a problem we faced every day in the classroom: the friction of running true, visible inquiry. We believe that technology should scaffold the learning process, not complicate it with logins, accounts, and bloated interfaces.
The Pedagogy Behind InquiryCycle
InquiryCycle isn't just a presentation tool; it's explicitly designed around proven pedagogical frameworks to support student-led inquiry and critical thinking.
The Inquiry Cycle
Our AI structuring engine maps presentations directly to the phases of inquiry-based learning, heavily inspired by Kath Murdoch's renowned framework. This ensures every lesson flows logically from sparking curiosity to meaningful action:
- Tuning In: Engaging students and assessing prior knowledge.
- Finding Out: Gathering new information and exploring.
- Sorting Out: Processing and organizing new data.
- Going Further: Extending the learning.
- Making Conclusions: Reflecting on the journey.
- Taking Action: Applying knowledge to the real world.
Visible Thinking
We leverage Harvard Project Zero's Visible Thinking Routines to make the invisible cognitive processes of students visible to both peers and educators.
By providing tools for live drawing and text responses, InquiryCycle allows educators to capture routines like See-Think-Wonder, Chalk Talk, and Connect-Extend-Challenge in real-time.
Helpful Resources:
InquiryCycle is an independent tool created for educators. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), Harvard Project Zero, Kath Murdoch, Google, or Kahoot.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is InquiryCycle?
InquiryCycle is an AI-powered presentation engine built specifically for IB PYP educators. It helps teachers instantly generate highly-scaffolded IB PYP Unit inquiry decks from a simple Central Idea, capture live student drawings, and end lessons with an Informed Review.
Do students need an account to participate?
No! We designed the platform with a strict zero-login policy for students. Students simply scan a QR code or enter an 8-digit PIN on any device (iPad, Chromebook, phone) and they are instantly dropped into the live session.
Is the platform GDPR and COPPA compliant?
Absolutely. Because we do not require student accounts, we do not collect any Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Furthermore, all student participation data is ephemeral—all drawings and text inputs are permanently hard-deleted within 24 hours with no backups.
What AI powers the deck generation?
We leverage state-of-the-art learning-focused AI. It has been expertly prompted and rigorously constrained by experienced IB educators to ensure the generated content perfectly follows the Inquiry Cycle and utilizes Harvard Project Zero visible thinking routines.
Can I export my decks?
Yes! You can instantly export any AI-generated inquiry deck to a beautifully formatted PDF to share with parents, administrators, or to use offline.