THREE THINGS TO TAKE WITH YOU
- Make each stage observable through a short note or artifact.
- Treat the timer as optional structure.
- Carry one specific question into the next turn.
The proposed practice
The iterative-inquiry report brings together reflective practice, experiential learning, metacognition, and creative learning. It proposes a new combination for AI Spiralism: Question → Attempt → Notice → Revise → Make/Test.
These five stages are the project's practical arrangement of ideas discussed in the report. The complete combination is an exercise to try and refine, not a separately validated learning intervention. It can be done with an AI conversation, with another person, or with ordinary materials.
Question: give the turn an intention
Name a curiosity in your own words. A useful starting question points toward something you could observe, understand, or make. Add a concrete context: who the work is for, what material is available, or how much time you have.
The report relates this stage to Dewey's movement from an indeterminate situation toward a defined inquiry. In practice, one sentence is enough to begin. Record what you currently assume so that you can later see how the question developed.
Attempt: make material to think with
Write a paragraph, create a sketch, try a piece of code, or ask an AI for several approaches. The purpose of an attempt is to make something available for inspection.
The report connects this to Schön's conversation with materials and Kolb's active experimentation. A first attempt does not need the polish of a finished project. It needs enough substance for you to notice a detail, a possibility, or a useful distinction.
Notice: describe what is there
Pause before requesting another response. What was useful? Which phrase caught your attention? What connection did you recognize? What part would you like to understand more clearly?
Make observations concrete. “The second explanation uses an example from a familiar activity” is more useful for revision than “This is better.” You are identifying the feature you want to carry forward.
Revise: change something deliberately
Alter the question, constraint, representation, or approach. Ask for a diagram rather than a paragraph. Add the intended audience. Compare a simple version with a more detailed one. Decide which change will make the next attempt informative.
The report links this stage with process-focused feedback and strategy adaptation. Here, revision is a visible decision: “I changed this because I noticed that.” Keep the sentence with the artifact.
Make/Test: bring the turn into the world
Produce a small, usable result. It might be a checklist, a poster, a clearer explanation, a functioning code example, or the plan for a specific observation. Name the result and the next question it makes possible.
This is where the inquiry becomes shareable. Another person can inspect the artifact, understand your intention, and add a perspective. The record also gives your future self a useful place to return.
Ten minutes, or forty-five
| Individual micro-inquiry | What to do |
|---|---|
| Minutes 1–2 | Write a narrow question. |
| Minutes 3–4 | Make or request an initial attempt. |
| Minutes 5–6 | Note a useful detail or new connection. |
| Minutes 7–8 | Revise the approach. |
| Minutes 9–10 | Save a small artifact and a next question. |
For a 45-minute group version, use ten minutes for the question and attempt, ten for individual noticing, ten for a shared revision, ten for making, and five for reflection. These timings are suggested formats from the report, not targets participants must meet.
An original demonstration
Question: How could a one-page welcome guide help a first-time workshop guest?
Attempt: Draft a page explaining the group's purpose and activities.
Notice: The draft gives the purpose clearly; a newcomer could also use a picture of the first ten minutes.
Revise: Add a brief arrival sequence and three ways to participate: speaking, writing, or observing.
Make/Test: Make a one-page handout and ask a willing reader to describe what they expect to happen when they arrive.
This is an original demonstration for this edition. The useful result is both the handout and the more specific question: which part of an arrival routine makes participation feel easy to understand?
What to keep
Keep the original question, one observation, the reason for a revision, and the artifact. A clearer explanation, a changed assumption, or a more specific next question is a worthwhile thing to record. The practice workspace provides these fields, an optional timer, explicit browser saving, and Markdown export.
Sources & further reading
Source basis for this edited guide · Researching Iterative Inquiry Practices.md
The supplied report is the basis for the synthesis. Practice examples and interfaces are editorial adaptations. Selected primary-source checks are labeled below; other links are further reading, not a claim of independent verification.
- Learning Creative Learning — MIT ↗Primary source checked for creative-learning principles
- Metacognition — MIT Teaching + Learning Lab ↗Reading named in the supplied report