Inquiry
Studio
Structured time for inquiry.
Sustained support for the people doing it.
One hour a week. A small group. Two educators on the design floor. Real thinking about what actually matters for your students.
We don't give teachers this — a space to stop, reflect, and think about what actually matters. Until now.
— Dr. Leslie K. Maniotes, after SXSW 2026
The space you never had — finally built for you.
The problem has never been that you don't care about inquiry. The problem is that the time you have isn't designed for thinking.
After attending the Stanford d.school's Public House at SXSW — a room built for reflection, curiosity, and unhurried thought — one question wouldn't leave: Why don't we build this for educators?
Inquiry Studio is that room. One hour a week. Virtual. Small group. Two educators bring their work to the design floor each session — half-formed ideas, struggling units, real questions about what inquiry looks like in their school right now.
Two educators take the design floor each session — each shares a unit, a challenge, or a question they're wrestling with. The group thinks together on both.
Dr. Maniotes facilitates and coaches — but the group thinking is where it gets extraordinary. K–12 librarians, curriculum leads, and classroom teachers seeing each other's problems.
Grounded in Guided Inquiry Design® — every session connects to a research-backed framework for how inquiry actually works for students and teachers.
No prerequisites. Whether you've been in a GID Institute or you're brand new to inquiry, there's a seat for you here.
If inquiry is part of your work, you belong here.
Current Studio members include school librarians, classroom teachers, curriculum leaders, instructional coaches, and university faculty — K–12 and beyond.
You're already doing inquiry work. You need a space to design it better, connect with others like you, and get real-time thinking support.
You have a research unit that isn't quite working, or a question about how to make inquiry feel real for your students. Bring it here.
You want to build inquiry culture across your school or district. The Studio is a low-stakes way to think through what that actually looks like.
Join for a season. Stay as long as you need.
The Studio runs in seasons — and seasons are not interchangeable
Summer sessions are designed for slower, more intentional design work: stepping back, clarifying your thinking, building the foundation before students return. School-year sessions meet you where you are — responsive, real-time support while teaching is actually happening
Start with the season that matches where you are right now.
- 4 weekly 60–75 min sessions
- Small group, expert facilitation
- Design floor + group coaching
- GID framework throughout
- 4 weekly sessions per month
- Ideal for summer planning
- Join July, August, or both
- $177 bundle saves $17
- 12 weekly sessions across fall
- Deep community + continuity
- Group rate: 3+ from same district $247 each
- Program evaluation support
- Access to all seasonal cohorts
- Priority registration
- Private community space
- Deepest continuity with Dr. Maniotes
Single month rate: $97 for any season. Fall season: $297 for 12 sessions across 3 months — the best value by far. District groups: 3 or more participants from the same school or district receive a group rate of $247/person for the Fall Season. The Studio is also a natural on-ramp to the GID Institute — contact Dr. Maniotes to discuss district partnership options.
One hour. Real thinking. Every week.
Simple structure, deep work.
Each session, two educators share a unit, a design challenge, or a question they're working through. Real work. Real problems. No polished presentations required.
This is where the magic happens. Educators from across K–12 bringing different perspectives to the same problem. Dr. Maniotes coaches and connects it all to the GID framework.
Not just inspiration — a clearer direction, a concrete next step, or a design decision that was stuck and is now unstuck. One hour that changes the week.
Co-creator and Author of Guided Inquiry Design®, author of multiple books on inquiry learning, and one of the leading voices on how structured inquiry transforms student learning and teacher practice.
Dr. Maniotes has trained librarian-teacher teams in districts across the country — full K-12 district implementation. The Inquiry Studio grew directly from her own experience at SXSW and her decades-long question: why don't we design time for educators the same way we design it for students?
"The problem isn't that you don't have enough time. The problem is that the time you have isn't designed for thinking — and that's not your fault. No one built you a space to do that. Until now."
Ready to be in the room?
The Spring Pilot is forming now. Small group. Weekly. One hour that's yours.
Join the Studio