A workspace for classroom inquiry

Inquiry that makes student thinking visible.

LensLab gives students a place to develop ideas, gather evidence, learn from one another and revise what they think. Teachers can see that journey and guide what happens next.

Students use a class code and PIN. Teachers continue with Google.

Inquiry workspace
How can we make our school grounds better for local wildlife?
My ThinkingEvidenceOur Thinking
My thinking · at the start

Planting native flowers might help insects, but we need to find out which plants suit this area.

Tuning InThinking can change as evidence grows
How LensLab works

Follow the thinking, not just the final answer.

An inquiry unfolds in stages. Students keep their questions, evidence and changing ideas connected as they move through the work.

01

Tuning In

Start with what students think and wonder.

02

Finding Out

Look for evidence and consider sources.

03

Sorting Out

Find patterns and build explanations.

04

Going Further

Follow new questions and deeper lines of inquiry.

05

Making Conclusions

Explain how understanding has changed.

06

Taking Action

Use learning to plan a meaningful next step.

Shown with LensLab’s six-stage preset. Teachers can choose and adapt the stages for their class.

For students

A place to show how an idea grows.

Students begin with their own thinking. They collect evidence, compare perspectives in shared work and return to their ideas as the inquiry develops.

  • Keep individual ideas in My Thinking.
  • Gather and connect Evidence to questions.
  • Contribute to Our Thinking when collaboration is enabled.
  • Reflect on what changed and why.
LensLab · Student workspaceTuning In
Our school grounds and local wildlife
My ThinkingEvidenceOur Thinking
My Thinking
Which animals use our school grounds now?
A question to investigate
Evidence
Record an observation and where it came from.
Connect evidence to an idea
Reflection
What do I think now? What changed my mind?

Illustrative example based on LensLab’s current workspace; all text is fictional.

LensLab · Teacher viewClass overview
One inquiry, clearer next steps
Stage access
Guide when the class moves forward.
Students
Move from the class view into one learner’s thinking.
Evidence
See what students are gathering and using.
Insights
Notice where a check-in may help.

Illustrative view with no student records or live class data.

For teachers

Guide the inquiry while students own the thinking.

Set up a class inquiry and decide which stages are open. See individual and shared thinking, move between students and review evidence so the next conversation or lesson is better informed.

  • See progress across the class and open a student’s work.
  • Notice work that may need attention through the teacher view and inquiry insights.
  • Use what students reveal to choose the next prompt or support.
Why LensLab

The learning happens along the way.

A finished answer rarely shows where a student began, what they found convincing, or how another perspective changed their mind. LensLab keeps those moments together so students can revisit them and teachers can respond while learning is happening.

First thinkingWhat do I already believe or wonder?

Evidence and othersWhat have I found, and what are others noticing?

Revised understandingWhat do I think now, and why?

Begin an inquiry

Bring student thinking into focus.

Open the classroom workspace to join your class or set up an inquiry.