Inquiry Learning

Southbridge School has developed an inquiry learning model that details the steps children need to work through either individually or in small groups. We realised inquiry learning does not only have to be ‘child-directed’ but can also be used as a powerful method of 'teacher-directed’ whole class curriculum delivery.

Using inquiry learning in this way necessitates teachers coming up with rich questions to underpin classroom programmes. Teachers share these ‘rich questions’ with their classes. They break down the rich questions into a series of smaller ‘action questions’ and use these to scaffold their lesson planning.

Inquiry Learning Model(Version 3)

Stage 1

When planning any unit of work staff begin by developing a purpose statement, which is the big idea, and the key concepts and understandings that they want the children to attain.

For example in a school-wide topic about ‘Communication’  the big idea was:

“The way we talk and communicate with each other has a critical influence on our community.

In order to be successful citizens it is essential that we learn to communicate effectively. Understanding and expressing our own needs, respecting and accepting a diverse range of communication styles, and behaving appropriately in a range of social and cultural settings, are all essential skills we will need if we are to be effective communicators.”

The Key Concepts and Understandings for the Health aspect of the topic (including how they tie-in with the New Zealand curriculum) were as follows:

Stage 2

Planning for Stage 2 necessitates teachers coming up with rich and action questions for the topic. For example, for the health aspect of the ‘Communications’ topic the rich and action questions for one syndicate were:

Rich Question

How can we improve the way we relate to others?

Action Questions

Ignition

What does it mean to be a good friend?

Discovering

How do we relate to others around us?

How do we communicate to people around the world?

What information do we need to know in order to communicate?

The teachers use each of these questions to underpin the lessons plans for the unit. Often teachers will display questions and some of the answers discovered, as a map of children’s learning. 

Stage 3

This is the place in the model where teachers need to decide how they are going to deliver the remainder of the unit. They may choose to keep the class working together through the creating and communicating stages. Alternatively they may decide to support children to come up with their own rich and action questions and to work with them to do individual/small group inquiries. What a teacher decides at Stage 3 is determined by the readiness of children to be self-directed with their learning and the purpose of the unit of work. The model also allows teachers to have some children doing ‘student-directed’ work whilst others in the class are still working under a more ‘teacher-directed’ approach. We see this as a powerful model for differentiating learning in classrooms for gifted and talented students.

Children who are ready to assume greater responsibility for their own learning are expected to keep track of their inquiry using a clearfile. Every clearfile is set up the same way and the templates we use for this purpose are available in the kids’ area of the school’s website. We have done this so that any adult in the school knows exactly where a child is at and can support them to decide what to do next. We also felt that it was important that children develop a record of the work they have done especially when an inquiry can last over several weeks.