Learning through Inquiry Inquiry at St Paul’s Grammar School is happening around every corner. What does the IB have to say about Inquiry? Inquiry, interpreted in the broadest sense, is the process initiated by the students or the teacher that moves the students from their current level of understanding to a new and deeper level of understanding. This can mean:
exploring wondering and questioning experimenting and playing with possibilities making connections between previous learning and current learning making predictions and acting purposefully to see what happens collecting data and reporting findings clarifying existing ideas and reappraising perceptions of events deepening understanding through the application of a concept making and testing theories researching and seeking information taking and defending a position solving problems in a variety of ways Inquiry involves an active engagement with the environment in an effort to make sense of the world, and consequent reflection on the connections between the experiences encountered and the information gathered. (IBO, 2009)
Meaningful Inquiry doesn’t just happen. It must be planned and then executed. The Primary Years Programme has three parts. The written curriculum, the taught curriculum and the assessed curriculum. The Written Curriculum When planning the written curriculum the teachers gather together during grade planning time. This is a crucial time at which purposeful inquiry is planned and careful consideration is given to the many different needs of all our students. This is crucial time where teachers consider their students’ learning styles and provide learning opportunities that strive to cater for all learning needs within the tasks planned.
The Taught Curriculum The taught curriculum is where the planning comes into fruition. The teachers are facilitators of these learning experiences and consider the set-up of resources, students’ needs and provide the physical environment to make the learning experience successful for all students. The Assessed Curriculum There are two types of assessment. There is assessment for teaching and assessment of learning. Assessment for teaching is where we find out the students’ prior knowledge of a concept in order to know where to go next with that student. Assessment of learning is a summative assessment where we are finding out what a student knows at the end of a unit of work. Reading and Writing through Inquiry During our recent Staff Development Days at the beginning of this term, all Junior School Teaching Staff had the wonderful opportunity of attending an inschool workshop conducted by PYP workshop leaders. The focus of the workshop was on teaching reading and writing through inquiry. The discussions, hands-on examples and collaborative sharing that occurred were all practical and helpful strategies that could be incorporated into all classrooms from Pre-K to Year 6. With the focus being on literacy in 2013, this was the perfect opportunity to reflect and evaluate how our literacy programmes fit into our Units of Inquiry. It is exciting to be part of a hard working team of people who are working toward the common goal of striving to equip our students with the skills needed to learn and be taught in a meaningful, engaging, challenging, rigorous and contemporary way. Mrs Corinne Day Coordinator of Primary Years Programme (PYP and BOS) What’s on this Term NAPLAN Year 3 and 5 – Tuesday 14th, Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th May
Athletics Carnival – Wednesday, 19th June
Gala Day – Friday, 21st June
Term 2 ends – Friday, 21st June
Next Partnership in Learning Meeting Monday, 3rd June, 1.30pm (Week 6)