Inquiry Learning Term 3

Using our professional learning from a variety of schools and PD days, we began looking at and developing an inquiry model for our school. As we are a SHINE school, we decided to use the acronym S H I N E to devise the key words of the process of Inquiry at our school.

Lots of debate about how to go about it. With major consultation with Jan we decided the best step forward for Taitoko was to give the teachers the model and work with their findings and reflections to develop understanding and ownership.

S park
H ave a go
I nvestigate
N avigate
E xpress

As a staff we did some professional reading around Inquiry Learning especially directed and guided at this stage. We talked through the model and discussed what the expectations would be in our classes. Lots of talk and sharing about their understandings. When teachers talk you gain a lot about what their thinking is or isn't.

As a staff we decided that we would have a whole school context for learning. This came about by brainstorming all the possibilities under the umbrella "What makes NZ NZ?. We then asked the teachers to have informal dialogue with their own students to see what makes them tick.

All classes had various ideas and it was neat to see the students have a voice and teacher not be to afraid to take the risk to learn about something unfamiliar.

Some examples: What is special about our town?
Justice past or present
Pictures that tell a story