The
staff at Dyer Street School have been developing a model for learning.
A lot of thought and professional development went into deciding the
direction of the school including our school's values, the community's
values, and what skills and knowledge students would need for their
time at school and beyond.
Research has shown that some of our
students will be entering into jobs that don't exist at the moment.
Research tells us we don't know exactly what knowledge our students
will need for those jobs. However, they will need skills. The skills of
knowing how to find and present information. The skills of creative
thinking and problem solving. The skills of being able to work independently as well as co-operatively.
Inquiry
based learning is shown to help in the development of these skills so
that our students can gain the knowledge they need; whatever it may be,
whenever they need it.
Inquiry based learning also develops
information and computer technology skills throughout all stages of
each topic. Students can use computers as tools to plan an inquiry,
find answers and present their knowledge.
Inquiry based
learning shows that it can develop a range of skills, it uses topics
that are meaningful to students, it lets learners of all abilities
succeed, and it's fun.
This webpage explains how the inquiry model at Dyer Street School works.
Launch
The launch occurs at the start of a new topic.
Immersion activities are the first experience of a new topic.
Students
get hooked in to the topic by experiencing aspects of the topic in a
physical way. For example, guest speakers, school trips, activities at
school.
Immersion activities get students thinking about, and getting excited about, a new topic.
Brainstorming is the drawing out of what students already know about a new topic.
Teachers can identify students who have knowledge about certain
topics and those who may have special interests in certain topics. It
can help determine a base from where a class begins their inquiry.
Brainstorming can be done as a class, individually or in small groups. It can be oral or written.
Inquiry
The Inquiry process is the asking, answering and presenting of information related to a topic.
The
inquiry cycle can happen any number of times within a topic. It can be
class focused, or come from individual or group questions and
interests. It can happen at the start of a topic, or after some
knowledge has already been acquired and students want to know more
about certain aspects of a topic.
Some students may work
independently, others may work with a partner or a group. This can
depend on the learning style, skills and/or interests of the students
involved.
Questions Students develop open questioning skills that allow them to gain more information about specific areas within a topic.
Research Students
need to identify where they need to go to find the information to
answer their questions. It�s important to ensure students learn to find
information from a range of places. Students learn to create key
words to help with information location, how to locate answers to
questions, and how to put information into their own words.
Presentation Students
learn new ways to share their knowledge developing visual, oral and
written literacy skills. At times, it also gives students opportunities
to reflect their personality depending on the format they choose. It is
also through presentation that students have the chance to work in
their 'intelligence' or 'smart'.
Reflection
Reflection
occurs throughout the topic as students think about what they are
learning, and the impact their new knowledge may have on theirs and
others lives.
So what? An exciting part of the
inquiry process is the possibility of having a social action that
evolves from the learning that has occurred.
This is an
opportunity for students to think about how they can have a positive
influence on their world- whether it is for themselves, their family,
school, community, country or planet.
Students decide on what
form their social action should take. Once again, it may be
individually driven or a group of like minded students may work
together to achieve an outcome.
Each topic will lend itself to
different social outcomes, and different students will create a variety
of ideas within each topic.
The reflection stage of inquiry learning is a natural way for students to link their education with their world.
Showcase
The showcase is the final stage of the topic.
It
is an opportunity for students to invite their friends and family into
their classrooms to share their new knowledge and the work they have
done.
There is not always a particular feature of work in the showcase.
The focus is on sharing learning and having the opportunity to invite
parents and caregivers into school on a regular basis.
However, some topics may lend themselves to having something in particular to share at showcase time, and this will often evolve from the 'so what' part of the inquiry cycle.
Showcase
is a great time to reveal, share and explain any social actions that
may be happening. It may also be a time where students enlist the
support for their social outcomes from their friends, families and
community to highlight issues and make a real difference in their
worlds.
What do you think?
Thinking skills are highly valued by Dyer Street School and are developed through inquiry based learning.
There are a range of tools used throughout each topic depending on what outcome is being achieved. For example, to channel thinking in specific ways, De Bono's hats are used. To prepare, plan and organise information and ideas, a range of graphic organisers are chosen from.
Problem
solving skills are developed through inquiry based learning as students
ask and answer questions, organise information, plan presentations and
consider social actions. At any point in a topic, unthought-of or unplanned
for issues may arise. Students are taught and encouraged to come up
with and use solutions to overcome these 'hurdles'.
It is
these problem solving skills that will continue to be valuable not only
through a student.s time at school, but useful in life.
Credits
Inquiry Learning information written by Kelly Layton
