Inquiry Learning

At Topirum Primary School students learn about the world they live in, developing an inquiry thinking approach to understand and solve real world problems. They learn to use their knowledge and skills in different contexts using critical and creative thinking. Our inquiry classrooms provide a space where teachers work with students to explore key concepts and in an authentic context.

Discovery Learning

This year we are introducing a hands-on inquiry model into our junior classrooms. This is in line with the Department of Education emphasis on supporting young learners to develop their personal and social capabilities.

Key literacy and numeracy understandings will be modelled by the teachers at the beginning of each session. Students will then be allowed time to direct their own learning as they work at the areas set up around the classroom. Learning areas include science, sensory, construction, real life, writing, maths and reading. Teachers work closely with students to scaffold their learning and encourage them to question curiously and record their thinking by writing. On a roster, students will become ‘focus students’ and as part of this special role they will be able to share their learning with the class at the beginning and end of discovery learning.

Discovery learning will provide authentic context for students to explore their questions and it will be used to drive student learning for the rest of the day.

Questions to ask your child about Discovery Time:

• What area did you explore today?
• Who did you work with during Discovery Time?
• Did anything make you curious today?
• What is something you’d like to learn more about?
• What did you do when you were the focus student?

Project-based Inquiry - Middle & Senior School

We are implementing a Kath Murdoch project-based inquiry cycle. Inquiry learning is based on the belief that students are capable learners who can collaborate with the teacher to explore the curriculum. It gives our students the chance to pose questions and take ownership for their learning. 

Each term year levels will explore a big question that directly relates to a curriculum content area of the humanities, science, design and technology or business and economics. Students begin the term by conducting a shared inquiry where they tune into the question, find out information and sort out this data. Students then move to investigating their own personal question related to the topic, by going further into the key concept and by taking action and sharing their learning with the wider Topirum community.

Questions to ask your student about inquiry:

• What big idea are you exploring?
• What have you been wondering? Did you put this on the Wonder Wall.
• Did anything make you curious today?
• What is something you’d like to learn more about?
• What are you doing for your personal investigation?

Wonder Walls

To encourage our students to wonder about the world around them and use questions to drive their learning each classroom has a “Wonder Wall’ display. This is a space where students are asked to record questions that have them thinking. Teachers model open and closed questions as well as ways in which students can find answers to the questions they have.