Inquiry Learning is a student interest-based program from Year 1 to Year 6 that allows students to learn more about the world around us. Students research a topic question for the term and uncover answers that they cannot just “google”.

Inquiry learning allows students to be exposed to a topic through lots of ‘tuning-in’ activities, which then leads onto students exploring, investigating, analysing and evaluating an area of interest within the topic. We look forward to sharing students’ work throughout the year.

Teachers have also attended professional development with Nadine Crane to learn about best practice for implementing Inquiry Learning. Ms Crane worked as a consultant for schools in the areas of integrated curriculum and inquiry based learning, with a specific focus on the inclusion of student voice in the curriculum.

Investigative Learning (Foundation Only):

Investigations are an integral part of the Foundation program at Swan Hill Primary School and helps provide a seamless transition from pre-school to school. It provides student voice, oral language development and social skills with their peers. It helps build students’ Executive Function Skills, like Working Memory, Inhibitory Control and Cognitive and Mental Flexibility. These skills are the foundations of success in literacy and numeracy, so it is vital as teachers that we scaffold students learning in these areas, and Investigations provide the perfect opportunity.

Teachers have attended professional development in these areas to further enhance their understanding of Early Childhood Education. Please check out the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework website for more information:  http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/earlyyears/index.aspx