Inquiry

At Hartwell Primary School, Inquiry is woven into day-to-day learning and covers the length and breadth of the curriculum. Students learn the skills necessary to becoming life-long learners by developing curiosity, critical thinking and questioning skills. By learning through a combination of Big Questions and personal Inquiry, Hartwell students are able to explore a range of ideas and concepts that make the world we live in today.

The Inquiry Cycle begins with a Big Question and Tuning In, where students are exposed to a range of ‘provocations’ and ideas that start to generate discussions and curiosity. Students then move into the ‘Finding Out’ phase, where they start to explore points of personal interest related to the Big Question. After investigating a range of information and resources, students begin to ‘Sort Out’ the information they have collected, making sense of their learning. The final stage of the Inquiry Cycle is ‘Going Further’, where students are able to ‘take action’ and explore their questions further or start to develop and design solutions to perceived problems.

Running alongside the Big Questions are opportunities for personal Inquiry, which looks different at the different learning stages of schooling.

Students in the Early Years (Prep- Year 2) are provided with a range of ‘discovery’ - play-based experiences that connect with real-life. This gives the students the chance to make meaning of the world around them, engage positively with others and develop social skills with a range of their peers. Discovery learning gives the early years students the chance to explore their ideas, negotiate with others and problem-solve both independently and as a group.

Students in the Middle Years (Year 3-6) explore and research their own personal interests, developing their time management, research, and communication skills. This self-directed learning gives the Middle years students the chance to be in charge of their learning, providing an authentic learning experience and Student Agency.

The Learning Assets provide a backdrop to Inquiry Learning and the skills necessary to engage in effective life-long learning as 21^st Century Learners. Students develop the necessary skills to be:

Researchers (being curious, courageous and critical)

Collaborators (being empathetic, compassionate and reliable)

Communicators (being confident, responsive and respectful)

Thinkers (being open-minded, flexible and persistent)

Self- Managers (being resilient, responsible and reflective)

At Hartwell we firmly believe that ‘thinking is not driven by answers, it’s driven by questions’ – Albert Einstein.