Inquiry learning helps students to learn HOW to learn. Through inquiry learning, students come to understand and manage themselves as ‘learners’. At Whittlesea Primary School, teachers address all aspects of the Victorian Curriculum our students learn about the Humanities; Civics and Citizenship, Economics and Business, Geography and History, and Science using the inquiry model over a two-year cycle.

The inquiry model follows a sequence of activities and experiences to build on and challenge student’s perceptions. The sequence is inquiry-based, i.e. it begins with the student’s prior knowledge and experiences and moves through a deliberate process that helps the student’s knowledge to be extended, challenged, and refined.

Explicit instruction is an essential part of the Whittlesea Primary School Inquiry Plan. Explicit instruction refers to the process whereby teachers make the skills and knowledge to be learned explicit to students. The teacher then directly assists the students in acquiring the skills and knowledge involved in following the Victorian Curriculum.

Teachers adopt a gradual release of responsibility approach where classroom lessons move more systematically from extensive teacher input and little student responsibility to total student responsibility and reduced teacher involvement.

Students undertake a personalised inquiry for each of the units taught. This inquiry is an opportunity for students to pursue questions/interests/passions/challenges that they determine.  Students may choose to present their inquiry findings in a range of different ways depending on what they feel will be the best way to convey their learning outcomes.

At Whittlesea Primary School, teachers use an inquiry cycle that has been adapted from the Kath Murdoch Inquiry cycle.