Inquiry Unit
Design and Planning

Inquiry and explicit teaching are not mutually exclusive.  As educators we should always understand the role of direct instruction, particularly when engaging with new knowledge and skill, but also understand the moves we can make to tap into student interest and curiosity. 

 

Knowing how to scaffold and design Inquiry units that ‘uncover’ curriculum is a key facet of building rich, real and relevant learning. Our support model uses the Question Formulation Technique to build guiding questions that enhance the purpose and relevance of curriculum outcomes with the lives of our students. We use a structured approach that unpacks the intentional design behind the stages of Inquiry, and tools that support critical and creative thinking. This includes cultures of thinking, graphic organisers and metacognitive strategies to reduce cognitive load and enhance clarity of newly learned concepts. 

 

We map guiding questions against an Inquiry process to develop clarity about the opportunities for both explicit teaching and student agency. 

 

We explore how learning intentions, success criteria and feedback support and explicit direct instruction model within an Inquiry journey, whilst also utilising tools and opportunities to visualise and value student agency: voice, choice and ownership of their learning. 

 

We work with teachers to co-design Inquiry that excites and inspires. We support teachers to translate curriculum into concepts and throughlines that provide learners with rich opportunities to engage, explore and empower their ability to take action with their learning whether it be through design and innovation, advocacy and social justice or participation and involvement.