At the Inquiry project we work with schools at their level of need. We tailor our approach to  develop a consistent whole school understanding of the language, values and pedagogical approaches that best support the school context and stage of development.  We offer a range of professional learning workshops for whole school staff and teams, specialising in:

 

Inquiry Learning

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. We strive to support teachers to develop an acute awareness if how to design Inquiries that balance explicit teaching with student agency and choose the right tools to support the intentional thinking throughout the difference stages of Inquiry.

 

High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS)

HITS are internationally recognised strategies that are known to have profound influence on propelling student learning. We support teachers to understand the evidence behind the design of the use of the top ten HITS and develop practical applications of their use in combination during learning and teaching.

​

Metacognition and Critical & Creative Thinking

Metacognition  is a high-impact teaching strategy that enhances the ability of learners to monitor, evaluate, and regulate their own thinking and learning processes, leading to improved problem-solving skills and a deeper understanding of newly learned concepts and skills. Cultures of thinking and routines (including graphic organisers and strategies) support.

 

We support teachers to understand how to choose and use cultures of thinking and routines which  support metacognition by:

1. Encouraging Reflection: Regular reflection helps students become aware of their thinking processes.

2. Establishing Habits: Consistent routines make metacognitive strategies a natural part of learning.

3. Creating a Safe Space: A supportive environment allows students to reflect on mistakes and learn from them.

4. Promoting Ownership: Students take charge of their learning, enhancing their ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate.

5. Fostering Collaboration: Sharing and discussing ideas with peers helps refine and expand metacognitive skills.

 

Cognitive Load Theory

Cognitive Load Theory directly influences how well students process, understand, and retain information. Dylan Wiliam has described cognitive load theory as ‘the single most important thing for teachers to know’. Cognitive Load Theory leverages our understanding of how the human brain works to create teaching strategies that enhance learning. It supports explicit instruction, where teachers actively guide students by demonstrating what to do and how to do it, rather than leaving them to discover or construct knowledge independently. The focus of Cognitive Load Theory is on optimizing the demands placed on students’ working memory, enabling them to learn more effectively.

We support teachers by equipping them with the knowledge of how children learn best, and the confidence to choose the right tools to help learners synthesise and clarify their learning.​

​

Agency: Voice, Choice & Ownership

We believe that every child’s voice matters. Young people who find their own voice in supportive school environments are more likely to develop a confident voice, a capacity to act in the world, and a willingness to lead others. By empowering students we enhance student engagement and enrich their participation in the classroom, school and community. We help students to ‘own’ their learning and development, and create a positive climate for learning (Victorian Department of Education, 2021)

​

We support schools to develop school wide practical approaches that honor and empower student agency: their voice, their ideas, their questions, their feedback.

​​

Effective Feedback

Effective feedback practices are consistently demonstrated to be one of, if not the most, powerful influences on student achievement. This metric underscores feedback’s role in helping students make visible progress by clarifying learning goals, highlighting specific areas for improvement, and reinforcing successful strategies. Studies show that when feedback is delivered with empathy and tailored to individual learning needs, it can increase both engagement and achievement. 

 

Our professional development focusses on enhancing staff capacity to understand and apply effective feedback practices to propel student growth.  This includes a deep dive into:

 

• Current research about about effective feedback

• The characteristics of effective feedback

• How teachers can use feedback effectively in their classrooms

• Teacher feedback, Peer Feedback, Self assessment strategies

• Developing a whole school culture of effective feedback

​

AITSL Standards addressed in this Professional Learning / partnership:

​

Standard 1: Know students and how they learn

1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students

1.2 Understand how students learn

 

Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 Content selection and organisation

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

 

Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

3.1 Establish challenging learning goals

3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

3.4 Select and use resources

 

Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments

4.1 Support student participation

4.2 Manage classroom activities

 

Standard 5: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning

5.1 Assess student learning

5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning

 

Standard 6: Engage in professional learning

6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice

6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning