Update on Inquiry Journey with Jan

Inquiry Update for Foxton Primary School

Model: The draft model has been designed and has 6 stages.
Implementation: Term 4
Whole school will do a directed inquiry with one over-riding theme. Each team or class will be free to choose one area within the theme if they wish.
Staff have completed work on creating a shared understanding of what inquiry is and what it means to Foxton primary School.
Staff have created a shared understanding of the skills and attitudes that they wish their year 8 leavers to have.
The Principal has identified two staff members as being the ‘drivers’ of inquiry along with support from herself.
Choice of themes: At this stage staff will choose themes for inquiries, but hope to move eventually to having student imput into this.
Length of inquiries: 1 term
Curriculum Coverage: A tracking sheet will be kept with an eventual move to keeping a record on School Master.
Assessment of inquiry: staff are in discussions as to what will be assessed and how it will be assessed. Term 4 will be spent looking at the kinds of things that need to be assessed and term 1 next year will see an assessment rubric being developed.
Thinking tools: Currently a range of thinking tools have been explored: graphic organizers, DATT tools, Thinking hats, Thinkers Keys. Habits of Mind. Before term 4, staff will select 3-4 tools to use in their first inquiry.
Planning: A planning template has been created. Staff will plan 1st inquiry together.
Presentations: Whole school will celebrate and share their 1st inquiries in December after the 1st inquiry is completed.
Language of inquiry: The Principal will ensure that the staff are familiar eith the language of inquiry through shared discussions at staff meetings and that language is shared with the students, in order for them to be able to articulate what they are doing. The aim is to have students articulating the model and the skills, processes and understandings they are learning.
Recording of inquiries: At this stage, most of the record of learning will be on classroom walls, but will move next year to recording middle and senior school work in student clearfiles.

Next Steps:
Before the end of term 3:
A support booklet will be created to support and scaffold teachers in the inquiry approach. This will also assist any new staff in the future.
A selection of 3-4 thinking tools will be chosen for the draft toolbox. As people become more familiar or have more PD on thinking tools, this may change.
Planning for term 4’s inquiry will be completed.
A gantt chart will be created with staff at planning time, in order to scaffold them for time management for their 1st inquiry.
Term 4:
Staff meetings will be focused on the progress of the first inquiry. Staff will be encouraged to share problems, successes etc and a culture of collaboration will continue to be fostered to encourage problem solving of any issues that arise.
Staff will each blog their experience of their first inquiry and will discuss challenges and highlights.
A curriculum coverage sheet will be created for future reference.

2009:

The main focus will be creating an assessment tool.
Staff will create templates that allow students to record their inquiry story and will at this stage be kept in clearfiles.
A set of thinking maps and graphic organizers will be developed to ensure there is a shared language throughout the school.
Thinking tools will explored further and the toolbox will be reflected on as to whether the tools used are meeting the needs of the students.