At St Mary’s School, inquiry learning focuses on knowledge building. Our leaders and educators draw on the science of learning and knowledge building research, particularly the work of Rosenshine's Principles as well as Yana Weinstein, Judith C Hochman and Natalie Wexler.

​

Inquiry learning is aligned with the Victorian Curriculum, developing competencies across the Humanities, Science and Capabilities.

​

The Humanities:

​​

• History

• Geography

• Civics and Citizenship

• Economics and Business

​

Science:

 

• Biological

• Chemical

• Earth and Space

• Physical

 

The Capabilities:

• Critical and Creative Thinking

• Ethical

• Intercultural

• Personal and Social

 

Units of work  are guided by an essential question that enables students to discover our world, investigate interconnections with the environment and expand curiosity to ask questions about the changing place in which they live.

​

Strategies used to build student growth in the Humanities, Science and the Capabilities include: 

​

• Sequential learning, to build knowledge from Foundation to Year 6

• Assessment, to monitor student achievement

• The use of literature (fiction and non-fiction), to build comprehension skills

• The use of the Writing Revolution - the Hochman Method, to embed content knowledge of science and the humanities within the writing process

• Essential questions and guiding questions, to spark student curiosity and scaffold student learning

 

​​

​

​