Learning through Inquiry

The New Zealand Curriculum identifies five key competencies that people use in order to live, learn, work, and contribute as active members of their communities. Learning becomes meaningful when students connect new learning with their own lives and find a way to apply what they have learned. Students access learning in different ways. Teachers who know their students can facilitate and guide their learning in the ways most appropriate for them. Teachers and students should collaborate to co-construct learning journeys. Providing students with opportunities for choice and negotiation increases their motivation and engagement.

This is achieved through the use of key competencies in learning;

  • By making decisions about the focus of their inquiry and deciding on an outcome that reflects their learning, students develop the key competency of thinking.
  • By conducting research and exploring a range of stories, students develop the key competency of using language, symbols, and text.
  • By establishing inquiry goals, making plans, and managing projects, students develop the key competency of managing self.
  • By recognising points of view, negotiating, and sharing ideas, students develop the key competency of relating to others.
  • By sharing their learning with their communities or developing an outcome that can have an impact on their communities, students develop the key competency of participating and contributing.