Inquiry is one of the main feature of Agape’s curriculum – we believe in empowering children with skills and values they need not only for the rest of their school years, but most importantly in life. The Inquiry-based approach in learning allows our children to direct their learning journey with some guidance from their teachers.
Tuning-In
At the first stage of inquiry, teachers provide children with a range of materials or experiences related to the unit to explore. They observe how children interact with these materials, engage in dialogues with one another to find out what and how much they know about the unit. This is also a good time for children to ask questions related to the unit.
Finding Out
Children focus on research and investigation to find answers to their questions. Aside from books, we also expose our children to proper usage of technology to find related information.
Many of our students find this phase the most exciting because they get to conduct fun experiments as well!
Sorting Out
Gathering enough content from all the research and experiments, it is time for our children to connect the dots and make sense of their learning. Through active discussions in small and big groups, children compare theirknowledge at the beginning of the unit to what they know now and refine their thinking, which is a critical phase of learning.
Going Further
Often times, as our students discover new knowledge, they develop new interests too. This phase allows children to extend their learning to concepts related to unit but might not have been covered. This is where differentiation happens in class – different children might want to work on different things and we let them be!
Making Conclusions
Children recall the experiences throughout the unit. They attempt to collate their learning and form generalisations or create a
central idea.
Taking Actions
After their learning journey, children now answer the questions “What can I do with this learning?” “What important action can I do?” “How can I share my learning with others?”
In Agape, actions are usually in the form of exhibitions, presentations, projects and initiatives that involve the school, family and the community.
At the end of the inquiry journey, children feel empowered and confident to share their learning.
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