Choose, research, present.

Each year, the boys in Year 6 are presented with a unique opportunity – to undertake a significant and lengthy enquiry over the course of a term and then exhibit their learning journey for the wider school community in the form of an Expo.

Inquiry gives ownership of their learning to the students themselves, developing their research and critical thinking skills. With the theme ‘How we organise ourselves,’ the boys worked in small groups of up to four to brainstorm which path their own inquiry would take. Firstly they picked an overall line of inquiry and from that each planned their own personal exploration within their chosen theme – these ideas were many and varied.

The boys were required to explore multiple perspectives including going beyond the school gates to talk to experts in the wider community, conducting all the organisation and safety information for this to take place. Some boys arranged fantastic opportunities to talk to key people including scientists and sports stars to gain a deeper understanding of their chosen line of enquiry. As the boys worked, they kept log books that recorded all their work and in the final stages, worked out how best to present their findings to engage an invited audience.

Principal, Mr Peter Cassie was invited to open the Expo and took the opportunity to grill the boys on their learning. From Nasa, to the movies, evolution of the internet, public transport, health authorities and sporting bodies to name a few, it soon became clear that deep learning had taken place developing skills for life. The boys were adept at articulating their learning. They were also keen to comment on the step by step processes they had learned from the organisations they had spoken to and the relevance of applying the same thinking to their own learning.

The parents were invited to visit the Expo to view the boys’ displays and seek a deeper understanding of the different topics from the boys themselves.  In a frequently changing world, understanding how to inquire, how to sift through the ideas to make informed decisions is a valuable journey that these boys are just beginning to discover. The Expo brought all this into focus and the boys were very proud to present their own first public Expo.

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