Inquiry Learning aligns with Santa Sabina College Mission and Vision of education and is consistent with our commitment to student-centred and discerning scholarship. Our community of learners had engaged with a myriad of elements pertaining to a constructivist approach to learning, however whilst we were seeing learning gains and shifts in practice, a more comprehensive and consistent framework was required. A journey towards a more inclusive learning community was re- energized this year with the implementation and consolidation of key programs underpinned by an inquiry approach to learning. Reezigt and Creemers’ (2005) comprehensive framework provided the foundation for our College as we moved along the continuum forming an inclusive learning community.
In conceptualising effective school improvement, Reezigt and Creemers’ (2005) noted the impossibility of generalising a universal model of change due to widely varying contextual factors across countries and regions. Nevertheless, they identified a ‘comprehensive framework’ which provides a portrait of an improving school. This framework includes three internal factors: the improvement culture, processes, and outcomes which influence and are influenced by three external factors: pressures to improve, educational goals, and resources for improvement.
Reezit and Creemers’ research firstly identified the key concepts, as outlined, provoking pressure to improve. However their subsequent research outlined three essential elements required for improvement within a school organisation.
These included:
– Improvement of culture: internal pressure to improve, shared vision, leadership, training and collegial collaboration, time for improvement
– Improvement processes: assessment of improvement needs (school reviews), phrasing of detailed improvement goals, implementation- evaluation and reflection of improvement plans
– Improvement outcomes: changes in the quality of the school/teachers/student outcomes
Throughout this article reference will be made to these elements – through key programs enabling shift in culture, processes and outcomes.
The metaphor of the onion (see below) can be used to understand the culture at Santa Sabina College. The differing levels can be illustrated as the skins of the onion.
On the outer layers of the onion are the artefacts, the tangible elements of our school, the heritage buildings, the inner west location, the IT infrastructure. The structure: Santa Sabina College is a P-12 Catholic school, co-educational P-4 and girls only Years 5-12. Our college has multi campuses, including an outdoor education campus at Tallong. Strategies refer to teaching and learning experiences and assessments.
The programs, which are outlined below played an important role in facilitating shift and developing a more inclusive learning community. The programs are the blueprint for learning. To understand Santa Sabina’s culture more deeply, it is important to peel away the onion layers to touch the core. At the core lies our College values, that underpin all our decisions and actions: Community, Learning, Prayer and Service.
Our college values underpin our programs, structures and strategies which facilitate the shift. Prior to undertaking any program it is important to fully explore it, to ensure it aligns with our values. In fact, prior to becoming a candidate school for the Primary Years Program (PYP), approximately 6-9 months was spent exploring the program to ensure it aligned with our College mission and values. In fact, this drew to our attention that the learner profile attributes of the PYP enriched our College values.
What are the key programs facilitating shift in culture, processes and outcomes…sowing the seeds for a more inclusive learning community?
The IB PYP Programme
The IB programme, based on a constructivist approach to learning values learners co-constructing meaning – it is at the heart of the programme and underpins and drives our curriculum.
Furthermore the IB acknowledges all stakeholders, staff, parents and students and values the importance of collaboration at all levels.
Through the IB we have developed and refined our understanding of collaboration. In a sense our growing understanding of collaboration has been a catalyst for change – a shift to a more inclusive culture through inquiry.
Implications for collaboration
Prior to the IB we were operating within both the comfortable and structured forms of collaboration. In the comfortable sense, teachers were sharing classroom anecdotes, while through structured collaboration, small teams or committees were set up to work on curriculum tasks.
However the IB demands more, it requires us as professionals to engage in critical collaboration where teachers are engaged in the intellectual work.
We are being challenged as concepts such as form, function, perspective, change, connection, causation, reflection and responsibility drive our curriculum – a shift from a content focused curriculum.
This year we have developed a more strategic approach to collaboration. Staff meet with members of the pedagogical leadership team fortnightly to plan units of inquiry. We reflect on learning experiences and critically analyse data to influence programs. Developing our summative assessment task is pivotal as it drives the learning within the unit of inquiry. reflecting a ‘backward planning’ approach to curriculum. We question each others’ assumptions to explore and improve practice.
The key difference is that one person is not responsible for producing the written curriculum, it is a collaborative process, representing a significant shift in practice – practice promoting a more inclusive learning culture.
Through the IB programme at SSC we strive to be learners that reflect and demonstrate the learner profile attributes – thinkers, inquirers, knowledgeable, caring, courageous, communicators, balanced, open-minded, principled and reflective.
While these learning dispositions are not new for us at SSC in that we align with and enrich our College mission, through the IB programme we are explicitly taught at each year level with an increasing level sophistication for each year group.
We are observing, hearing and feeling a shift for our students through the learner profile attributes. The attributes are giving us a common language to communicate our learning – enriching an inclusive learning community.
Furthermore, developing a sense of International Mindedness is certainly unifying us a community. As we begin to unpack International Mindedness, and what it means for us in our context, there is greater recognition, appreciation and celebration of our rich cultural diversity.
The IB PYP Programme – a rigourous, challenging, relevant and significant curriculum framework has ignited a shift in motivation and engagement for all members of our community. Building on concepts, knowledge, and skills within six transdisciplinary themes – themes that share human commonalities and that are taught at each year level – is providing us with a consistent and comprehensive framework. This framework, based on an inquiry approach to learning has been pivotal in shifting practice, resulting in a highly energized learning community.
Illustrations of practice within the IB PYP Programme enhancing an inclusive learning community…
Shift in the co-construction of meaning
Students and teachers work collaboratively to unpack and construct the meaning for of central idea for each unit of inquiry.
Shift in the way students create meaning with greater emphasis on hypothesising. Students are engaged in learning experiences that provoke them to prove and disprove – confirm and disprove their hypotheses.
Shift in curriculum – curriculum is now driven by key concepts rather than content. Students and teachers frame and catergorise questions according to concepts, allowing us to make connections in our learning and view the world through a conceptual lens.
Shift in the complexity of problem solving tasks – students are engaged in real life problems, within various contexts. Students are developing their skills to negotiate, to take turns, listen to and respect the different opinions and perspectives of others – life long skills.
Shift with a strong focus on developing scientific skills and knowledge within all our units of inquiry – promoting an inclusive culture for learning.
Through a more structured and consistent approach to inquiry, research trends are emerging across all grade levels –students’ findings from research reflect greater depth of learning, leading to improved outcomes.
The Partnership Programme
Santa Sabina’s partnership programs have played an important role in facilitating a cultural shift and leading to a more inclusive community.
We opened our learning spaces and invited our parents to observe and support the student learning. For our staff this was certainly a change that came with many questions and concerns. It has lead to our teachers developing stronger relationships with our parent community as well our parents speaking positively about the school as they see effective teaching and learning and now know how students learn along with the language that the children are using in the learning process.
Our parents have been inquirers themselves and have expressed an interest in various aspects of the schools, three of these being safety, health and the PYP. Therefore three teams have been formed to utilize their interest and passion and be inquiries in the process. Each team includes a member of the school leadership team to ensure processes and decisions align with our College values.
Our Health Team is involved in an action research project in exploring efficient and healthy ways for the students to order lunches on a weekly basis. Our campus has no canteen in operation. This process of inquiry is allowing our parents to strengthen relationship within the community. The parents feel valued and appreciated and this has assisted in forming a more inclusive community.
The Safety Team is keen to play an active role in raising awareness of safe practices and maintaining a safe environment. The team has recently put forward a well prepared proposal for CCTV cameras as an added measure of security on the Primary campus and these are now fully operational. The team is now working with the local community to improve pedestrian safety around the school. This includes their idea of flashing school zone lights and a raised and a marked pedestrian crossing. The passion and energy from the team, in partnership with the school, have lead to many initiatives being introduced, leading to a sense of worth and forming stronger and authentic relationships within the College.
The most recent team to form, the PYP team, has been instrumental in the implementation of the PYP program. This team provides a voice for the parents and provides the school with some directions in educating and communicating to our parent community about the program. This team was also integral in the planning of our annual community day, which had a focus on international mindedness. Due to their input, commitment and support, the day strengthened and united the community through many and varied learning and social experiences. This team continues to work together assisting in developing a more inclusive community.
Indigenous partnerships have been formed and continue to be strengthened through the connections with a family in the school community. This has lead to an Aboriginal artist in residence on a number of occasions as well as her involvement in community events such as Reconciliation Week and links to the curriculum. This partnership has blossomed with the playground designed and painted by the Aboriginal artist. Throughout the process she involved members of staff and students and together we shared our stories. An inclusive community continues to be enhanced through our partnership with this family.
The partnerships Santa Sabina has formed with educational organisations have also facilitated a shift and led to improved culture, processes and outcomes.
The Primary campus has developed strong partnerships with the Australian Catholic University through involvement in their Community Engagement Program. This program has allowed us to provide additional one on one support for students in Mathematics and has also provided opportunities for the ACU undergraduates to observe the teaching and learning and be involved in a school setting.
The Primary school teachers were fortunate to be involved in an action research project with Honorary Professor Susan Groundwater-Smith from Sydney University. This project was a whole school initiative and allowed the teachers to gain greater understanding about the approach of action research as well as the strategies used to collect and collate the findings. This action research project focused on our flexible learning spaces. The outcomes from the research saw some changes but an important change was the teachers’ understanding of the flexible spaces and the complexities that came with it. This developed greater respect and support for teachers working within the spaces and from a school perspective the importance of a cohesive and functioning team and the need to support the team.
The teachers’ active involvement in the action research has led to several teachers instigating further action research projects. This is a shift in process and has led to changes in classroom practices. The Year 1 grade team are currently involved in their own action research project stemmed from their Professional Goals, on how to effectively document and report on student learning. This shift has is evident as action research is one strategy strongly indicated as a strategy in teachers Learning Plans.
The local partnerships formed through networks and membership of associations has also facilitated a shift in our school culture. This is particularly evident with the close and active partnership with the PYP network group. It has developed a culture of openness and a sharing of ideas and strategies. This has come about through staff visiting other PYP schools and being exposed to new ideas and their collaborative approach and openness. Our teachers have reciprocated and have opened their learning spaces and invited not only the Santa Sabina teachers and board members into their learning environment but also teachers from other schools. This continues to be an area for focus as we now begin to expand our global partnerships to continue to facilitate the shift leading to improved culture, processes and outcomes.
The key inquiry programmes highlighted above have enabled a shift in culture, processes and outcomes leading to a more inclusive learning community.
References
Reezigt, G., & Creemers, B. (2005). A comprehensive framework for effective school improvement. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 16(4), 407–424.
Starratt, R. J. (1994). Building an ethical school: A practical response to the moral crisis in schools. London, New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
Starratt, R. J. (2003). Centering educational administration: Cultivating meaning, community, responsibility. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
