At Alcuin, we approach learning through inquiry, an approach that allows for student voice and choice. Our goal for students is to empower them to take responsibility for their own learning, where they are able to use their knowledge and understanding to construct meaning for themselves as they learn about the world around them. In an inquiry approach we frame the learning around big ideas and conceptual understandings so that students are able to make connections to their prior knowledge, re-evaluate their thinking and come to a deeper understanding. 

Throughout their inquiries, students develop the necessary skills required for learning as they actively engage in solving authentic, real life problems and issues. Teachers provide opportunities for students to engage in a variety of activities and open-ended problem situations that incorporate different learning strategies and approaches, including Problem-Based Learning and Challenge-Based Learning.

At Alcuin we encourage and nurture the students’ curiosity and innate desire to question and explore, which is so evident in young children. In an inquiry classroom you will see children asking questions, working collaboratively, thinking strategically, engaging in discussion, raising different perspectives, investigating, searching for patterns that connect, creating and innovating, and ultimately taking responsibility for their learning. They will be engaged in open-ended explorations that allow them to go as far as they need to go. Inquiry teachers know where their students are, what their potential is, what their needs are and how they learn. They help them to get there by providing learning opportunities that provoke thinking and leave students wanting more.