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.