At Sunnynook, one of our educational pedagogies is ‘Inquiry Learning’ which in a practical sense sets the theme of our wider curriculum areas. Inquiry is the dynamic process of being open to wonder and puzzlement and coming to know and understand the world.
Inquiry learning is an investigation into a topic, idea, problem, or issue with a focus on students constructing their own learning and meanings. Inquiry enables students to learn through curiosity, discovery, and collaboration rather than being presented with facts through direct instruction.
An inquiry approach encourages students to:
- ask thought-provoking questions
- investigate widely and deeply
- make sense of information to build new knowledge
- develop a solution or formulate opinions
- present or share their new understanding with others
- have a valuable learning experience that leads to taking some form of action
- reflect on what they learned and how they learned it.
It is based on the constructivist theory of learning, which puts emphasis on the skills, attitudes, and understandings that students develop as they discover and construct new knowledge for themselves.
Our Sunnynook Inquiry Learning has 4 stages that the children move through: Explore, Wonder, Discover and Share
This year, our overarching theme is ‘Patterns’. This theme is intentionally broad to allow our learning teams to take different directions and for the children to be able to question and explore in areas of their interests.
Our kaiako brainstormed a vast amount of ways that this theme may be explored and have matched concepts to all of our curriculum areas.
This term, Ngā Kowhai are beginning their year of patterns by first seeking to answer and understand their big question ‘What is a Pattern?’. They will explore concepts such as: Understand what a pattern is, Identify patterns in their environment, Describe patterns, Continue or repeat patterns and create patterns.
Ngā Tōtara will be exploring patterns of the past through the Aotearoa Histories curriculum and linking their learning to ‘Mitey’ through broad questions:
- How do the patterns of history shape us today?
- How do the patterns of history shape what happens next?
- How do we deal with conflict positively?
Ngā Kauri are beginning by exploring patterns through the Arts with their big question being: How are patterns created, recognised, and used in different art forms?
In this unit, students will investigate how patterns are created, recognised, and used across different art forms. Through music, visual arts, drama, and dance, they will explore the role of patterns in shaping artistic expression. Students will examine how rhythm, melody, and harmony influence music, how patterns define artistic styles, and how movement patterns in dance and performance convey meaning. By making connections across disciplines and cultures, they will develop a deeper appreciation for the ways patterns contribute to creativity and communication in the arts.
We look forward to seeing the many ways that our tamariki will explore the concept of patterns over the year and how they form connections across curriculum areas.
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