School of Thought

Wonder and Inquire

On Saturday, 2nd November, I (Rosemary) was privileged to present at the “Making Our Own Road” Learning EXPO at St Andrew’s School Hall, Walkerville.  The intent was for sites involved in EChO’s “Re-imagining Childhood Project 2018-19”, to share and celebrate their learning from the project, along with three guest speakers who  presented during the morning.  

This year, I was again asked to represent LNPS, in response to our involvement in the prototype  "Re-imagining Project in 2013-2014"   This was the beginning of our journey into changing pedagogy and learning spaces here at LNPS, as we reflected on the guiding principles of Reggio and the report from the Thinker in Residence at the time - Carla Rinaldi from Reggio Emilia in Italy. 

As part of the EXPO, I set up a table/booth display to illustrate our LNPS learning, with examples of student learning and artefacts.  The experience was both rewarding and inspiring and I thank the Early Years teachers who supplied even more documentation and evidence of children's learning than I could fit on the display! There were endless conversations and inquiries around how we have travelled this journey and we are an inspiration to many in the Early Years community.

Our Future Focused Education Strategic Directions from 2017- present encompass the following goals:

The documentation on display at the EXPO embraced these goals and highlighted in particular the student’s ability to wonder and inquire and the pathways along this journey .

We know that children are born curious and question and make theories about the world around them, from a very early age.  The growth in children’s oral language is enhanced by encouraging children to wonder and inquire. So in the words of Carla Rinaldi ...

Take time to wonder and inquire with your child. Encourage curiosity and conversation, as together you make sense of the world around us.