Using an inquiry approach

The inquiry process suggested here is based on the cycle of inquiry suggested on p. xliii of Teacher Professional Learning and Development: Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration (Ministry of Education, 2007). The authors of this text (Helen Timperley, Aaron Wilson, Heather Barrar, and Irene Fung) describe this cycle as a “teacher inquiry and knowledge-building cycle to promote valued student outcomes”. The inquiry cycle relates to the teaching as inquiry section on page 35 of The New Zealand Curriculum.

The content of this website is based around the six themes identified in the previous section. These themes, and content that relates to each, have been developed to help school leaders and teachers undertake an inquiry using the following process.

Choose an inquiry theme that you feel justifies further investigation, for example, engaging Māori students meaningfully in all aspects of learning. (“School leaders and teachers need to engage Māori students actively and meaningfully in all aspects of their learning.”)

• Decide on relevant questions for your inquiry, for example, Are Māori students in our school currently engaged in their learning to the degree that they should be? What should engagement look like? What does disengagement look like? What impact does disengagement seem to be having on student achievement? What can we do to change this?
• Ascertain your students’ learning needs in relation to the area of inquiry, for example, How can Māori students in our school become more engaged in their learning? (This information can be gathered through observation, discussion, or analysis of data, including student achievement data.)
• Ascertain your school leaders’ and teachers’ learning needs in relation to your students’ learning needs, for example, What do we need to know more about or do differently to engage Māori students in our school more in their learning? (This information can be gathered through self-reflection, observation, or discussion.)
• Set goals for addressing all relevant needs.
• Decide on and implement actions to address the goals of the inquiry, for example, through workshops, coaching, observation, or professional reading. (This will include learning more about the area of inquiry by exploring the relevant sections of this website to discover what other schools and communities are doing.)
• Decide what changes to make to your practice, based on the results of your inquiry. Monitor and evaluate the impact of new knowledge and changed actions. (For example, ask: How effective have we been in promoting student engagement in the learning process through what we have learnt and what we have done differently? How has this impacted on student achievement?)

Timperley et al. (2007) suggest (on p. xxxii) that progress and achievement can only be sustained when teachers acquire the “skills of inquiry to judge the impact of teaching on learning and to identify next teaching steps”.

References

1. Alton-Lee, A. (2003). Quality teaching for diverse students in schooling: Best evidence synthesis iteration. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
2. Anthony, G. & Walshaw, M. (2006) Effective pedagogy in pāngarau/mathematics: Best evidence synthesis iteration (Draft). Wellington: Ministry of Education.
3. Biddulph, F., Biddulph, J. & Biddulph, C. (2003) The complexity of community and family influences on children’s achievement in New Zealand: Best evidence synthesis iteration. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
4. Bishop, R. & Glynn, T. (1999). Kaupapa messages for the mainstream. SET: Research information for teachers (1) 4–7.
5. Bishop, R., Berryman, M., Tiakiwai, S. & Richardson, C. (2003). Te kotahitanga: The experiences of year 9 and 10 Māori students in mainstream classrooms: Report to the Ministry of Education. New Zealand: Ministry of Education.
6. Brophy, J. (1983). Research on the self-fulfilling prophecy and teacher expectations. Journal of Educational Psychology, 75(5), 631–661.
7. Day, C. Using data: A presentation. https://hekakano.tki.org.nz/Toolkit2/Videos/About-He-Kakano/Collecting-and-using-school-data
8. Durie, M. (2001, February). Address to the Hui Taumata Matauranga.
9. Education Review Office (2002). Māori students: Schools making a difference. Wellington: Education Review Office.
10. Good, T.L. & Brophy, J. (1997). Looking in classrooms. New York: Longman.
11. Gorinski, R. & Shortland-Nuku, C. (2006). Building innovative communities of professional learning: A leadership practice challenge. Paper presented to Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management conference (Recreating Linkages Between Theory and Praxis in Educational Leadership).
12. Hattie, J. (2002). What are the attributes of excellent teachers? Paper presented to New Zealand Council for Educational Research conference (Teachers Make a Difference).
13. He Kakano at http://hekakano.tki.org.nz
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17. Ministry of Education (2003). Effective literacy practice in years 1 to 4. Wellington: Learning Media.
18. Ministry of Education (2004). Te mana kōrero: Teachers making a difference. Wellington: Ministry of Education. (DVD and facilitators’ notes)
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20. Ministry of Education (2006). Effective literacy practice in years 5 to 8. Wellington: Learning Media.
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22. Ministry of Education (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
23. Ministry of Education (2008). Ka hikitia: Key evidence and how we must use it to improve system performance for Māori. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
24. Ministry of Education (2008). Ka hikitia: Managing for success: Māori education strategy 2008–2012. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
25. Ministry of Education (2009). The New Zealand curriculum reading and writing standards for years 1–8. Wellington: Learning Media.
26. Ministry of Education (2009). The New Zealand curriculum mathematics standards for years 1–8. Wellington: Learning Media.
27. Phillips, G., McNaughton, S. & MacDonald, S. (2002). Picking up the pace: Boosting new entrants’ literacy achievement in low decile schools – a research report for the Ministry of Education.
28. Pressley, M., Raphael, L., Gallagher, J.D. & DiBella, J. (2004). Providence-St. Mel School: How a school that works for African-American students works. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(2), 216–235.
29. Raphael, L.M., Pressley, M. & Mohan, L. (2008). Engaging instruction in middle school classrooms: An observational study of nine teachers. The Elementary School Journal, 109(1), 61–81.
30. Robinson, V., Hohepa, M. & Lloyd, C. (2009). School leadership and student outcomes – identifying what works and why: Best evidence synthesis iteration. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
31. Rubie-Davies, C.M. (2010). Teacher expectations and perceptions of student attributes: Is there a relationship? British Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 121–135.
32. St. George, A. (1983). Teacher expectations and perceptions of Polynesian and Pākehā pupils and the relationship to classroom behaviour and school achievement. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 53, 48–59.
33. Taihape Area School Case Study. 
34. Te Kotahitanga at http://tekotahitanga.tki.org.nz
35. Timperley, H., Wilson, A., Barrar, H. & Fung, I. (2007). Teacher professional learning and development: Best evidence synthesis iteration. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
36. Timperley, H.S. & Phillips, G. (2003). Changing and sustaining teachers’ expectations through professional development in literacy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 19, 627–641.
37. Timperley, H.S., Wiseman, J. & Fung, I. (2003). The sustainability of professional development in literacy. Part two: School-based factors associated with high student achievement. Report to the Ministry of Education, Research Division. Wellington: Ministry of Education.

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