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Investigation Timeat
Richmond Primary School
Information for Parents
7/30/2019 Investigations Parent Info.pdf
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Kelly Barnett 2012
Investigation Time is an
opportunity for Prep students at
Richmond Primary School to
explore and investigate an area of
current learning at their own pace
and difficulty level. Various learning
centres are set up three mornings
per week across all three Prep
classrooms. This allows students
the freedom to choose where they
would like to learn, to communicatewith any of their peers, and to
access all of the Prep resources.The Prep team strives to make all
of the learning centres literacy-rich. A
literacy-rich learning environment
is a key element to a successful
play-based learning program.
Students have direct access to
books, topic-specific vocabulary,
writing tools and materials. Such a
learning environment provides
students with the opportunity tosee and understand how print is
used for a range of authentic
purposes.
Once a fortnight the Prep
teachers carefully plan all of the
learning centres so that each is tied
in with a current curriculum area.
Learning Intentions are written
statements about current areas of
teaching and learning. These are
displayed and discussed to highlight
what we anticipate students will be
exploring during that fortnight.Fortunately for us, students often
end up investigating many more
Our Investigation Time
Learningthroughexperienceisanopportunityforstudentstoauthenticallyapplytheirskillsinanexchangewithothers
7/30/2019 Investigations Parent Info.pdf
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Kelly Barnett 2012
WhatdoesInvestigation
TimeatRichmondPrimary
Schoollooklike?
Investigation Time, or Investigations as it is more
affectionately known, is structured the same way each
session. Although the learning centres are changed and
adapted to suit current learning and student needs, the
backbone of Investigations remains the same.
Investigations begins with Tuning In. This is the time
when new concepts and skills are introduced, Learning
Intentions are discussed and each student is able to
consider and express what they wish to investigate that
day. It is at this stage where the Reporter, and often
Photographer, are given their instructions on what
target area to investigate.
Next comes Investigations. Students are free to
explore at this stage and are encouraged to record any
of their findings. Teachers are available to support and
extend students during this time, but most of their
attention is with two Focus Children. These students
are rostered so that everyone has the opportunity for
one-on-one explorations with their teacher.
The last stage, Reflection, is essential as it aids the
development of metacognition. This time is used to
create a class journal of discoveries, to share interesting
observations and opinions, to discuss problem solving
strategies, and to pose questions to one another.
7/30/2019 Investigations Parent Info.pdf
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Kelly Barnett 2012
What is play-based learning?
Play is a context for learning
through which children organise and
make sense of their social worlds, as
they engage actively with people,
objects and representations (The Early
Years Learning Framework for
Australia, 2009). There are a range of
approaches to experiential and play-
based learning;
the Reggio
Emilia
philosophy,
Montessori
method, and
Walker
Learning
Approach to
name a few.
Each has
distinct
principles and
it is important
that educators choose an approachthat best fits their community. Many
education centers are now taking
inspiration from several theories,
rather than strictly following one
approach, to suit their needs.
What are the benefits?
The most notable advantages are:
strong connections made between
knowledge and experience, pro-social
skills, and the ability to self-monitorand self-motivate.
Play-based learning allows
students to strengthen and/or
reinterpret their prior knowledge by
connecting with their surroundings.
These direct experiences are more
likely to be understood and
remembered as opposed to
information prescribed by others.
Learning through play allowsstudents to communicate their
thoughts and questions directly to
their peers. Students have the chance
to cooperate with their learning
community and receive immediate
feedback from others as they are
investigating.
A sense of curiosity and the ability
to self-motivate is a valuable tool
throughout the life of a learner. During
play, students are able to practise self
monitoring skills as they are at the
centre of their own investigations.
What is the philosophy
at Richmond Primary
School?
Experiential learning is akey element for a
balanced approach to
learning.
We believe that it is
our role as educators to:
nurture a community
that is free to
respectfully question
and discuss thoughts
and opinions;
facilitate the exploration and
comprehension of skills and
concepts through direct experiences;
foster a sense of wonder;
complement play-based experiences
with explicit teaching; and
provide a literacy-rich learning
environment.
We believe students learn best
when they have opportunities to:
pose and answer questions and seekfeedback from their learning
community;
link learning to prior knowledge and
the real world;
self monitor and set achievable
challenges;
cooperate and collaborate with their
peers; and
reflect on their learning to
consolidate knowledge and set newlearning goals.
Learning through play;
learning our way.
Why Play-Based Learning?