Rationale


 * Students in our schools come from diverse backgrounds, have diverse experiences of schooling and in some cases very disconnected or fragmented, unsuccessful educational experiences. We feel it imperative to create an explicit scaffolding of learning in the Blockhouse Bay area; the schools and staff working together is central to this. Family and community involvement is also critical to the success of this project.
 * As the new Curriculum Document gains momentum and traction, it is timely to consider how student learning, particularly at the transition points (primary to intermediate, intermediate to secondary) can be optimised. The creation of professional Learning Teams based on Learning Areas will provide a structure and a context for dialogue, an exchange of ideas and concerns, and the sharing of best pedagogical practice.

The Lead group comprising the principals of the cluster schools have identified a priority:

The generation of a common consistent language of thinking, learning and assessment. Some terms will be generic; some may have an application which is specific to a learning or subject area.
 * Lynfield College has begun a process of creating a shared language of assessment (aiming for more merit and excellence grades at NCEA level, and also at addressing weaknesses in deeper questioning skills shown in the asTTle entrance test). Extending this to make the outcomes applicable to all students in all sectors will be one focus of the Learn2inquire project. Thinking processes and skills are linked to understanding the meanings of command words such as describe, explain, compare and contrast, interpret, analyse, synthesise, evaluate.
 * Common themes amongst the primary and intermediate schools echo the need expressed above to ensure students have capability to ask and answer inferential questions and to use other higher order thinking skills. These have been identified through current professional development in guided reading, and the inquiry learning model.

The best evidence synthesis (BES) Quality Teaching for Diverse Students in Schooling identifies 10 characteristics of quality teaching which are generic across the curriculum and across the schooling years (age five to eighteen) “//How the principles apply in practice is, however, dependent on the curriculum area, and the experience, prior knowledge and needs of the learners in any particular context.”// (Alton-Lee 2003.) This provides an excellent rationale for our planned PLT cross-sector approach. Some other findings detailed in the BES which are relevant to the Learn2Inquire project include : Kay Hawk and Jan Hill’s research into transitioning concluded that interaction has positive educational and transitional benefits. Approaches and programmes that are critical to the learning culture of a school should be extended into contributing and receiving schools (Hawk K and Hill J,2000). The issues that arise in all cluster schools are similar and our networking and discussions over the last few years have concluded that our experiences in dealing with these would be more effective if we were acting collaboratively. Data in all schools (as detailed below) indicates ongoing challenges in literacy –eg comprehension, questioning, inference, critical thinking. Common sense suggests we need to work together to build a scaffolded programme of literacy teaching and learning. Such an integrated approach can be extended not only into other curriculum areas but also into the pastoral framework which supports learning and achievement.
 * Our focus links to substantial researched evidence.**
 * Alignment of curriculum goals with pedagogical strategies, and coherence of practices and policies support effective inclusion of students and optimise opportunity to learn.
 * Alignment enables a common language, teacher collaboration and reflection and other synergies around improving teaching. It also minimises disruptions to quality teaching and sustains continuous improvement.