Our Lady of Loudes

What a great day we had @ Our lady of Loudes in Palmerston North on the 19 June, 08. They shared their journey with the cluster about pre 2000, where the school was involved with info-link - Action Learning papers that were undertaken by the whole staff at the time. This gave them a solid foundation with which to build on later. The shift continued to happen with ICT related strategic tours, so that the school was aware of cutting edge technology. This encouraged a conscious effort by all staff to learn and acquire knowledge in the areas of kidpix, inspiration/hyper studio so that now in 2008, ICT is still a huge tool for student learning. Their approach to Inquiry Based Learning is a Hook in - tuning in - finding out - sorting out - designing and making - making connections/making and connecting - in the future. Digital photos are the key element with students taking the majority of photo's, as children often view things in a different way and can capture the moment very successfully. Part of the success criteria for this school is that ALL classes participate and Inquiry is timetables into the school day. Their ICT strategic plan 2008-2010 includes Inquiry and Loudes Learners use their paving stones as a header, just like stepping stones for a student's lifelong journey. Wonderful school, I would highly recommend it for those that are looking to implement Inquiry Based Learning into their school.