By Kelly Rivett

Introduction

Standing in the Amazon jungle in Peru for an Earth Expedition in 2019, I reflected on the transformational learning I was experiencing. What brought me to the other side of the world for this standalone experience was winning the 2018 South Australian Primary School Teacher of the Year in the Public Education Awards for developing entrepreneurial spirit and problem-solving acumen while advancing students’ social skills. However, the hands-on and community-based experiences in the Amazon made me question how to encourage my primary school students to realise their skills and abilities to shape their community and conservation through inquiry and action. This inspired my application to Project Dragonfly and the Global Field Program at Miami University.

At that time, primary school education in South Australia was shifting towards explicit teaching practices and heavily structured lessons based on High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) (Department of Education and Training, 2017). Students accept information from a teacher; students digest that knowledge and teachers plan the next steps in learning without students' input (Freire, 1970). My award championed my pedagogical practice for building cooperative learning strategies to enhance peer dialogue and using real-world investigations to build STEM dispositions. However, I was deeply moved by Ruth Torres and Ursula Valdez’s vision to establish a Forest School in Puerto Maldonado, Peru, to connect local youth with nature and foster inquiry about the world around them. Helping to open the Forest School, as an initial step to promote conservation among young people, made me realise I needed to broaden my teaching practices beyond STEM project-based learning (Figure 1). Students need to learn to ask more questions, find interests that fuel their inquiries and utilise knowledge from our problem-solving to take action. This transformation would shift education from simply acquiring knowledge to focusing on values, empowering students to master themselves and understand that developing knowledge comes with the responsibility to effect change and use their voices (Orr, 1994).

Engagement through student agency is a foundation of participatory education and inquiry learning pedagogies. Inquiry-based learning involves students actively participating, taking on more responsibility, and being guided by teachers as facilitators through scientific inquiry elements like questioning, research, application, and evaluation (Farooq & Islam, 2023).  Participatory education uses an action-based approach where the students' in-depth, rigorous investigations revolve around solving a problem to improve life (Thorton-Taylor, 2009; Sauve, 1987). Both approaches give power back to the students and develop their intrinsic motivations to learn with the uniting theme of genuine participation. Providing student choice establishes a climate of trust and maximises opportunities for reaching the highest rungs of the ‘Ladder of Participation’, building their abilities, skills and dispositions to initiate action (Hart, 1997). Learning experiences are guided by active, direct interactions with spaces, places, and people, allowing primary school students to construct meaning of the world around them, often opening up unplanned inquiry opportunities and curriculum-driven learning (Inouye & Ross, 2009). Students find a purpose for the acquired knowledge and skills. Inquiry methods allow students and teachers to partner together, affirming trust with each other in the quest for mutual humanisation of learning content through engagement in authentic critical and creative thinking (Freire, 1970). Environmental knowledge through inquiry is only understood when students understand its impact on the community and the world around them and build qualities like empathy, compassion, communication, optimism, and altruism (Orr, 1994). This will support steps in conservation and environmental stewardship.

The goal of my Master Plan, the focus of my graduate studies, is empowering primary school students through inquiry to promote student action and conservation dispositions (Figure 2). The objective is to enhance outcomes for my students in Adelaide, Australia, through community engagement. I aim to establish a foundation for local and global understanding through student voices, nurturing active community members who respect and conserve our planet. Throughout this portfolio, I share reflections and insights from my journey to complete my Master of Arts in Teaching (Biological Sciences). First, I explore inquiry pedagogies and their role in disposition and skill development. Then, I share student action projects like improving waste systems at Vale Park Primary School and designing outdoor learning spaces for Glenelg Primary School, resulting in constructing a sensory garden. Finally, I explore assisting other teachers in understanding the benefits of inquiry pedagogical approaches.

Inquiry and Participatory Education to Boost Student Engagement in Primary Schools 

This initial synthesis paper examined the application of inquiry and participatory education methods, the measurement of student engagement and the necessary elements of an inquiry to enhance engagement levels. It also delves into understanding the parameters of inquiry and student engagement to discern how they can be monitored or guided. Student engagement is categorised into behavioural engagement (the idea of participation), emotional engagement (reactions to the stakeholders in the learning process) and cognitive engagement (the idea of investment in their learning) (Fredricks et al., 2004). As a generalist classroom teacher at Vale Park Primary School at the time, our school’s Site Improvement Plan identified improving students' cognitive engagement as a means of integrating the STEM practices they had championed for years. When accepted to the Amazon Earth Expedition as a stand-alone course, I aspired for my synthesis paper to be a resource I could bring back to the school community with suggestions to help propel our school improvement priority forward. 

One of the most significant insights from the synthesis paper was reflections on my teaching practices and questioning whether the STEM “projects” we had been offering students were genuine inquiry opportunities. The STEM problems we presented to students and our expected outcomes were sometimes manipulative or tokenistic of student participation when considered against Hart’s (1997) ‘Ladder of Participation’ - only a few examples of our projects involved social mobilisation as the initial stage of authentic student participation. At the time, I did not notice the absence of student choice in how the learning was presented and how this affected establishing student autonomy and voice. This could be due to teachers wanting to maintain a sense of classroom ownership and the loaded curriculum expectations. The knowledge gained provided an essential reflection for me as an educator in offering students learning and inquiry opportunities. This paper sparked my interest in inquiry and participatory education, especially regarding student action, which catalysed my Master Plan. 

As my first academic writing piece since my graduate diploma in 2011, it was a real lesson in synthesising ideas from various researchers, improving through peer feedback and harnessing the scientific, academic writing style. Upon reviewing it now, I noticed the repetition of research throughout the paper and evidence that inquiry enhances engagement. However, the next step would be to explore utilising inquiry methods to achieve stronger engagement. 

Ecosystems and Species in South Australia: A Unit Plan for Year 2 & 3 Students

Building on my previous synthesis paper, this unit plan aimed to design a learning sequence for my composite Year 2/3 class covering Biological Sciences and Geography. The activities focused on inquiry-based learning, starting with a global perspective and then transitioning to a local context. The unit plan combines mini-inquiries, specimen observations and hands-on group sorting activities to help students learn about the categorisation of living things and communicate about their features. The learning sequence includes explicit teaching to enable students to understand background information about global biomes. It then transitions to a more student-led inquiry on Adelaide Mount Lofty Region ecosystems towards the end. 

The intentional design of the unit plan sequence increases student choice opportunities to boost student engagement and provides multiple opportunities to facilitate student communication. The goal is to shift students from passive receivers to active communicators and teachers, echoing Freire's (1970) concept of teacher-student and student-teacher relationships. Subsequently, the sequence has five short-duration inquiries for active engagement, one inquiry lasting 2-3 weeks culminating in a presentation, and extension opportunities for two additional inquiries, along with other team-based learning activities. Equally, incorporating cooperative learning allows students to share observations, explain their thinking and seek consensus from their fellow “scientists”, mimicking the professional scientific environment. Scientific discoveries are often made by groups of scientists rather than individuals, so integrating effective team communication and problem-solving through cooperative learning supports building scientifically literate citizens  (Nesbit & Rogers, 1997). The project was intended for use with my students, but the COVID-19 pandemic required adjustments to our learning programs. 

After implementing learning sequences from the unit plan later, I saw students actively engaging in dialogue to share observations and understandings with their peers (Figure 3). Having their voices celebrated and encouraging discovery through play and exploration, students are highly engaged in seeing themselves as scientists (Myers et al., 2009). Furthermore, I realise that inquiry can be brief rather than long-extended ‘projects’ and should include opportunities for students who show additional interest in extending their learning. Additionally, I have boosted my confidence in delivering a curriculum that enhances local understanding, aiming to inspire the conservation of familiar spaces. This project was rewarding as this unit plan was shared with other Year 2 and Year 3 teachers at my school for consistent practice. The biggest compliment is that teachers at Glenelg Primary School use this unit plan annually when approaching Biological Sciences. As I was not yet confident that a genuine student voice was incorporated into the inquiry design, this consideration remains a focus to build greater student autonomy.

Enhancing Inquiry and Participatory Education through the Use of Visual Arts and Media Arts Instruction to Build Scientific Knowledge in Primary Schools

In 2022, I moved into a new teaching role as a Specialist Visual Arts and Media Arts teacher for over 600 students. This synthesis paper explored using artistic inquiry to enhance scientific knowledge and dispositions and build on students' learning in the classroom. It compared the development of observational and inferencing, questioning, communicating, and presenting skills to the elements in the inquiry process to build scientific knowledge. 

An important takeaway was the benefits of artistic perspectives in scientific inquiry, particularly in enhancing the ability to share their findings. Teaching observational drawing enhances students' ability to focus on details, enhancing their interpretation skills. This approach cultivates an observational nature in children so they can identify and take the initiative to solve problems. Participatory media methods enable the use of media arts to communicate and present inquiry findings. Students exposed to art teaching related to their inquiry are more creative with solving problems and outperform control groups in scientific knowledge (Malone et al., 2018). However, it was clear that artistic methods should still be explicitly taught to avoid losing subject-specific skills. 

The paper effectively applied an artistic perspective to inquiry and science,  recognising the transdisciplinary focus required to assist students in finding their voice. I immediately started using artwork during lesson openers to foster student questioning. Each week, all students prepared a question about photographs or artworks I created on my Kenya Earth Expedition, which I answered (Figure 4). Students quickly gained confidence in asking questions, looked deeper at image details, and improved the quality of their questions. Questions ranged from what they could see to how it was photographed and even comparative questions with photos they saw in previous weeks. The results inspired me to consider how scientific communication could be used in planning our 2024 artistic inquiries.

Compostables Vs. Recyclables At Vale Park Primary School

In this project, I engaged Year 4 students at Vale Park Primary School in an extended participatory inquiry around waste management within the school. Students received the raw data from a recent KESAB Environmental Solutions audit of a day of school waste (discarded materials). Students interpreted data, asked questions and formed small interest-based working parties to investigate a specific type of waste they aimed to reduce. The cross-curricular inquiry had students research their waste type, investigate possible reduction options, and then take action, including persuasive letter writing and communication with the school community. Students developed soft plastics recycling systems, organised container recycling contracts, applied for hand dryer grants, set up waste stations in the schoolyard, and more. I observed whether, through student actions implemented, they reduced more compostables or recyclables, comparing the outcomes with a waste audit completed six months later. 

In this study, students independently formed ten interest groups to target specific waste types for collaborative actions (Figure 5). Student groups worked with 17 school community members or stakeholder groups to complete 41 actions (Figure 6), showing that the community played a big part in this inquiry action project. I measured environmental stewardship through the comparative audit at the inquiry conclusion. This resulted in a decrease in the compostables (-3% total volume and -8% total weight) and an increase in recyclables (+6.9% total volume and +13.7% total weight). This result could be affected by the school canteen and kitchen garden programs active on the comparative audit day, which differed from the original one. As an educator, overseeing various student focuses simultaneously was a valuable professional development experience. It involved supporting diverse student needs and allowing time for peer feedback before providing my own.

Having applied the concepts of action research for children, I now understand the importance of assisting students in evaluating their environment, encouraging more questions and guiding them through analysing and interpreting the data. This understanding was essential for establishing student connection to the topic and developing the disposition to be curious about the data so they could find their interest. Furthermore, I learned that at the age of eight, they can confidently engage as community members and work with influential people, both within and outside the community, to effect change. This project ranked the level of participation in child-initiated actions with shared decisions with adults (Hart, 1999; Coulter, 2014). This was crucial for them to realise that promoting pro-environmental behaviours involves more than instructing someone to change. The next steps to progress my Master Plan include strategies to engage students in initiating data collection at the start of an inquiry cycle.

Figure 6. Student worked with their classmates to take multiple actions around the school to support waste education and minimisation, November 2019

For The Love Of Outdoor Learning: Participatory Inquiry For A School Garden At Glenelg Primary School 

This project occurred when the COVID-19 pandemic restricted student movement and access to spaces, leaving students wanting more outdoor learning opportunities. It involves Year 2/3 students at Glenelg Primary School using participatory inquiry methods to design outdoor garden spaces. Through a seven-week inquiry, students explored school surroundings, gathered plant data using genuine scientific methods, analysed spaces, researched garden styles, germinated seeds, proposed actions, and created garden plans (Figure 7). Students also studied the histories, cultures and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to enhance their understanding of indigenous connection to place and environment. This study aims to discover students’ plant preferences in creating a garden and assess the impact of First Nations history education on choices. Due to COVID-19 lockdowns and pending construction, student designs were their actions. The final designs, representing student choice, incorporated a garden with a complete filtration system for learning about plant hydration and an indigenous food garden featuring a mock indigenous camp. Students presented their schoolyard improvement ideas to the principal, targeting school leadership as their audience.

My most significant learning came from communicating with students about authentic data collection processes. The students surveyed the entire school grounds and selected six main focus spaces (Figure 8). When collecting plant data, I realised students counted only one instance of a plant species in their area instead of all specimens. This led to opportunities to enhance my communication processes for more representative data. Furthermore, creating regular opportunities for students to engage with the sensory aspects of plants prompted them to explore other spaces and bring plant samples from home to share with peers. This motivation and education are key elements in sustainable behavioural change (Schultz, 2011) and in instigating conservation dispositions. Sensory garden (29.6%) emerged as the top style choice in students’ designs, with one student investigating the plant seed interiors for her inquiry (Figure 9). The final student design plans included 112 unique plant species, with 105 (94%) having at least one sensory aspect and 70 species (63%) having two or more sensory elements. The number of indigenous food plants increased by 19%, native plants by 15%, edible plants by 32%, sensory plants by 22%, and flowering plants by 33% from the initial plant species audit of the GPS spaces. The focus on sensory connections with plants might be attributed to the regular sensory walks and exposure to plant samples students throughout the inquiry process. This project embraced the child-initiated, shared decisions with adults rung on the Ladder of Participation (Hart, 1999).

At the time, I realised the importance of presenting the inquiry stages carefully to students. Scaffolding was necessary as open-ended concepts were overwhelming for students new to extensive inquiry and student agency. For example, a Year 2 student preferred being given instructions due to feeling overwhelmed by the lack of rules. To address this, I provided prompting questions for students to “set their own rules”. Open-ended questioning by teachers can elicit meaningful responses and enhance critical thinking, helping students engage across cognitive domains (Tofade et al., 2013). Sitting on the classroom floor to offer student support led to students gaining confidence and forming peer groups, emphasising the importance of community-building. Parents observed children’s enthusiasm for the project during lockdown, which boosted their confidence and pride in their work. Next, I should share this practice with colleagues to help them understand and benefit from inquiry pedagogies.

Sensory Garden At Glenelg Primary School: Community Leadership Challenge

I led this project to construct the outdoor learning space for GPS students, funded by a Woolworths Junior Landcare grant, building on the work the students started in the 2020 student actions. I collaborated with students, school staff, and community members to motivate stakeholders, especially students, to share the vision,  participate in decision-making, and foster respect for the natural elements of their schoolyard. I coordinated applying for the grant, consulting with school leaders and student council, planning with the groundsman, incorporating student designs, presenting at assemblies, managing plant purchases, and planting the garden. The outcome is a native sensory garden for academic, social and emotional growth.

The most rewarding part for me was seeing the Year 2/3 students from 2020, who were involved in the original garden inquiry, excited to discover their designs were incorporated using the $1000 grant. Additionally, following consultation with the student council, 92% of Year 2 students at GPS expressed greater willingness to care for a garden if they participated in planting. Based on this feedback, I selected the 99 Year 2 students to get their hands dirty and plant the tube stock in the garden (Figure 10). One student was excited to discover a worm in the dirt, while others commented it was their first time gardening. This is likely due to the school's location in a densely populated area with many students living in apartments. By participating in constructing sensory gardens, students develop a sense of ownership and responsibility, enhancing their overall sense of wellbeing and connection to nature (Adams & Savahl, 2021; Miller, 2020). The student council recommended surveying classes about protecting the garden space, with 86% supporting fencing off the garden until it matures. They also contacted Toro Australia for irrigation supply donations. Student voice and engaging community enhanced the success of the project. 

When establishing the grant application premise, I focused on developing my leadership skills through collaboration with the Wellbeing Assistant Principal and First Nations Education Teacher at GPS. Initially focusing on indigenous themes, we decided that hiding a First Nations garden in the school’s back alley would not support reconciliation efforts. Managing multiple calendars led me to shift my leadership style towards community engagement and respect for others. Effective communication and consultation with collaborators in leadership ensures stakeholders understand goals and plans, building trust in your choices (Humphreys & Rigg, 2020). This knowledge emphasised the importance of listening to others when communicating effectively to ensure a shared vision for timely project completion.  As a result, the school community gave positive feedback about the opportunities for kids and the benefits for students.  The next steps involve creating resources and guides for teachers and students to use the sensory garden sustainably for curriculum and wellbeing benefits.

For the Love of Outdoor Learning in Teaching Science 

To share my practices with other teachers, I reframed the processes, inquiry methods and outcomes of my 2020 participatory inquiry report for submission to the Teaching Science journal by the Australian Science Teachers Association. The draft manuscript also covered the outcomes of planting the garden with grant funding. The manuscript was submitted on 12th June 2023, and after editing in consultation with the journal editor, it was published in the September 2023 issue of Teaching Science, 69 (3). 

Previously, my project report had been 64 pages with thirteen appendices, nineteen figures, and two tables. The most valuable learning came from condensing this to under 5000 words by starting afresh and evaluating key elements from my original report to share the project’s success and benefits with other teachers. This critical reflection is where I saw my biggest writing improvement. Positive feedback from the two peer reviewers referenced the paper's readability, structure and relatability to classroom practice, and the participatory inquiry process could be applied across multiple educational settings. As a practitioner, effectively communicating ideas and sharing pedagogical strategies is crucial in advocating for the benefits of inquiry learning to school leadership and educators.  

Conclusion

I have inspired primary school students to make an impact in their community and beyond, leaving a lasting impression on shaping their environments. The list of actions taken by students in waste reduction efforts at Vale Park PS was extensive. Excitement over developing a native Glenelg PS sensory extended from a single group of students to the student council for ownership. As the teacher, the effort to shift student expectations from knowledge acquisition to collaboration with peers and adults fostered cognitive engagement and encouraged deeper questioning. The outdoor learning project showed that engaging students in participatory inquiry inspires deep transdisciplinary learning, enhancing academic outcomes and developing dispositions and capabilities for future success (Table 1).  The academic content became more relevant to learners through authentic learning circumstances in the inquiry process, blurring subject area lines.  Teaching subjects with meaningful connections links studies to students’ lives and expands interdisciplinary learning to include conversations about environmental stewardship through place-based education (Danks, 2010). During the journey, it became clear that motivation drives inquiry learning practices, student action and conservation dispositions. Intrinsic motivation encourages students to invest in their inquiries and commit to meaningful goals (McDougall, 2021), just as changes in pro-environmental dispositions require motivation more than education (Schultz, 2011). Educators must continuously find intrinsic motivators for students, especially when transitioning between different communities, cultures, and school curriculum frameworks.

Key takeaways from my time with Project Dragonfly include adaptability, communication and collaboration. In inquiry-based learning, adaptability is crucial as learner-centred instruction takes precedence, and your role is to mentor student progression. The outcomes of this are greater than anticipated. Participatory education promotes a sense of purpose, cognitive engagement, emergent leadership, self-confidence, student ownership, and curriculum standards (McDougall, 2021). As an educator, resilience assists in adapting to changing circumstances when working towards common goals. When collaborators become unavailable or new projects arise, embracing uncertainty and pivoting from original plans is necessary. Transparent communication is vital when working with diverse community stakeholders, including students. Many projects emphasised listening and communicating effectively to build trust and a shared vision. Leading with humility, empathy, and respect while forming positive relationships beyond work shapes you as a collaborative leader (Brown, 2000). Listening to student agency as a ‘teacher-student’ inspired me to elevate my communication and collaboration practices. Collaboration to unite different viewpoints, especially on conservation and sustainability, and cooperatively develop solutions was critical to the success of these projects. Shared decision-making, respectful reflection, and mutual appreciation in collaborative leadership inspire excellence and enhance educational improvement by catering to the diverse needs of the school community (Anfara & Angelle, 2007). These collaborations motivated me to adapt and communicate effectively, forming a local support coalition for projects and classrooms.

At the start of this journey, HITS were central in South Australian education. Explicit direct instruction remains a current instructional strategy. However, South Australia is beginning to focus on a new Public Education Strategies Plan focused on equity and excellence, wellbeing, learner agency and effective learners (Department for Education, n.d.). Key outcomes from inquiry and participatory education benefiting students’ learning and success are emphasised in the strategy’s areas and levers of impact (Figure 11). Now is an opportune time to share my successes and learnings to support my colleagues in implementing new educational strategies in my state. I began by participating in consultations and feedback sessions on the SA Curriculum design. Like reflections in the Amazon, my focus is also on connecting students to nature to help them care about the environment and inspire sustainable thinking and action among their peers.

Acknowledgments

I thank my advisor, Jill Korach, course instructors, and fellow students for their guidance. My gratitude also extends to the teachers, students and community members of Vale Park Primary School and Glenelg Primary School for their enthusiasm for our projects.  Lastly, I am deeply grateful to my supportive family and friends; I could not have accomplished this without you.

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Personal Statement

Kelly Rivett is a dedicated primary school teacher in Adelaide, South Australia. She is passionate about empowering students to discover their interests and capabilities. Transitioning from a career in film and television to education after earning her Graduate Diploma from Charles Darwin University, she has spent over ten years inspiring young minds in metropolitan Adelaide. Her commitment to environmental education, inherited from her mother, drives her to integrate sustainable practices into her teaching. Kelly’s teaching philosophy centres on preparing her students for the 22nd century and using unique STEM opportunities to develop her student’s entrepreneurial spirit and problem-solving acumen, while advancing their social skills so that they are empathetic, critical thinkers and ultimately, more employable individuals. Her innovative approach has led to collaborations with Monarto Safari Park and ZoosSA, enriching student learning through real-world connections. Honoured as the SA Primary School Teacher of the Year in 2018, she used her award to further her education in Biological Sciences, deepening her commitment to inquiry-based learning. Currently a Visual and Media Arts specialist, Kelly teaches over 600 students weekly, integrating arts with science and nature to foster a holistic learning environment. Outside the classroom, she is an avid beachgoer, photographer and field hockey player, continuously exploring ways to blend her passions with her profession.