Week 31 - Evaluate your Impacts

During this inquiry we explored and looked at the development of a planning framework to provide
teachers and students a clear approach to implementing PBL digital inquiries within the classroom.
We should have been able to answer the questions:

• Was this delivery method of PBL digital inquiries effective?
• What criteria - including teacher skills and guidelines are necessary for it to be effective?
• How does the planning framework need to be changed to accommodate further needs of students and teachers?
• How does using this innovation improve student outcomes ?

If the data collection and research point to use of this planning framework with or without
modifications the anticipated outcome will mean the need for other Year 5/6 classes to start using
this method and then eventually throughout the school.

What is the observed impact? 

Improved student outcomes in science and social sciences areas of the curriculum - using the framework students had a more in depth understanding of the inquiry. They were able to apply and analyse their information confidently within their own inquiry because they had the depth created by the framework's integration prompts and the teachers being explicit in their approach of critical thinking and the steps needed for success of the project.

As predicted there were many more opportunities for students to develop their collaboration, communication, student agency and higher order thinking skills through use of the digital toolkit and integrated approach to this project based learning framework. Students have collaborated and had learning experiences that involve making connections, comparing and contrasting, categorising and many more critical thinking prompts.

Because of this teachers have seen the value of integrating digital technologies well and how digital tools can be used to add value - this means clear expectations and guidelines for others in the school to follow. It also means teachers have seen the benefits of the framework and increased confidence in delivering PBL and inquiry within authentic contexts.


How is the observed impact different from or similar to the anticipated one?

A main expected outcome was that this would provide a school wide consistent approach to
delivering best practice PBL digital inquiry. However this does not seem likely at present.
During this time, other teachers not involved in the inquiry have offered up other potential
solutions to their teams for the lack of depth and student agency they were observing in
their classrooms. This has led to a different solution being proposed in conflict to an added
layer of framework to proposing removal of structure and giving more freedom to students and
teachers to adapt inquiry to be more responsive. These teachers were no privy to this inquiry and
this is something to address next inquiry by bringing other teachers into the inquiry although they
may not be involved in the first stages of the inquiry spiral. It also indicates that leadership were
not fully on board with this inquiry, they did not value it or understand the finer points of it as it
has not brought about new beliefs, confidence or thinking as they entertain other ideas put forth.

The perceived drawbacks of this inquiry was that we could be challenged by teacher reluctance to trial something new for fear of workload and failure and teachers could develop perceptions that choice, flexibility and student agency would be compromised. Teacher have provided us with evidence that they found the process of pre-planning using the template time saving in the long run and well worth it. They felt that the students have been more engaged with the inquiry with use of the framework and therefore they are more have more enthusiasm, passion and collaboration around delivering the inquiry.

I believe in time however this inquiry innovation is something that the wider community of teachers would be interested in and could have an impact on other teachers within the profession as the teachers involved in the inquiry are set to continue with it will share their new knowledge and understanding with the profession. 

What is the impact on future inquiry/practice?

In the future, due to some of the challenges mentioned above, I would involved the Senior Leadership team more with the inquiry and challenge and test their beliefs from the outset. I would bring in other teachers as observers of the inquiry so we are not working so much in a silo and it is a process that could have more far reaching impact.