The debate between explicit teaching and inquiry-based learning continues to shape discussions on effective curriculum delivery for schools across Australia and particularly in the early years of Junior School. While some experts advocate for direct and structured instruction, others champion student-driven exploration and discovery.
At The Knox School, we’re proud to offer the best of both worlds! We believe that a balanced approach, combining both methods, is the most effective way to nurture learning in young people. We start with the basics, explicitly teaching foundational skills and ensuring that important conceptual understandings are solidly established. This then continues as we also elevate student learning to new heights through inquiry. And it’s not just our opinion – this approach is backed by leading research.
Many educational practitioners, including Kath Murdoch, Andrea Muller, Deb Sukarna and Faye Boulton, emphasise the importance of combining explicit teaching with inquiry learning to ensure a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy whilst simultaneously fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
We recently sat down with our Associate Principal: Head of Junior School, Simon Cowell, to unpack the role of explicit teaching in early years literacy and numeracy:
Explicit teaching is essential in the early years of Junior School education, particularly when it comes to literacy and numeracy. Young children require direct instruction in foundational skills such as phonemic awareness, decoding strategies, number sense and mathematical operations. They don’t learn to read by osmosis! It takes a systematic, structured approach of modelling many different tools and skills, such as decoding, sounding out and much more.
Literacy experts, such as Deb Sukarna and Faye Boulton, emphasise that early intervention through explicit instruction ensures that children develop the necessary competencies to engage with more complex learning tasks as they progress through school.
From Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) to our Heggerty Program, The Knox School is committed to shaping early literacy success. Teachers in the Junior School are experts at delivering and scaffolding the necessary literacy skills and competencies required to foster a love of learning in their students.
Explicit teaching involves clear learning intentions, modelling, guided practice and structured opportunities for application. This method ensures that students develop confidence and fluency in key areas, reducing cognitive load and allowing them to focus on applying their knowledge in meaningful contexts. Simon elaborates:
For instance, phonics instruction follows a systematic approach, helping children decode words efficiently before transitioning to more advanced reading comprehension strategies. Similarly, numeracy development begins with direct teaching of counting principles, basic arithmetic and number patterns before moving into problem-solving applications.
Transitioning to Inquiry-Based Learning Through Conceptual Understanding
As students build strong literacy and numeracy foundations, our curriculum shifts towards a concept-based inquiry approach. Educational leaders such as Kath Murdoch and Andrea Muller highlight that inquiry learning encourages curiosity, engagement and a deeper understanding of concepts.
To us at The Knox School, inquiry-based learning is not merely free exploration but requires careful planning and scaffolding to ensure students construct meaningful knowledge.
A concept-based curriculum promotes interdisciplinary learning, where students connect ideas across subjects. For example, a unit on sustainability might integrate science (understanding ecosystems), literacy (research and persuasive writing), and numeracy (data collection and analysis). This approach fosters transferable skills, enabling students to think critically and apply their learning to real-world situations.
However, even within an inquiry-based framework, explicit teaching remains crucial. As Simon further highlights:
Every unit is firmly underpinned by literacy and numeracy skills. In addition, teachers must explicitly teach research skills, critical thinking strategies and disciplinary knowledge to equip students with the tools they need to explore inquiries effectively. This is how we lay the foundation for real-world learning, creating a solid foundation for future expansions of knowledge, skills and character.
Murdoch emphasises that inquiry is most effective when students have a strong knowledge base to draw upon. Therefore, educators should consider adopting a structured approach to inquiry, gradually releasing responsibility to students as they develop their independence as learners.
This is why our Learner Profile Days are so important – every teacher in our Junior School and Early Learning Centre starts each academic year by meeting with each individual student to assess and identify their strengths and perspectives towards learning. This deep understanding of individual learning profiles is central to our approach to personalised education – our students understand themselves better as learners and partner with us to co-create their learning journeys.
A Balanced Approach: Integrating Both Explicit Teaching and Inquiry Learning
A well-balanced curriculum integrates explicit teaching with inquiry learning, ensuring that students receive the necessary direct instruction while also developing autonomy and higher-order thinking skills. This balance can be achieved through a gradual release model, where teachers provide direct instruction before guiding students toward independent inquiry.
For example, a mathematics unit might begin with explicit instruction on measurement concepts, ensuring students understand units, tools and calculation methods. Once students grasp the fundamentals, they can engage in an inquiry project where they measure objects in their environment, collect data and present their findings. We witnessed the success of this approach at our recent Year 6 Olympiad Showcase, where students demonstrated their newfound skills through hands-on exploration and presentation to their families.
Faye Boulton stresses the importance of maintaining a structured yet flexible approach, where explicit teaching lays the groundwork for inquiry. Teachers at The Knox School act as facilitators, providing targeted instruction when needed and stepping back to allow students to explore and construct knowledge independently.
A balanced approach that integrates explicit teaching with inquiry-based learning ensures the most effective curriculum delivery in primary schools. By emphasising direct instruction in literacy and numeracy during the early years and transitioning toward a concept-based inquiry curriculum as they progress through Junior School, students gain essential skills while also developing the capacity for independent thinking and problem-solving. The insights of such educators reinforce that both approaches are necessary for fostering well-rounded, capable learners.
And the results aren’t just proven, they’re measurable! As our Associate Principal: Head of Learning, Teaching and Innovation, Liana Gooch, emphasises:
At TKS, we often talk about learning being a journey – it is a journey that has been thoughtfully considered from the Early Years all the way to Year 12 and beyond. Students who continue from The Knox School Junior School are exceptionally well prepared to thrive academically in our Senior School. Our staff often comment that these students often already possess the skills and dispositions needed to flourish and deepen their knowledge and conceptual understandings from Day 1 of Year 7.
Ultimately, a thoughtful and structured balance between explicit teaching and inquiry learning equips students with the knowledge, skills and character needed to thrive in an ever-evolving world. Truly, at The Knox School we have the best of all worlds!
