General
Date: 16 March 2026
Time: 1400-1530
Venue: Online
Presenters:
1. MTT Evelyn Yeo (Academy of Singapore Teachers)
2. MTT Anna Koh (Academy of Singapore Teachers)
3. MTT Lee Siew Lin (Academy of Singapore Teachers)
4. Ms Phang Xiu Zhen Grace (Boon Lay Garden Primary School)
5. Ms Chan Shihui Grace (Boon Lay Garden Primary School)
6. Ms Yong Lee Min (Westwood Primary School)
This session explores how purposeful facilitation of inquiry can nurture the potential of high-ability learners (HAL) by meeting their needs for depth, complexity, and autonomy. Drawing on Pedaste et al.’s (2015) inquiry framework—which organises inquiry into interconnected phases such as Orientation, Conceptualisation, Investigation, and Conclusion—the session will show how these phases provide a clear structure for guiding students’ questioning, exploration, and sense-making. Key pedagogical considerations for HAL, including providing optimal challenge, enabling meaningful choice, and fostering curiosity, will also be discussed, with guidance on how these can be intentionally supported through the inquiry frame.
Participants will explore how these considerations can be woven into inquiry experiences to stretch and support HAL while addressing the needs of diverse learners in mixed-ability classrooms. Classroom examples from W3 Cluster teachers, practical strategies, and insights from Master Teachers will illustrate how responsive and developmentally appropriate inquiry experiences can unlock learners’ potential and strengthen engagement.
About the presenters
This session is presented by a team of Master Teachers (MTTs) from the Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST) and three primary school teachers from the W3 Cluster professional learning team (PLT). MTT/ HAL serves as the knowledgeable other for the PLT, guiding their work on designing and facilitating inquiry to better support HAL. In this presentation, she is joined by two other MTTs who bring strong experience in supporting teachers in using inquiry effectively in their subject areas and across different classroom contexts.
The three teacher presenters—who teach English, Mathematics, and Science in mixed-ability primary classrooms—learned together as a PLT to collaboratively inquire into their classroom inquiry practices. Through lesson design, enactment and reflections, they explored how inquiry can stretch and support HAL and diverse learners in mixed-ability classrooms.