The Ministry of Education is set to launch a new educational framework for teaching for preschool and primary school.

The inquiry framework, which is designed to mimic the way young children learn and construct knowledge, will be formally launched during an after school event today at Northlands Primary School.

Assistant director of early childhood education Sharon Speir said the new framework will have the teachers working alongside their students, wondering and researching with them.

“In this model of teaching and learning, it is OK for teachers to say I don’t know, let’s find out together,” Dr Speir said.

“We find that children are very motivated to find answers to questions they have, they take ownership for their learning and take their learning outside of the classroom, into their homes and the community.”

About 60 teachers are set to receive training from subject specialists on the connections between inquiry and subjects ranging from mathematics to social studies. The teachers will also receive hands-on experiences in the subject areas, and participate in monthly meetings to “gain further insight into inquiry and classroom practice”.

Director of academics Llewellyn Simmons said: “By our early childhood educators applying hands on experience, the Department of Education is changing how teachers in Bermuda have predominantly taught for years. We are changing their teaching practices from didactic to critical teaching. Early childhood teachers are thinking critically about teaching using the inquiry model.”