Both the Australian Curriculum and state and territory curricula foreground the importance of inquiry in history. The Australian Curriculum Rationale posits that history 'is a disciplined process of inquiry into the past that develops students’ curiosity and imagination' (ACARA, 2020). As a case study, the recently designed and newly implemented Queensland senior syllabus explicitly states that history uses a model of inquiry learning, which it defines as 'the process of developing knowledge and understanding by posing questions about the past, and applying skills associated with locating, analysing, evaluating and using sources as evidence to develop an informed explanation, argument or interpretation about the past' (QCAA, 2019, p. 107). One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through the use of an inquiry approach. It requires careful planning as different forms of inquiry are better suited to differing age and ability ranges. This chapter explores a number of inquiry-centred pedagogies that will facilitate the creation of an inquiry-centred classroom.
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