Key points
- Over 12 weeks, students developed their ability to observe carefully, ask meaningful questions and follow evidence to build their understanding.
- Through inquiry-based learning, students developed the confidence to ask questions, investigate evidence and build their own understanding.
- Working alongside a STEM professional helped students develop transferable critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will benefit them throughout their learning.
A small pink dot on a leaf in the school grounds sparked an unexpected journey of discovery for a group of Year 5 students.
Through a STEM Professionals in Schools partnership with scientist Dr Kylie Hewson, students followed their curiosity from that simple observation into the worlds of ecosystems, pest management and scientific research.
Their experience is a powerful example of inquiry-based learning in action. Instead of being given answers, students were encouraged to ask questions, investigate possibilities and build their understanding through exploration. In doing so, they developed the critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are highly transferable across all areas of learning and will benefit them throughout their future careers.
Inquiry-based learning places students at the centre of the learning process, encouraging them to explore, ask questions, investigate and discover new knowledge through active participation. While it complements other approaches, such as teacher-led instruction, its strength lies in helping students develop the curiosity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that underpin STEM learning.
Starting small: building inquiry skills
Through a STEM Professionals in Schools partnership, a pilot group of 10 students participated in a 12-week program, with one 45-minute session each week. The focus was simple but deliberate: helping students learn how to ask better scientific questions.
Early sessions were designed to move students away from simple, surface-level questions or jumping straight to conclusions based on what they already knew. Instead, they were encouraged to slow down, observe and gather new information before drawing conclusions.
Looking again at the familiar
Students began with something ordinary: a pencil. The goal was to challenge them to look beyond its everyday use and ask deeper questions.
Rather than stopping at "What is this?", students were encouraged to ask:
- Why is it shaped this way?
- Why is it this size?
- What materials is it made from?
- What could we make if we had thousands of unused pencils?
This helped students see everyday objects through a scientific lens, recognising that even simple items involve design choices, material properties and engineering thinking.
Making sense of the unfamiliar
Once comfortable, students moved on to unfamiliar man-made objects. Without prior knowledge to rely on, they had to observe carefully, ask investigative questions and form hypotheses.
A key part of this stage was "the reveal", where students discovered what the object actually was and reflected on how accurate their thinking had been. This reinforced that questioning, rather than guessing correctly, is what drives learning.
Turning to the natural world
The next step was exploring natural objects, including items students might normally overlook.
Examples included a leaf covered in small pockmarks created by wasps and leaves that an insect had used to create a cocoon.
Students were challenged to ask questions such as:
- Was it created by an insect or the plant itself?
- Why would that happen?
At this point, tools like the iNaturalist app were introduced, showing students how to identify species, document observations and contribute to broader scientific knowledge. Importantly, students began to understand that not all questions have immediate answers, and that this uncertainty is what drives scientific research.
A turning point: Pink Wax Scale
A pivotal moment came when a student noticed a small raised pink dot on a leaf in the school grounds. Using iNaturalist, the class identified it as Pink Wax Scale, a species of soft scale insect. This sparked a new wave of inquiry:
- Why is it on this tree and not others?
- What does it eat?
- How does it spread?
Students documented their observations and began searching for information, but quickly realised that much of the available content focused on eliminating the pest rather than answering their scientific questions.
This led to an important lesson: information sources can sometimes be limited or biased, and expert input can play an important role. On behalf of the students, Dr Hewson contacted Professor Myron Zalucki at the University of Queensland, a global expert on scale insects, who provided insights and research to help answer their questions.
With this new information, students began asking more complex questions about environmental influences and how they might investigate those questions through observation.
The introduction of expert knowledge also brought a new concept into focus: integrated pest management (IPM).
Earlier, students had suggested pesticides as a solution. However, they learned that pesticides are often ineffective against this insect and that natural predators can play an important role.
Students were particularly fascinated to learn that ladybirds eat scale insects and that parasitic wasps lay eggs inside the scales, with larvae feeding on them from the inside. They also explored how these insects can be used to help control pest populations.
This demonstrated how a simple observation can lead to the exploration of complex scientific concepts.
Sharing their learning
Although not originally planned, the project naturally evolved into a student-led presentation because students wanted to share what they had learned.
Students organised the content themselves, created an interactive question-and-answer session, and presented to fellow students, teachers, parents and school staff.
The presentation demonstrated strong engagement and gave students the opportunity to explain scientific ideas in their own words, while building confidence in communicating scientific information.
Afterwards, students invited attendees outside to view the trees where the Pink Wax Scale had been found. Seeing the scales and ladybirds firsthand sparked curiosity and helped others make a direct connection to what the students had presented. It also prompted a new round of questions from the audience.
Connecting the dots
This partnership activity highlights the impact of inquiry-based learning in building curiosity, confidence and deeper understanding. Research shows that students who engage in this kind of learning are more likely to retain knowledge, develop problem-solving skills and remain engaged in their learning.
A key factor in its success was the focus on questions rather than answers. Students became more comfortable with uncertainty, more willing to explore ideas and less focused on simply being "correct".
The journey from a simple observation to conversations with a leading insect expert showed how scientific knowledge is built through questioning, investigation and collaboration. Along the way, students developed critical thinking, problem-solving and inquiry skills that will support them across all areas of learning and throughout their future careers.
Most importantly, they discovered that every great scientific discovery begins with a question.
Article by Dr Hewson, who has worked for nearly 20 years in the Australian agriculture sector as an award-winning scientist, research manager and policy manager. Dr Hewson is a strong advocate for ensuring quality science is not only produced, but also made accessible and able to inform policy and deliver meaningful impact.