What is the Lambton Learning Ladder?
The Lambton Learning Ladder (L3) is a future-focused skill development program currently running in Years 7 and 8 at Lambton High School. It uses Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) to build essential skills while addressing outcomes across multiple areas of the curriculum.
Each year, the program culminates in students presenting an IBL project based on a real-world driving question they have designed:
Year 7 students work in teams to present their project to their class and mentor teachers.
Year 8 students present individually and provide evidence through an interview panel made up of a teacher, student representatives, and community members.
Research (Hattie, Zhao, Neumann, Friesen, Scott) shows that students who engage in structured, guided, and independent skill development increase their engagement and develop a deeper understanding of learning. At the heart of IBL is self-directed, hands-on, minds-on research into authentic, real-world issues.
Through these projects, students develop life-long, future-focused skills, including:
Communication
Critical thinking and problem solving
Collaboration
Creativity and innovation
Organisation and planning
Information and media literacy
Initiative
Global and community awareness
Civic engagement
IBL tasks always culminate in a final product that addresses the central issue, with students presenting their outcomes to an authentic audience..