The Junior School is always a hive of active engagement and authentic experience in recognition that it is essential to grow the ‘whole child’.
This focus on holistic development allows each student to explore their passions and identify their strengths, while also learning to sit with the uncomfortable feeling that comes with being challenged or recognising things they may not be so good at.
It is an exciting time to be involved in education as we strive to ensure that contemporary learning and teaching is informed by research and evidence-based practice. With the student at the heart of all decisions, we recognise that learning and teaching, wellbeing and innovation must be considered to prepare individuals for an unknown future.
An allocated period of time is devoted to InsideOut as part of Pre- Kindergarten to Year 6 timetables to support student wellbeing. Research has shown the significance of wellbeing as core to educational outcomes.
Students flourish when they experience positive emotions, are engaged in what they are learning, accomplish their goals, enjoy good relationships and have a sense of meaning. We understand that individuals each have their own character strengths and we seek to encourage and guide them to ensure these can be seen, heard and experienced.
Also taking place each week is sparc, blending a unique, future-focused framework designed to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, attributes and values that will see them thrive now and into the future. There is a need for us to prepare our students for the future world – a world for which jobs have not yet been created, for technologies that have not yet been invented and to solve problems that have not yet been anticipated.
Learning and teaching is based on a balance of teacher-guided explicit instruction and student-initiated experiential opportunities. For maximum student engagement, there needs to be an element of inquiry or project-based learning integrating conceptual knowledge and understanding in a purposeful way. Student voice and choice is also critical to establish a sense of ownership of the learning process.
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