Good Day All!
PROVOCATION
If we are continually changing our teaching/thinking to prepare our students for the future……what that future will look like is something we need to consider…………BUT………what will it look like?
At the 2015 Prep Transition Parents’ Meeting on Wednesday, it was my role (alongside Jo B- one of our lovely Prep teachers!) to present to new parents our curriculum vision! Well, it’s a little trickier than I thought!! Not because we don’t have one but more because we have such a strong one that we live, breath, discuss, challenge and strive to improve ALL THE TIME…………….problem being how to put that into a simple statement that just ‘ makes sense’ to anyone!!
Well our statement went something like this……………
‘Kunyung Primary is an International Baccalaureate School implementing the Primary Years Program through an Inquiry-based, Concept-driven curriculum that prides itself on having a Visible Learning Culture and actively promotes Personalisation of Learning!!’
Hmmmm…….didn’t really follow the lines ‘making sense’ to anyone…. so we followed it up with……………In parents speak……..
‘Our staff are developing and learning as teachers to be the best we can be to ensure your children have every opportunity to be the best they can be!’
I think that went over a little better!!!!! 🙂
In truth though, we do have common language and a clear vision in our school of where our curriculum is headed……What makes us so committed, and sure of our direction, is that it is all based on research and ‘best practice’. This allows us to follow up any questions with professional reading, access online support from around the world and participate in local and state networks set up to support each other….
Now we had them sold on our COMMON DIRECTION, we thought we might start to provoke the thinking of our audience!
We asked the parents to take a YES/NO stance on the following statements….what do you think?
Learning is best measured by a letter or a number.
Product is more important than process and progress.
Children need to be protected from any kind of failure.
Teachers know all the answers.
Teachers have to be in control of the class.
Teachers are responsible for the learning.
Students are obliged to respect teachers.
Learners need to sit quietly and listen.
Learning looks the same as when you went to school.
Focus on (and fix) your child’s shortcomings, rather than their successes.
We asked parents to look at the some images of classrooms in the past and classrooms today…….they shared what they saw, thought and wondered about them!! How things have changed……
What can we do in schools to prepare our students?
We CAN develop, support and grow the 21st Century skills, attitudes and learner attributes they will need to function in 2030 through an INQUIRY curriculum
We CAN develop students who take ownership of their learning through creating a Visible Learning Culture. Developing the skills of ‘How to learn! Not just what to learn!’
We CAN personalise student learning to meet their needs through a PERSONALISED program
What can you do to help us?
Just thought I would share some of our presentation as it really is applicable to all of our school community!
Have a lovely weekend everyone! 🙂
Kim Jackson
Assistant Principal