Learning & Teaching News
Janine Turville
The 2018 School Year
I was really finding it difficult to narrow down my focus for the newsletter as there are so many things I am excited about for the coming school year!
On Saturday morning, while pondering which aspect of learning and teaching I would place focus, I opened The Age newspaper App and the first article was titled “Can your child answer the curly questions?” written by Henrietta Cook. A perfect focus was there right in front of me! Essentially this article was about allowing and encouraging our children to think critically and creatively. The article referred to this as a major focus woven through the Victorian Curriculum.
Education is ‘not about memorising information and regurgitating it…..it’s about applying, creating, analysing and evaluating information and being flexible in your thinking’ (The Age).
I’d like to point out that St Fidelis' has been ahead of the curriculum as over the last 8 years, we have had the privilege of working alongside a leading educator, Kath Murdoch who is an expert in the Inquiry approach to learning. This learning and teaching approach encourages out students to ask and pursue problems and questions. It requires them to to be reflective and to think critically about gathered information. Our teachers are well aware of the importance of developing these skills in our students.
If we teach using this approach, the students learn very quickly that they require resilience and perseverance when they invariably encounter difficulties. It all loops back the mindset individual students develop. We need to encourage our students to develop a growth mindset. Students who welcome challenge and see this as learning. Students who say ‘ I don’t know it….. YET’. Students who see ‘struggle’ as a positive not a negative. It is our role as teachers and parents to gently support and guide. To offer enabling prompts when the struggle becomes overwhelming. This is not the same as doing it for them. As parents and teachers this is the most difficult thing to witness. It is our natural instinct to protect. It’s hard to watch the struggle but we must resist the urge to always rescue.
It is my hope that the 2018 school year is filled with a lot of challenges for your children as this is when the greatest learning will be achieved.
Curriculum News
On Kevin's page you would have read about a couple of key curriculum opportunities.
I'm looking forward to sharing the updated homework policy with you on Thursday February 15 at 9:00 a.m. or 2:45 p.m. If you are not able to attend either of these times, there will be a link to this policy in the Week 4 newsletter.
We are also very excited to offer a Parent Information Night on Tuesday March 6 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. This will be a fantastic opportunity for you to learn about some of our whole school programs. We recognise the importance of developing strong partnerships to ensure your child reaches their highest potential.