From the 

Head of Junior School

Teachers as learners

With the beginning of a new semester the Junior School has been reflecting on the learning and experiences of our students and our role as teachers. We know we provide a service that echoes far beyond the time spent in the classroom. We do more than educate. We inspire. We know education is a process of learning and growing as one gains understanding about the surrounding world.  We know it is a lifelong process not just for the students we teach but for us as well.

We recognise the fact we are perpetual learners. That we need to be if we are to plan achievable, yet challenging tasks that are of high interest and personally relevant for students who come from diverse backgrounds with a diversity of learning needs. This understanding is acknowledged in the Australian Teaching Standards (NSW Education Standards Authority, 2017) where teachers are asked to address the physical, intellectual and/or emotional diverse needs of students within their classes.

Our teachers know they need to evolve alongside policies, current literature, and advances in technology and society. We know with rapid change all around us, and an evolving role for education and schools, finding time to update knowledge, skills and professional thinking is vital. This year Junior School staff have undertaken substantial, sustained professional learning in a broad range of domains that impact on the day-to-day learning of students in the Junior School. 

• AIS Numeracy project
• URStrong
• For the Love of Writing

This has involved staff participating in whole day workshops and ongoing targeted experiences every Tuesday afternoon.  Each week they work in teams with stage colleagues and Junior School executives to develop a deep understanding of what they are teaching and of the students in their classes. They welcome visiting experts into their classrooms to work alongside them, and students, providing feedback on their practices and on the needs of their students. Through these approaches staff have been learning and problem solving together to ensure all students achieve success. All this is happening as staff continue to provide dynamic, engaging lessons, build social emotional wellbeing, undertake co-curricular and extra-curricular lessons and playground supervision.

Our work with the AIS Numeracy project has involved significant application by teachers through ongoing personal learning experiences, changes to lesson content and delivery and the use of targeted teaching strategies using hands on materials. Each lesson, teachers are leading students through a daily review to provide multiple opportunities for students to take on board concepts and link them to further learning. This approach has enabled teachers to deepen how time and energy is spent in the mathematics classroom, enabling them to focus deeply on the major concepts of each grade so students can gain strong foundations, which include a solid conceptual understanding, a high degree of procedural skill and fluency, and the ability to apply the maths they know to solve problems inside and outside the maths classroom.

When designing tasks teachers always have in mind the diverse learning needs of their students to provide equitable access to not only the task but the learning opportunities the tasks represent. This does not mean they need to provide a different task for each student. Rather they understand the common stages students move through and the common misconceptions students may have (Ferguson, 2009). This understanding is attained though sound pedagogical content knowledge in mathematics (Shulman, 1986) and knowing their students. Through providing open ended, rich tasks students are more likely to become life-long sense-makers with a robust mathematical identity that can engender a positive attitude towards continued mathematical participation and engagement (Grootenboer, 2009). “Effective teachers adjust the curriculum to address student differences rather than expecting students to modify themselves for the curriculum” (Moore & Hansen (2012). 

Shafer (2018) describes five interwoven elements that support the structure of a school, 

1) Fundamental beliefs

2) Shared values 

3) Norms (how people believe they should act)

4) Patterns and behaviours, and 

5) Tangible evidence.

I would like to invite families on Tuesday 30 August to join our staff and Mrs Fiona Walker, Project Lead: Numeracy, Student Services, from the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, to better understand how these five elements impact on what happens in the classroom. The one-hour workshop from 6pm in the Junior School Glasshouse will provide an insight into current classroom approaches and how students can be supported at home. This is only part of the conversation. I encourage families, as you meet with teachers over the course of the year to discuss your child, to ask their teacher about what they have been learning. I look forward to welcoming families on Tuesday 30 August.

Kinross Students making their Mark 

At Kinross Wolaroi we value and strive for academic rigour. Students have a myriad of opportunities to engage in enriching learning experiences which in some instances the School provides or facilitates student access to them. Please share with us your child’s interest, passions, and achievements by emailing junioroffice@kws.nsw.edu.au