Learning and Teaching

Congratulations on 100 Days of Prep

Prep students participated in activities during the week, focusing on the number one hundred. They all dressed up as 100 Year Old People to celebrate their 100 Days of school.

Prep Writing: 100 Days of School Celebrations!

HENRY:    Dear Mrs. Ryan

                    How are you? 

                    I wanted to tell you what I am going to do before I turn 100.

                    I am going to go back to Bali and Thailand.

                    From Henry.

NATE: If I had $100, I would make things fair by giving money to all the people in the world.   

GEORGIE:  If I had $100 I would buy a puppy because puppies make people  happy!

FABIAN: If I had $100 I would buy lots of food for people!

JAMES: If I had $100 I would buy food for the poor. I would buy water for travellers.

LUCIE: When I am 100 I will smell like lavender flowers from my garden. I will be wearing      a warm jacket and hat. I will be spending time with my dog Polly.

ISLA: When I am 100 I will have dark grey hair and black glasses.  I will have a gentle voice and feel soft and cuddly. I will be a granny and smell like Chocolate Tiny Teddies!

SIENNA and NATE: How we might look when we are 100!

What’s Behind the Learning?

At St John’s we use pedagogy to underpin all of our teaching, it wraps around the Victorian curriculum and aligns with the Horizons of Hope. 

But what is pedagogy? 

Pedagogy is often described as the “how” students will be taught and supported to learn. It involves a collaborative partnership between all in the learning community. Honouring the sacred dignity of each learner provides a foundation for pedagogy in a Catholic school, with individuals sharing responsibility for their learning, learning from and contributing to the learning of others. 

Below is a video explaining what pedagogy is and four of the founding pedagogical principles. 

The St John’s Pedagogical Framework clearly outlines our whole-school plan for curriculum delivery. This plan is aligned with Horizons of Hope and the Victorian Curriculum. The framework guides what and how teachers should teach and students should learn. The curriculum delivery plan is being implemented throughout the school and shared with the wider community.

The St John’s Pedagogical Framework outlines alignment between the overall curriculum delivery plan, term and unit plans, classroom teaching and the regular assessment of student progress in relation to curriculum expectations. This term we have been creating our own Inquiry pedagogical cycle for St John’s. Our process for devising a framework included identifying current practices, researching appropriate existing pedagogies and practices, followed by identifying and adapting a number of pedagogies that best fit our school and philosophies. This is a cycle that can be used within a lesson or over a series of lessons. These should be visible within the planning documents and within the teaching of the lesson in class. 

At St John’s we place a high priority on ensuring the curriculum is locally relevant and accessible to all students, using the foundation of students’ existing knowledge, interests and varying backgrounds.