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"Students practice democracy in action" on ABC
Come and See Morning Tea
Tour of classrooms, chat with parents and staff
Please be ready for a 10am start
Term 1, 2009 dates:
Wed 25 February 2009
Thurs 19 March 2009
For more details and bookings please call 07 3378 5466
The Individual's Journey
The development of independent learning skills is a gradual and long-term process. Although many aspects of our philosophy have changed over the years, the importance of the individual's journey has remained the core business throughout.
We describe this journey through some broad concepts:
- Conceptualise and extend ideas,
- Organise materials, space and research,
- Develop a positive attitude towards learning and,
- Access personal goals and interests
BIS Learning Progression
As students progress along our independent learning continua they utilise different environments, resources and teaching styles. The class teacher maps their progress along this continua and regularly checks to ensure that their development is realistically accommodated. Class-groups organise students into stages based on a multifacted view taking into account their level of self-direction, achievement, social skills, interests and age. The teacher focuses on organising the physical and emotional environment of the classrooms to best support the stage of the child.
Stage 1: The Child-centred phase enables students to focus on experiential activities that help cement concrete understanding of key concepts through play and hands-on activities.
Stage 2: Crossover students are beginning to aim for a greater understanding of basic skills and concepts whilst still wanting to engage in concrete play and learning when necessary.
Stage 3: Self-directed learners understand their strengths and interests and organise their time accordingly, often developing independent projects whilst learning core curriculum requirements.
Stage 4: Independent learners are fully motivated and focussed, requiring minimal direction but still receiving support and encouragement.
Ability grouping is another central focus of the learning at BIS. Because we follow the QSA Syllabi we track children’s development across the 8 key learning areas (KLAs) as individuals, not as a class. Subsequently each child will progress differently through each KLA. This enables children to be either extended or supported in their learning through access to the appropriate core curriculum. Students will often work with different teachers and students to support their individualised learning needs.
The Result of this Progression
The 'freedom of the individual' in our learning progression is undeniable. By not focusing on only age or traditional developmental divisions our children have more time to develop skills and competencies without judgement or alienation. This freedom allows students to surpass the average expectation for their grade/age or spend time to increase confidence. Through curriculum compacting or curriculum expansion students can be extended or supported. Students, staff and parents maintain close communication to enable strengths and weakness to be closely monitored so that opportunities for children are not lost and interventions can occur when necessary.
Research has shown us that each child enters school with a highly individualised approach to learning. The nurturing of each child's individual learning style has been an intrinsic part of BIS education for almost forty years, with a host of graduates Graduate Stories -The BIS Effect who's early experiences at BIS a testimony to this consistent part of our philosophy.