Learning Processes
FULL ENGAGEMENT LEARNING
The most powerful learnings at school or anywhere else, are the actual experiences that each of us has every day. In recognising this, we realise that all parts of the curriculum, must be experienced physically, emotionally, mentally and intuitively. Their daily experiences, the school’s processes, the social scene and the physical environment are all crucial influences in each child’s development and therefore critical in delivering the intended curriculum. Our curriculum is designed to be consciously presented and experienced through all of these media.
Research shows that education can be vastly more effective when delivered through a positive, receptive, engaging learning environment. Our Learning Processes are designed to fully engage learners in experiential learning. Learning is primarily through self-activated inquiry and experience within an accountable framework and will contain a range of compulsory, elected and self initiated subjects.
Drawing out what is within is a fundamental principle of our Learning Process. Rather than mass produced lessons, teaching is largely individually tailored, geared towards each child’s own needs and goals. To help develop our learners’ sense of empowerment and self worth, learners have a large say in choosing their own learning. Learning goals and paths will be agreed upon between each learner and their educator.
Learners are encouraged to develop a high degree of independence and autonomy, using educators for guidance rather than instruction. They are encouraged and supported to learn through hands-on experience, inquiry, discovery, real-world application, and problem solving. The flow of each day provides a balance between structure, free choice and various learning components. We highly value freedom in relation to creativity and spontaneity, and supports the opportunity of natural learning moments as they occur. Parents are invited to be actively involved in their children’s learning.
EDUCATORS
We recognise educators as the single most important ingredient to successful education thus they are selected carefully and on the basis of how closely they personally relate to and live the values of the school.
Education is individually tailored, to meet each child’s own needs and goals. The educators support and mentor each learner, guiding and facilitating their learning toward realising their individual potential. Their focus is on drawing out the inner brilliance of each child and they encourage each child to learn, live and express from that place.
Our educators have 12 learners each, are on a first name basis with them and work in partnership with them and with each other.
CLASSROOMS
Each classroom is set up creatively by educators and learners, in a way that supports the learners’ needs. Each classroom contains mixed-age groups of children, each comprised of a three-year span corresponding to developmental stages of childhood. Classrooms are set up with various learning centres and contain extensive collections of learning materials which match the learning styles, developmental capabilities, interests, and needs of the children enrolled in that class. Educators often work with one or two children at a time, there are few whole group lessons.
EVALUATION and ASSESSMENT
T.H.E. School evaluation processes acknowledge and support the intrinsic human desire to grow as a person, and to create a fulfilling life. State imposed measurement tools (eg NCEA, PAT) will be used as and where required. They are designed for external, comparative evaluation, therefore not practical as tools for assessing day to day progress.
Self evaluation and referencing as a way to reflect and live and grow is an important part of the curriculum. Each student continually assesses their own progress in working towards the achievement of meaningful personal standards and goals.
Our internal assessment processes are:
- empathetic and motivational
- personally relevant rather than comparative
- mostly qualitative and descriptive, rather than quantitative
- assist both students and teachers to assess their motivations and to plan their development programmes.