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School Philosophy
When a teacher takes over a class, he/she is always confronted with a group of widely diversified individuals with different abilities, strengths, weaknesses and interests. For many years, we as teachers have attempted to cope with this phenomenon by placing children of roughly similar ages together and giving them similar experiences, regardless of whether these experiences were suitable for every child, or within their capabilities. There is not, nor has there ever been, any educational justification for this type of organisation. For some children it is frustrating, leading to a sense of failure and worthlessness. For others, it develops an (inaccurate) notion that school is "easy" and learning is "boring", and for a small minority of children it is "just right".
In many country schools, children are, of necessity, grouped in multi-age groups where ideas are broached in varying depths according to the child's readiness to understand and accept them. It is well recorded that some of the best education takes place in these environments where children's educational needs are able to be catered for in a non-threatening manner.
"Grade-mindedness" of some adults is inconsistent with present-day knowledge of the wide range of developmental stages, academic ability, social and emotional development, home environment and experiential background found in every group of children, regardless of their age.
With stage groupings, children of different ages work together to increase their repertoire of skills and knowledge.
The supportive climate developed in this organisation - the spirit of independence, responsibility and mutual assistance is most desirable. Efforts to establish these qualities in classes in large schools such as this one have led to family or vertical groupings in larger primary schools in all Australian states and overseas countries. The children get the best of both worlds.
Since continuity of programming becomes more the teacher's responsibility, there is less need at a school level to prescribe what is taught in each year level. There is an increased responsibility, however, to focus on student outcomes, individually and collectively, at a school level. Such outcomes need to be carefully monitored. When the results of school level monitoring are provided to teachers, their class programs should be modified accordingly.
So that children are not locked in to a learning environment where they may not be learning effectively, a need for regular placement reviews exists. This is best done at the end of every semester, with the majority of changes occurring at year's end when other children are also moving from one class to another. |
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