Academic Extension of Students Policy
Each class teacher is responsible for the academic growth of every student in the class along their individual learning continuum. This is achieved using many different teaching strategies, through all KLAs, using different models of classroom management. The teacher takes into account the individual needs of each student in regard to academic ability and learning style and provides a wide range of learning activities.
School Structure
In the Infants school, a teachers' aide is employed 5 days a week to support teachers by withdrawing identified students allowing a focus on both remedial and extension activities.
Identified students move from one class to another to receive lessons at a more demanding academic level in selected KLA strands.
This organisation is flexible and varies in terms of time frame, numbers of students and student progress.
In the Primary, as in the Infants classes, an aide is employed to support teachers, 3 days a week, allowing flexibility with class organisation. Skill group sessions place students of similar ability together in Literacy and Numeracy. With the inclusion of the Support Teacher, groups are much smaller than normal class sizes which allows students to achieve at the appropriate learning level.
Productive Pedagogy
Productive Pedagogy promotes four domains essential to good teaching and learning. The teachers at Merewether have adopted elements of Productive Pedagogy to enhance our classrooms and learning.
Intellectual Quality:
Opportunities for higher order thinking, learning activities that stimulate creativity, alternative solutions when solving problems, a variety of presentation techniques.
Relevance:
Ensuring that teaching and learning has relevance to the student's authentic world. Understanding not only what we are learning but why.
Supportive Classroom Environments:
Engaging students in a classroom of social support. Explicit teaching of basic skills. Self regulation.
Recognition of Difference:
An environment of inclusiveness, recognition of different cultures, learning styles. Fully participative.
Rich Tasks
At least twice per year, every student will be required to complete a rich task project that can be done at home (and at school). The projects are relevant to the units of work studied in class. Each student will know the exact expectations of the teacher in terms of project content and presentation. Moreover, every student will know the criteria for assessment.
The school endeavours to extend the academic ability of every student through whole school and individual classroom programs and teaching units