OUR TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
The Early Education department embodies the school’s mission statement, which is to inspire everyone in our learning community to be responsible, compassionate global citizens who make a difference through inclusion, innovation and action.
Our teachers work together to ensure that the learning rights of our youngest students are recognised, respected and celebrated. We believe that:
Children as bearers of rights
We value children as citizens and honour their role and ownership in their learning. We listen and collaborate with them to create shared visions of learning. We promote learner agency, which creates a context in which children can advocate for themselves and others.
Wondrous individuals
We celebrate the diverse and unique identity of each child. We see them as capable meaning makers, intrinsic communicators, and limitless individuals. They show curiosity and determination to think complexly, develop ideas, and make connections to their surroundings.
Learning as a social process
We believe that the culture of an empathetic learning community is created by all members. The strong relationships between its members allows for connections where all feel valued, safe, included, and respected.
Learning
We encourage children to take ownership in their learning and become resilient problem solvers. Learning is enhanced through inquiry-driven collaborative learning engagements, using different modes and languages of expression. Learning areas include social, emotional, physical, communicative, and cognitive development, as we focus on developing the whole child.
The role of play
We know that play is the holistic and natural way children research, construct meaning, and express themselves symbolically. Opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, and conceptual understandings are created through free and guided play.
Learning spaces
We believe that the environment is the soil in which children grow, creating grounded connections to space, culture, and nature. Children learn in thoughtfully designed indoor spaces and physically challenging outdoor spaces. Spaces are safe, inclusive, and accessible.
Planning
We collaborate as a community to design for and facilitate teaching and learning that is relevant, accessible, and authentic. Planning is purposeful, intentional, and informed by documentation. We use documentation as a tool to reflect on learning and respond by adapting and refreshing our planning.
Role of the teacher
We are knowledgeable and skilled educators who are committed to continually learning about optimal educational practices. We draw on the strengths of our community, working collaboratively to provide a program that has pedagogical integrity. We embody the values of compassion, respect, responsibility, equity, and inclusion. We view listening as the means to understand and enact these principles.
Our Early Education teachers are knowledgeable and skilled educators who are always learning and drawing on the strengths of our community to continually improve our programme.
FACILITIES
The Early Education Department is purpose-built to engage and inspire our students. An art room, loft areas, integrated play spaces and multi-purpose areas provide diverse spaces for children to explore. The playground is a safe space for them to develop gross motor skills. And we regularly venture into the woods for outdoor learning opportunities.