BACK

At Mt Kuring-gai Public School our focus has been to ensure the provision of a learning environment that promotes high quality student learning. In line with current research we acknowledge the need to develop students who are lifelong learners, who possess the skills they need to effectively participate in workplaces and communities of the future, who are literate, numerate, articulate, effective in applying the skills associated with learning and socially competent.

To achieve this we believe that there is a need to be intentional in the way in which we teach not only the basic skills of literacy and numeracy but the broader skills associated with effective learning and thinking.

Aims of the program

In 2003, the decision was made to implement a Learning to Learn Program. Broadly the program aims to:

• increase students' awareness of themselves as learners and to
• increase teachers' capacity to be creative designers of learning

by explicitly teaching students how to learn.

Specifically students will develop:

• information and research skills
• social competencies such as co-operation, team work, resilience, citizenship, flexibility, effective listening.
• a capacity to reflect on their learning and for self assessment.
• an understanding of different learning styles and multiple intelligences
• technology skills
• study skills including the use of graphic organisers
• personal attributes and habits of mind which will assist engagement in and positive attitude towards learning.

Where are we at?

At the beginning of the 2003 school year the staff explored two questions - what is powerful learning and what is powerful to learn. We engaged in the process of reviewing the conditions necessary for effective teaching and learning and the development of a teaching and learning model that would meet the needs of the students who are competent lifelong learners. In the implementation of this model the staff have worked on the following areas:

• Implementation of co-operative learning and the explicit teaching of the aligned skills
• Development of understandings around learning styles
• Development of understandings of Habits of Mind (learning behaviours), the identification of priority learning behaviours and the development of teaching and learning strategies
• Development of understandings about authentic assessment and the evaluation and development of a new assessment and reporting package based on authenticity, consistency, student goal setting and self reflection.

Where to now?

As a school community we are developing our understandings about how we learn and the different ways we learn. We acknowledge that the implementation will be a slow process with time needed to read, talk, learn, share, take risks, revisit and evaluate both what we are doing and the effectiveness of tools and strategies being utilised.

In future years we will focus on the following:

• On-going implementation and development of co-operative learning skills
• Implementation of a school based thinking model
• Assessing thinking skills
• Explicit teaching of cognitive organisers
• Explicit teaching of learning behaviours and their assessment
• Multiple intelligences
• Building the skills associated with resilience
• Learning styles.