Preparatory School Handbook 2019 | Page 17

Communication and Preparation Curriculum In the Preparatory School we are guided by, but not limited to, the Western Australian curriculum in English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Technologies, Health and Physical Education, Language (Chinese) as well as The Arts (both Music and Visual Art). We also place value on the general capabilities and cross curricula priorities listed for these take the curriculum beyond simply knowing content to deeper levels of understanding. For us, the curriculum is a plan for teaching and learning that serves as a basis for the co-construction of knowledge and the development of critical and creative thinking skills, ethical and intercultural understanding and personal and social capability. We want our students to comprehend, apply, analyse, synthesize, hypothesise, make and evaluate and we assist them to access knowledge that is relevant and meaningful in order to do so. We strive to ensure that our students know how to learn and we use inquiry to develop their independent learning skills where students ask questions, problem solve and work collaboratively. We care about our students’ engagement with their learning and know that a rigorous environment where students are inspired and challenged at their own level will ensure personal growth. We aim for students to take action to positively impact their learning and set them on a course as lifelong learners. In order to do this, we make use of our purpose built Preparatory School and the magnificent environment in which it is set. Our teachers’ responsibility is to teach students the skills they need explicitly in all curriculum areas, explaining, clarifying and modelling these. They also plan engaging experiences that provoke student interest and challenge them as inquirers and thinkers. Teachers use pretesting to assess where students are in their learning so that they can prepare appropriate experiences that neither ignore what they know and can do or set them up for failure. They take into account rapid societal change and its implications for our students both now and in the future as well evidence based research that informs their practice. All curriculum is planned and assessed in teaching teams. There are times when students’ passions drive the curriculum or when timetables are collapsed to allow for in-depth action 17 learning projects to take place. One such learning experience is the ‘Dookoorniny’ Project where Year 5 and 6 students are immersed in learning alongside Aboriginal storytellers and dancers, artists and members of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra as well as our staff. The culminating event is a performance, acted and directed by the student to showcase their responses to their learning. The curriculum at Guildford Grammar Preparatory School is rigorous, engaging and challenging; it is appropriate, flexible and responsive.