LEARNING TO LEARN
The Middle School years are characterised by a significant growth in independence . Taking account of this transition is vital as students develop learning attributes they will need for the IB Diploma and their lives beyond school .
There are specific ways in which we nurture students ’ capacity for independent learning . The Core courses teach students how to think critically about themselves and the world around them , and interrogate ways in which knowledge can be questioned as well as acquired . The Sevenoaks School Diploma places emphasis on learning that takes place outside as well as inside the classroom , and invites students to recognise the importance of personal and interpersonal qualities that make a significant difference to the way they approach school life and how they collaborate with others .
In addition , embarking on IGCSE courses requires development of skills in revision and review , research and note-making , as well as personal organisation , time management and keeping fit and healthy .
Our Middle School study skills programme attends to these elements and more . Delivered through a mixture of assemblies , tutor group periods , classroom teaching and one-off training sessions , students increasingly acquire reflective habits , greater awareness of how they learn and what they need to do to learn better . Developing capacity for self-regulation therefore becomes a defining characteristic of teaching and learning through these years .
The Middle School study skills programme contributes to the development of students who move from Year 11 to 12 and from Year 13 into the wider world more fully resourced and as more fully rounded human beings .
Mark Beverley Director of the Institute of Teaching and Learning
4 THE MIDDLE SCHOOL | AT SEVENOAKS