Written by Administrator | 10 May 2009

What Do We Believe About Teaching & Learning at College Street Normal School?

We believe that teaching and learning in the 21st Century requires a curriculum that challenges us to:

1. Have a ‘so what’ justification – so that everything we teach is meaningful to students
2. Provide learning activities that allow students to USE knowledge
3. Continually help students to make links and connections. To assist students to develop their understanding of the ‘joined up’ nature of knowledge (big picture understanding)
4. Ensure that all students are literate and numerate

What Do We As A Learning Community Really Value in Education?

1. Empowered, engaged learners
2. The development of dispositions that assist students to be successful
3. Involving students in powerful learning.

Teachers who inspire students and who are themselves inspired will make the difference between mediocre and exceptional achievement by students
Mason Durie

As well as teaching the knowledge component of the new New Zealand Curriculum Document Schools Are Charged With Ensuring

That Students Become:
Confident – positive in their own ability
Connected – able to relate well to others
Life Long Learners – literate & numerate; active seekers and users of knowledge
Actively Involved – participate in a range of life contexts

The new curriculum document directs schools to achieve these outcomes by teaching students the ‘Key Competencies’

Managing Self
Using Language Symbols & Texts
Relating to Others
Thinking
Participating & Contributing

At College Street Normal School (C.S.N.S.) we do this by teaching students the “Habits of the Mind”. The ‘Habits of Mind’ are the habitualised behaviours of highly successful people. The sixteen ‘Habits of Mind’ are infused by teachers into all the children’s learning. Essentially the (HOMs) are a very pupil & teacher friendly and powerful way of teaching the ‘Key Competencies’.

Our Beliefs For Example About Teaching the Habit of Mind ‘metacognition’ (thinking about your thinking)

1. If you want to improve what people do you have to first ‘improve what and how they think.
2. Get the thinking right and you get the actions right
3. Quality thinking precedes quality action
4. We need to teach students how to produce (develop) knowledge. We want independent and interdependent thinkers
5. Thinking is like any other skill, it can be taught and it can be learnt

At C.S.N.S. the Habits of Mind provide us with a common language to glue together everything we do.

They provide

Focus
Direction
Cohesiveness
Consistency
in everything we do as a learning community they make our work complimentary irrespective of year group or syndicate.

When students, are Successful

teachers and parents need to constantly reflect on Why?

What is it that really gives them the edge?

What is it that distinguishes them from the others?

C.S.N.S. wishes to acknowledge the ideas of Professor Art Costa and Barry Musson (Lindisfarne School)