Message from the Principal
‘What learning moments can you remember from school?’
I usually leave for work each morning around 6.30am to meet the school Vice Principals and Business Manager just after 7.00am for our check in meeting. The 6.30am leave time is usually just late enough to get a goodbye hug from my 6 and 9 year old children who are typically just beginning to stir around then. However, this morning something was different. At about 5.45am I could hear some giggles and shenanigans coming from my son’s bedroom. Of course we thought, it is ‘Book Week’ at ESF Clear Water Bay School where the students dress up in their favourite book character and my two scallywags were trying on their ‘Harry Potter’ costumes (Harry and Hermione) with much excitement. At 6am they came out in costume ready for breakfast and to endure the now 90 minute wait for the bus to come!
It got me thinking about the importance of fun, variety and experiential learning as a way to inspire students and ensure learning is engaging. Personally, I cannot remember doing that many exciting things in my school years in the 1970s and 80s. The things I can remember from Primary school were my first school camp in Year 6 and an amazing teacher I had in Year 5 who would set up mind-boggling science experiments on an afternoon each week. It is interesting what you can remember from the school experience and how it is often only the highlights and most meaningful. The everyday experience seems to blur and fade into the everyday of our past.
What impresses me about KGV is the range of activities and ‘experiential learning’ opportunities that are available to students. It is also a factor of our school that our students also rate highly. In our recent 2018 Stakeholder Survey the statement ‘My school gives me opportunities to do interesting things’ was one of the highest rated responses with close to 90% of students strongly agreeing or agreeing with the statement. We are really grateful to our staff who go above and beyond to provide these opportunities. Whether it be a Challenge Week activity, a charity fund raiser, a sport carnival, an arts activity or an academic competition, the opportunities for participation are impressive.
We are also undertaking a review of our extra curricular program to provide an even wider range and quality of experience. We wish to maintain the choice of activities but provide an even greater consistency and quality of experience for our students, especially in the programs that we can offer after school.
This hands on active learning is a type of ‘experiential learning’ that is a part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program that underpins the IB Middle Years and IB Diploma curriculum programs and the Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) component which is a compulsory part of the IB Diploma program.
Experiential Learning can be broadly defined as learning through reflection on doing, and related to other types of learning such as adventure learning, cooperative learning and active learning. In fact, the concept of learning through planned experiences and reflecting on the products of the learning is nothing new. In around 350 BC, Aristotle wrote “for the things we have to learn, before we can do them, we learn by doing them”.
Our staff play a key role in providing the experiences that our students rate so highly. We appreciate their work and are planning to support staff to facilitate the range of extra-curricular activities which include a range of student led activities.
I observed first-hand this morning the impact on my two children when we make learning fun, different and authentic. I think this is why our CAS and extra curricular opportunities are so valued and popular at our school. It also reflects and symbolises our school purpose to ‘Be your own remarkable…’ as we strive to create a ‘school for one’ where each and every person engages in remarkable learning to achieve at high levels and be the best they can be.
Kind regards
Mark Blackshaw
Principal
King George V
