Education is a responsibility of the community. Teachers in an educating community work in partnership with families. And the starting point is always with the child.
In our site we are in the midst of a learning journey that involves educators working collaboratively to understand each child’s developmental needs, to make visible children’s learning processes and intentionally relaunch learning to stretch every child within their respective zones of proximal development.
We capture and share our learning within our local and broader communities through various documentation. We invite our colleagues and members of our community to share our journey through this blog (our floor book) as we continue our educational project and strengthen our work.
There are a number of threads that draw our thinking and practice together. These include: the image of the child as a powerful learner, playful and inquiry pedagogies, wellbeing and nurture for learning, partnerships and participation, educators as researchers and learners, inspired learning environments and documentation as a tool for purposeful and intentional learning design.
Beginning with our image of the child we dedicated substantial time to unpacking and challenging our beliefs about teaching and learning culminating in the following:
Our Beliefs
Melaleuca Park Primary School’s vision that everyone will achieve their potential as learners is supported by the beliefs that children are: competent, powerful and rich in potential. This belief is reflected in our values of Hope and Respect.
Our commitment as an educating community is to involve children, parents/caregivers and teachers as active participants in learning, growth and development.
Learning begins from birth. Learning happens in relationship with each other. It is through respectful relationships that we welcome children in to a safe learning community and develop learning environments that care for and support every child’s wellbeing. We respect each child’s own identity, uniqueness, difference and rhythms of growth and development.
The general capabilities (Literacy, Numeracy, ICT Capability, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability, Ethical Understanding, Intercultural Understanding) equip children with the skills to become successful leaners, confident and creative individuals and active and informed citizens.
At Melaleuca Park Primary School we invite children to:
- grow academically, socially and emotionally.
- be courageous.
- collaborate.
- be inquirers, researchers and problem solvers.
- have fun, wonder and be amazed.
Everyone in the Melaleuca Park Community has rights and responsibilities. We are all learners, listeners and educators in partnership with our community.
As an educating community we became risk takers, some jumped in feet first whilst others experimented around the edges. We embraced the uncomfortable uneasiness that came with stretching our thinking and regardless of our own comfort we embarked upon the journey together; because education needs the right conditions and we are responsible for creating those conditions, for all our children.
Our professional practice is influenced and inspired by current educational theories, thinkers, consultants and practitioners. It is supported by educators within our local partnership and wider system, however, everything we do is connected and reimagined for our unique context. Our research is based on our observations and reflections of our children’s learning; this process of self reflection and collegiate feedback supports educators to be intentional and purposeful in their practice.
These are all our children; their potential as powerful learners is at the heart of our educational project.
Provocations for teaching & learning 