TENETS OF OUR VISION
- We teach 1 mind at a time
- We teach for multiple intelligences
- We teach to children's specific learning styles
- We don't stream children
- We set high expectations for all our children
- We provide support for those children who fall behind
- We limit the size of the school and create small learning environments
- We ensure the content of our curriculum is relevant
- Our learning programme is hands on
- We instil in our children a sense of uniqueness and purpose
- We are interested in them as people
- We create opportunities for them to succeed
Using the above paradigms, strategies and tools we strive to honour the unique potential of every child.
INDIVIDUAL MINDS LEARNING DIFFERENTLY
> Personalising the Learning Journey
> Multiple Intelligence Model
> Learning Styles
> Special Education Needs
> Neurodevelopmental Profiles
> Brain-based Learning
PERSONALISING THE LEARNING JOURNEY
Personalising the learning journey means high quality teaching that is responsive to the different ways children achieve their best. It means shaping teaching around the way different children learn.
Personalised learning is a philosophy in education that seeks to address the issue of individual minds learning differently. It means tailoring education to individual children's needs, interest and aptitude so as to ensure that every pupil achieves and reaches the highest standards possible.
Research about how children learn has made groundbreaking discoveries. Children are unique and each child learns in a different way, most schools cling to a one-size-fits-all philosophy. Whereas most children manage to cope with the way in which their education is being served up to them, many fall off the map and present as not being able to learn effectively or easily.
Education at large needs to pay more attention to children's individual learning patterns and individual minds so that we can maximize our children's learning potential.
Forres is moving away from a one-size-fits-all school system and is personalising the learning journey by addressing the issue of individual minds learning differently.
By doing so, different learning pathways are created through the education system to address the individual needs of each child.
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE MODEL
These approaches to education have developed in the wake of Multiple Intelligence Theory, developed by Harvard Graduate Howard Gardener. He challenged the prevailing belief that there was something called 'intelligence' and that this could be objectively measured and reduced to a single number or Intelligence Quota (IQ) score.
Gardener felt that our culture defined intelligence too narrowly claiming the existence of seven basic intelligences.
He sought to broaden the scope of human potential beyond the confines of the IQ score, seriously challenging the validity of determining an individual's intelligence through the practise of doing an IQ test.
Once this broader and more pragmatic perspective was taken, the concept of intelligence began to lose its mystic and became a functional concept that could be seen working in people's (and pupil's) lives in a variety of ways.
Many adults can testify to underachieving or only achieving moderately at school only to find that they excelled in their chosen careers.
The explanation for this (according to Multiple Intelligence Theory) being that the education system as we know it only caters for a narrow intelligence potential and ignores the rest.
Luckily, once children leave school and are exposed to the diverse career opportunities that the world offers they are then able to come into their own.
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LEARNING STYLES
In the wake of Multiple Intelligence Theory different learning styles were identified. Everyone has an extraordinary capacity to learn in different ways. To understand what a learning style is, just think of how you prefer to learn new things. Do you soak up new information through pictures, sounds or in some physical way through your feelings or touch?
It is critical to share with every learner that the school environment favours one style over the others. This does not mean the learner is deficient in any way because their learning style might not match how schools are set up. These strategies empower them with a better way to understand the type of environment they are in and ultimately how to succeed at school.
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SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS
All children experience at some point in their education difficulties and challenges. The Special Education Needs Team provides support both within the school and by referring out to specialists and therapists. These professionals can provide intervention for varied periods of time that assist children to either overcome learning barriers or develop skills and strategies to cope with them successfully.
NEURODEVELOPMENTAL PROFILES
"Brains are wired differently and this means one can identify individual learning patterns. If one takes into account individual minds, one can teach to a child's strengths and bypass their weaknesses thereby creating opportunities for successful learning rather than potholes of failure.
"Planet earth is inhabited by all kinds of people who have all kinds of minds. The brain of each human is unique. Some minds are wired to create symphonies and sonnets, while others are fitted out to build bridges, highways and computers; design aeroplanes and road systems or seek cures for breast cancer and hypertension.
The growth of our society and the progress of the world are dependent on our commitment to fostering in our children and among ourselves, the coexistence and mutual respect of these many different kinds of minds.
Parents have a special responsibility and joy as they get to know well and to cultivate their children's individual minds. Tragic results are seen when we misconstrue and possibly even misuse a child's kind of mind! And that happens all the time"
Excerpt taken from A Mind at a Time by Dr Mel Levine
Managing children by profiles is based on the belief that brains are differently wired and learning patterns can be clearly identified. By identifying where the breakdowns occur within the various learning systems one can teach children how to bypass their weaknesses and encourage and build on their strengths thereby maximising their learning potential and producing satisfaction and achievement.
Each child is unique. Each child learns in a different way but most schools still cling to a one size fits all education approach. This suppresses our children's development.
Brain-based Learning
Over the last 17 yrs technology has been developed that has enabled neuroscientists and medical experts to view the brain in action, as it actually learns.
Understanding how the brain learns provides us with tools, skills and strategies to further enhance the teaching and learning of our pupils.