Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Middle Years educators understand the various developmental aspects of young adolescents. These include their behavioural, physical, social, cultural and spiritual stages.  Teachers cater for these learners specifically by designing the curriculum to be interdisciplinary, integrative, research-based and reflective of their interests and needs.

• Teachers are committed to supporting early adolescents. They make every effort to build relationships with their learners and to disciple them to grow in their faith while engaging in their current context. Our programme is designed to include provide:
• Regular physical activity
• Social learning contexts such as collaborative learning
• Relevant, engaging and purposeful contexts
• Opportunities for student feedback that is used to inform teaching and learning
• Intentional parent partnership

At KingsWay School, we are committed to knowing each student personally. We empower students to play a major role in their education through offering planned opportunities to express their individual needs and preferences. Students are encouraged to avoid being passive participants in the learning process which includes active learning, hands on materials and student agency. This results in genuine, differentiated learning while encouraging student collaboration where students can learn from each other. Teachers at KingsWay School educate for authentic learning through meaningful student-teacher relationships.

In the Middle Years of KingsWay School we recognise that covering content is not synonymous with learning, and that having valuable academic standards neither implies nor demands a prescribed curriculum. KingsWay Middle Years’ teachers are committed to providing a curriculum that sustains interests, actively engages and enhances the skills of our learners to enable them to assume ownership of their learning.

As a school we have a responsibility to provide learning experiences that are achievable and challenging to reflect the high expectations we have for our students. We recognise that our students have a range of learning abilities so we provide a curriculum that offers opportunities for all students to achieve success and gain mastery. We expect every student to engage with a curriculum that is challenging, exploratory, integrative, and relevant.

Our learning environment is responsive to students’ needs. Multiple learning approaches capitalise on the skills, abilities and prior knowledge of our students. We cater for various intelligences and learning styles along for their need for regular movement. This enhances student learning outcomes, engagement and ensures that all students achieve success. This is achieved using a range of approaches including:

• Interactive and collaborative approaches
• Independent learning
• Peer tuition
• Hands on learning
• Student choice and voice
• Group inquiry projects
• Various kinds of grouping

We believe that the purpose of assessment is to enhance learning.  Middle Years’ teachers make learning clear and visible so that students understand assessment criteria. Assessments are opportunities for teachers and students to gather evidence of next learning steps and for student goal setting.

A variety of assessment opportunities are woven into the teaching and learning process in an authentic and appropriate way both during a learning and at the end of a learning focus. Students are given the opportunity to show their learning in many ways and to share their learning with others. Assessments include checkpoints through the year, self and peer assessment and teacher feedback using criteria such as rubrics.