St John XXIII Primary School
Thomastown East
Our Learning
St John XXIII Primary School Thomastown East
All essential learnings from the Victorian Curriculum are embedded into rigours and engaging learning experiences. We place a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy development across all levels of the school. Teachers plan for the whole class, small group and individual instruction. Each activity provides the basis for focused teaching and student learning is matched to their needs, enabling them to experience success and develop into lifelong learners. Best practice is adopted and implemented throughout the curriculum to ensure that our students understand what they are learning and to take ownership of their progress. Assessment is an important part of the teaching and learning cycle at St John XXIII.
We formally test each student in the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening and Mathematics throughout the year using a variety of assessments. The information gathered is analysed by staff and students and then used to plan for future learning. We formally report to parents twice a year, assessing students using the Victorian Curriculum.
Visible Learning
At St John XXIII we are a Visible Learning School. Visible Learning is the result of research undertaken by Professor John Hattie to understand what provides the optimum success in learning. As a result, students know the purpose of learning and the ways in which they will achieve success. John Hattie defines Visible Learners as students who can:
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Articulate what they are learning
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Explain the next steps in their learning
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Set learning goals
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Sees errors as opportunities for further learning
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Know what to do when they are stuck
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Seek feedback
This is achieved through the application of shared Learning Intentions, developed from the curriculum. Students understand what success looks like and are able to give and receive feedback based on their personalised goals in a variety of curriculum areas.
Students also need to know what they are learning, and what is needed in the task to make them successful. These are known as : Learning Intentions "We are learning to..." and Success Criteria "I can…"