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Rationale
The following beliefs are held at St Kilda Park:
q every child should find pleasure in learning
q home and school should nurture every child’s innate drive to learn
q children will not learn if we put skills and knowledge ahead of personal wellbeing and engagement with learning
q children learn by testing ideas and theories in emotionally warm, safe and stimulating environments
q learning is a continuous and life long process
q teachers and parents are partners in children’s education and learning
q learning at home and at school should reinforce one another
q learning can take place in a range of situations and with a range of people
q students, parents and teachers have a shared responsibility for learning
q students and parents can learn together and understand that learning is a part of life
q a holistic approach to children’s academic, emotional, social and physical development is valued
q home learning can incorporate individual interests and family values
q every child has his or her own learning story and their parents, usually, understand this best
This approach works best when:
| the School … |
the Parents’ … |
the Students’ … |
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provides guidelines and clear expectations to parents and students
shows parents what is being taught, learnt and expected at school
encourages parents to be involved
understands, acknowledges and respects diversity in family situations, abilities, learning styles and availability of resources
stays in touch with families and understands their strengths and differences
exchanges ideas, information and insights about individual children with their parents, using different tools and strategies that work for different families
provides feedback and acknowledges effort and commitment
helps students to develop long term strategies for future needs and learning
encourages students to work towards independence and to assume responsibility for their own learning
encourages students and their parents to share and enjoy learning experiences |
understand and support the concept of home learning
talk with, listen to and encourage children
suggest and facilitate a variety of learning opportunities in diverse areas – eg sport, music, art, etc
support and encourage students to develop an understanding of learning as part of life
work with students to make learning a part of daily life , eg real life learning
provide a safe, positive environment and consistent predictable routines
create an environment that values learning
create opportunities for a range of home learning experiences
exchange ideas, information and insights with the child’s teacher/s
monitor exposure to television and other electronic equipment |
know and understand the benefits of home learning
share responsibility for home learning and completion of activities
ask questions of parents and teachers to support their learning
accept feedback from parents and teachers and make changes needed to be more successful in the future
take advantage of opportunities provided to expand or extend learning
identify particular areas of interest that they may spend more time on | Recommendations/Guidelines Home directed activities
All students will be encouraged to research areas of interest and complete home learning activities on a regular basis.
All students and parents to maintain a record of learning activities undertaken at home or in the community.
Grade 5/6 to use diaries to record activities undertaken for home learning. Reading
All students to read regularly. The amount of time depends on the age of the child and their reading level. This could include reading and discussing books together with a parent or other adult.
Other activities
Grades 2 to 4 to complete one open-ended mini project related to the topic being covered per term. This could be presented as an oral presentation or simple poster.
Grades 5 and 6 to complete one open-ended research project per term related to the topic being studied. Presentation of research by negotiation with teacher. Not to be daily homework. Grade 5/6 teachers are mindful of secondary school programs and will teach skills to assist with transition. Appendix 1 Activities that could be used for home learning include:
| Type of Activity |
Examples |
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organised sporting/physical activities |
training for sports teams, events, gym classes, competing |
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family based physical activities |
bike riding, game of tennis, throwing a frisbee in the park, walk around the lake, throwing a ball with the dog |
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music, dance, drama |
lessons, practice, performing, ballet |
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cooking |
reading and following a recipe, helping prepare meals, measuring ingredients |
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visit the library |
borrowing books, reading, researching, browsing |
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shopping |
using money, working out prices, best value products, working out change, estimating total cost |
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gardening |
maintaining a veggie patch, growing seeds, potting plants |
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computers |
researching areas of interest, playing maths games, word games or educational games, learning to touch type |
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art |
painting, drawing, constructing, attending art classes, painting or making a family mural |
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socialising and communicating |
chatting with grandparents or older people about their lives, chatting about current affairs, writing letters of thanks |
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current events |
watching the news or reading the newspaper and discussing current events |
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playing games and completing puzzles |
playing a range of board games, completing jigsaw puzzles, crosswords, sudoku, etc | |
