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At Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School’s purpose built Early Childhood Centre we have unveiled the spirit of knowledge by developing a curriculum that is child originated and teacher framed.
Our early childhood educators document, discuss and plan collaboratively to scaffold each child’s learning according to the child’s interests, skills and abilities. They work to give each child practice, understanding and eventually mastery of specific aspects of the learning task that the child has set.
Learning is project based which includes learning through activities, problem solving, experiential learning, risk taking, working in flexible groups, open ended learning tasks, open ended questioning, involving children in decision making, independent learning experiences, and using a wide range of resources and materials available in the community.
In embracing the Reggio Emilia philosophy Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School has not moved away from the expectations outlined in the Western Australia Curriculum Framework. In fact, we have done just the opposite. Many of the key features of Reggio Emilia inspired teaching are reflected within the Curriculum Framework.
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Our early childhood educators simply use the Reggio approach to learning to achieve the Student Outcome Statements outlined in the Framework. The combination of the two creates, in our view, the most effective educational experience for healthy, young minds.
A strong emphasis is placed on developing literacy and numeracy skills. Children will bring with them to the Early Childhood Centre both mathematical and language skills from home, which will be built upon through activities that challenge their thinking and provide opportunities for further development. Literacy and numeracy skills are not taught in isolation, but are embedded in everyday experiences.
Assessment of each child’s progress is recorded and provided to parents through yearbooks, portfolios and written reports. A child’s progress is demonstrated by real work samples which allow for child and peer reflection and evaluation. On-going interviews and discussions with parents and caregivers ensure the journey of growth is not only jointly developed but also transparent.
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