Building a ‘Learning Community’ in the Junior School

>Teaching and Learning

Initiatives in 2021

In 2021, we continue to develop a wellrounded learning experience for our students, equipping them with the skills that they need to navigate, connect and thrive in a transforming world. 2020 truly tested this philosophy for both students and staff, and we are now in a fantastic position to build on the skills we developed last year.

The successes of a Kilvington education can be broken down into two key areas: • teachers know their students • teachers are passionate about learning.

Teachers Know Their Students

As educators, we know the importance of teacher-student relationships, and in knowing each student to develop a positive climate for learning. To facilitate the sharing of key information around students, we have developed student profiles for each student, from Prep to Year 12.

These student profiles enable teachers to build a deeper understanding of each of the students they teach, focusing on any learning needs or enrichment opportunities, as well as student interests, leadership awards and external assessment data. These profiles enable teachers to differentiate their teaching by providing appropriate challenges for all students in a class.

Data on student learning continues to provide evidence for learning progress. This year, we have continued to develop our successful VCE tracking system, which monitors how students are travelling throughout their VCE journey. This allows us to celebrate students’ successes, while also responding early to students who may need some more support.

Teachers Are Passionate About Learning

We are blessed with a fabulous teaching staff at Kilvington. Throughout the School, students are taught by teachers who are passionate about their subject or learning area and are committed to continuous learning and improving their practice. Our professional learning model at Kilvington centres around the premise that effective teacher development relies on teachers collaborating to share their knowledge and expertise. This can be summarised with the quote ‘when teachers work together to improve their practice, students learn more’.

When teachers work together to improve their practice, students learn more.

Collective Impact Mentoring Program for Teachers

One of the internal professional development programs that both Junior and Senior School staff will be participating in throughout Terms 2-4 is the Collective Impact Mentoring program. This program focuses on teachers working together to improve their practice in a specific area.

Teaching staff will plan, act, observe and reflect on how they can improve their teaching practice in one of the five following areas: 1. collaborative learning, 2. feedback, 3. worked examples, 4. explicit teaching and 5. metacognitive strategies. The benefits of using such a model are that it is cyclical; it is based heavily on critical reflection and creates a culture of shared learning among staff.

Teachers will select their area of focus by using a combination of data from student surveys (conducted at the end of Term 1) and the teacher’s nominated area for personal development. Within their faculties, they will undertake professional learning. Teachers will begin the process of implementing new strategies and teaching practices into their classes.

Peer observations will then be undertaken by other teachers in their faculty. Teachers will meet in small groups to provide feedback on the lessons observed and review how the strategies can be further developed.

At the end of Term 3, student surveys will be completed again. This data will be analysed, and teachers will have the opportunity to reflect on how the strategies they have implemented have affected student learning with their Academic Dean.

We are excited for teaching and learning initiatives to unfold this year, and are committed to continually reviewing best practice to ensure the best possible learning for our students.

It was fantastic to see the excitement from both the performers and audience members to perform live again! >Performing Arts

Cabaret and Instrumental Performers Night

NICOLE BULL, acadEMic dEaN of PErforMiNg arTS

On 26 March and 31 March, the Performing arts department staged two very different performance opportunities for our students. COVID-density rules were still in place in all performance venues, so we had to make adjustments to our regular cabaret performance night so that we could have a sizable audience, and so that all our senior performance groups would have the opportunity to perform. The best way to do this was to feature two concerts instead of one in Dalton Hall. It was a massive undertaking to stage two concerts in a matter of days, but we were all determined that after a covidravaged 2020, we would be creative and do whatever we could to perform again. Both nights were sold out in a matter of days! it was fantastic to see the excitement from both the performers and audience members to perform live again! It was also exciting for the staff to work with the students again and see the enjoyment on their faces. The Cabaret was a relaxed night with table seating and BYO food, with a wonderful array of talented students performing jazz solos as well as our smaller ensemble groups and choirs. Students dressed in black with a touch of gold and lit the stage red. For the first time, our newly formed dance group performed to our supportive audience, and our Performing arts captains compered the evening which they had helped to organise.

Jazz, blues and swing music were on show this evening. Tunes ranged from Chattanooga Choo Choo to My Way by Frank Sinatra. The music staff also put together a performance for the evening, while our new auditioned choir, kantabile, sang about their love of coffee and tea in the Java Jive. the instrumental Performer’s night followed a different format with seats in spaced rows, but it was just as entertaining and demonstrated the talents of our students. our vce and advanced students performed intricate solos, and our larger groups such as orchestra and concert band shone on this special evening. again, performances were many and varied and featured jazz, classical, movie themes and contemporary music. Our largest ensemble group, the kilvington orchestra, concluded the evening with a great rendition of louis armstrong favourites. It is so exciting to see how much the program has grown in only a few short years and experience. congratulations to all students and staff involved in both nights. Special thanks to our Performing Arts Captains: Music captain cindy Yi; choral captains charlotte glassel and Matt o’leary; dance captains kaitlyn connolly and Sara dore; and Production captain natasha redlich, for assisting with the organisation of the Cabaret and compering duties.