The most important difference about Billabong High lies in the theoretical underpinnings of the way we help children learn as opposed to teaching them.
Research based curriculum
Our curriculum and implementation is based on a number of theories/research such as:
Brain Research
How this impacts curriculum
Multiple Intelligence
How is your child smart, not how smart is your child
Theme-based Learning
Linking learning to life
Bloom's Taxonomy
Maximum learning
Developmental Appropriateness
To understand how they are utilised to ensure that your child learns in a way that is as engaging as it is effective
Emphasis on higher order thinking
This helps our students to master the higher order thinking skills, equipping them to convert their knowledge into solutions for real life problems. Higher order thinking skills enable students to:
Move beyond just knowing and understanding to applying knowledge
Explore the reason behind things and its finer nuances
Evaluate from more than one perspective
Bloom's Taxonomy (maximum learning)
Create new and exciting things based on their discoveries and evaluation
The emphasis on utilising higher order questions not only decides what is taught; it also influences how it is taught as well as assessed. For instance, teachers do not constantly test students with factual, literal, knowledge-based questions that require students to merely draw on short-term memory. Instead, they are taught to understand, think, apply, analyse, evaluate and create through questions of a higher order.
Theme-based curriculum
In our integrated theme-based curriculum:
Each subject is supported by a body of content that has been adequately researched. The content is woven innovatively to be of relevance and interest to the children.
Subject related information is also imparted to the children through hands-on activities and interactive discussions.
No subject is taught in isolation. All subjects are integrated to make the curriculum more holistic. This is the thematic approach of teaching.
A typical program links subjects like English, Math, Social Science, Grammar, Creative Writing, Creative Activities, etc.
The journey with each theme ends in a Culminating Activity where students perform (run a mock shop etc.) to demonstrate their understanding of the concept. Parents participate in these activities too.
CULMINATING ACTIVITY
It is an activity-based display that demonstrates and expresses to parents that children are achieving learning goals and outcomes as well as developing required skills.
It may involve a culminating exhibition, performance or portfolio.
Students are encouraged to use all their intelligence's to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. They can ‘perform their understanding’ in a variety of creative ways.
