Every day we face the challenge of adapting in ways big or small to our rapidly changing world.
It may be the relatively simple challenge of learning to navigate a new smartphone, or it may be a major challenge, such as re-skilling to find work in emerging industries. In a world where even adults must be ever adapting, ever learning, what do we teach our children? In a world where the greatest certainty is change, why is learning important?
At Swan Christian College, we are committed to making sure that teaching and learning are building firm foundations for our students’ futures. We test our educational thinking and practice through a continuous loop of research, innovation and measurement. Our goal is that every student will be engaged deeply in his or her learning, and that each student’s educational journey at Swan Christian College will be a personal and empowering experience.
At Swan, we believe that focusing on learning to learn will help to nurture students to be confident and independent learners, creative thinkers curious about the world around them and responsible citizens able to make a positive contribution to any community in which they find themselves, at whatever stage in their lives.
We believe our focus on learning will support students in their spiritual, academic, social, physical and emotional growth, equipping them with the skills they need to be employable in a world that is vastly different to the one we knew when we were young.
- Students are resilient, capable and competent and are encouraged to move beyond their individual comfort zones to grow holistically, relish challenge and strive for personal excellence.
- Teachers have a genuine commitment to their students’ growth, which is evidenced in their pastoral care of young people, mastery of their professional craft, the breadth and depth of their repertoire of teaching and learning strategies, and their willingness to collaborate with colleagues and reflect on their practice.
- Learning is experiential, strongly connected to authentic local and global issues and contexts, and leads to self-empowerment and lifelong growth.
- Curriculum and teaching are student-centred so that students are empowered to take responsibility for their learning.
- Extra-curriculum involvement and pastoral care support curriculum and teaching to help develop students able to discern change, with the resilience to adapt to their local environment without losing sight of their moral and ethical grounding.
At Swan Christian College, we believe that learners who ‘learn to learn’ have an education that lasts a lifetime.
Why is the focus on learning how to learn so important? This is a question on the minds of, not just Swan staff, but educators around the globe. Combined with this fundamental question is the issue of student engagement, engagement with school, and engagement in learning. International studies have revealed that a large percentage of school children are disengaged from learning because they don’t see the meaning or relevance.
Mr Adrian Scott
Principal