Academic Support
At JPC we have robust student support mechanisms in place to ensure that every student has the very best care and support to ensure their success at school.
We strive to ensure that students, no matter their learning style, or background are provided with the very best support to achieve at their potential. As such we have the below programs in place.
Diverse Learning
At John Paul College, all staff are responsible for maximising the learning outcomes and wellbeing of our students. Our classes have students with a wide range of abilities, interests and strengths. In aiming to cater for the individual differences of all students, in line with the developmental philosophy of the school, our teaching is differentiated.
While classroom teachers cater for all learning needs within the classroom, members of the Diverse Learning Team in Secondary School provide support to both teachers and students, with specialist input designed to enhance and strengthen the differentiated curriculum offerings for all students. At all times we strive to ensure that all students have access to a quality education experience that is free from discrimination.
Gifted and Talented Students: Developing Academic Talent
JPC celebrates the diverse learning needs of all students in our Secondary School and recognises the necessary adjustments that are required to provide rigorous, relevant and engaging learning opportunities for gifted and talented students.
At JPC, we have drawn upon Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (2008) as it provides research-based definitions of giftedness and talent that are directly connected to teaching and learning. According to this model, gifted students are those whose potential is distinctly above average in one or more of the following domains of human ability - intellectual, creative, social, perceptual and physical – while talented students are those whose skills are distinctly above average in one or more areas of human performance.
To meet the needs of these students we apply a variety of linked strategies across the Secondary School, as outlined below:
Gifted and talented students experience the greatest sense of wellbeing and engagement when they are provided with supportive and challenging learning environments and opportunities that are responsive to their individual strengths and interests. Our classroom teachers purposefully plan for a differentiated curriculum for our gifted and talented students into consideration adjustments to:
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Content – what the students learn; more complex, abstract, varied or organised differently
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Process – how the students learn; the level of thinking required, the pace of instruction, type of approach used
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Product – how students demonstrate their learning; through authentic and real-world problems and transformation of learning rather than summarising the content
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Learning Environment – the environment in which students learn; open and supportive of diverse learning needs
Research has also consistently confirmed the importance of gifted and talented students engaging with students of the same or higher ability, and the benefits this offers their development. Our by-invitation Academic Extension Classes in English, Mathematics and Science provides this opportunity by:
- grouping our highest achieving students together in these classes, so they can support and challenge one another
- presenting learning in these classes that is more complex and challenging while still drawing from the appropriate year-level curriculum
- providing exposure to more challenging ideas and content than is otherwise possible in the classroom
In subject areas and year levels where these classes are not available, we endeavour to cluster group gifted students in classes and encourage them to access and interact with their cognitive peers.
Supporting the efforts of teachers in meeting the learning needs of gifted and talented students is the Secondary School Diverse Learning Team. The team includes teachers with training, expertise and experience in various special needs areas, including the gifted and talented, differentiation and best-practice pedagogy.
We also acknowledge that the needs of gifted learners can vary significantly from individual to individual and in cases where the need can be clearly established, we also facilitate individualised and accelerative options for students. Decisions about this are made on a case-by-case basis and involve several stakeholders including the student, parents, Secondary Deans, Diverse Learning Team and Head of School.
Opportunities for extension and enrichment in academic areas are also plentiful in the College’s co-curricular program and external activities, including:
- Opti-MINDS
- Coding
- Debating
- Public Speaking
- Brainways Days of Excellence
- UQ Kids College
- Robotics
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Supporting students
Our Diverse Learning Team work with students on an individual, case by case basis to support learning in the Secondary School. Regardless of the student’s learning style, our team support learners by:
- Identifying student learning needs through the collection of key information about a student’s background, strengths, challenges, interests and goals. This is achieved through a variety of assessments, consultations, observations, and expert advice.
- Planning and implementing targeted adjustments, interventions and supports tailored to the individual learning needs of the student that are consistent with research-based best practice.
- Evaluating the impact of provided adjustments, interventions and supports on a regular basis to ensure they remain effective, relevant, necessary and appropriate, making alterations as necessary and, strengths, challenges, interests and goals. This is achieved through a variety of assessments, consultations, observations, and expert advice.
Further to this, Diverse Learning teachers work collaboratively with class teachers to support their practice and professional development by building understandings about:
- factors that affect a student’s learning
- how to effectively respond to a student’s needs
- how to differentiate and match teaching approaches to student’s needs
- how to utilise technology to remove barriers to learning.
Interested in Secondary School at JPC?
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