Teachers Teaching Teachers
One of the powerful instruction tools teachers use in their classrooms is peer learning. Research shows that students learn very effectively from other students. Likewise, teachers learn very effectively from other teachers. For this reason, our professional development meeting this week was a peer learning opportunity.
Collaboration is one of the real-world skills valued by the school and community at large. It is one of Santa Maria College’s Connecting Learning to Life attributes. But how do we teach collaboration in the classroom? And how can we improve our practice in this area?
On Monday afternoon our teachers were divided into mixed-faculty area groups. Each group had five presenters who showcased an activity, program or assessment where collaboration was used effectively. They also showcased examples of creativity and critical thinking in the classroom.
There were some very impressive presentations. Physical Education presented their SEPEP (Sport Education in Physical Education Program) which prepares students for the management skills needed in community sport and life generally.
Art shared their Term 1 Year 8 program called A Head Above, where students are designing incredible-looking masks to be featured in a performance piece created collaboratively. This program showcases the staff’s wonderful creativity but also skills they attained over the COVID experience.
These were just two of the enormous range of presentations that got teachers talking and thinking about their own practice.
Santa Maria has beautiful facilities, however; our biggest asset is our staff. Teachers again demonstrated how fortunate our students are to have such innovative and committed teachers.
Combating The Attention Span Crisis In Our Students – Jennifer Oaten
It is no secret that attention spans have been steadily declining, especially among younger generations growing up immersed in digital technology. The average person’s attention span when using a digital device has plummeted from around two and a half minutes back in 2004 to just 47 seconds on average today – a dramatic 66% decrease over the past two decades.
Weekly Wrap Up: Term 2, Week 2, 2024
Week 2 has come to an end! This Weekly Wrap Up features highlights from Scuba Diving Club, the Sisterhood Series, and Boarding ANZAC Service.
Santa Maria Teams Shine in Term 1 Sports
Santa Maria had a huge number of girls in the IGSSA AFL and Volleyball competition with strong results for a number of teams.
- connectinglearning2life #Collaboration, Featured
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.