Primary school curriculum
Teachers at Babinda P-12 State School don't merely deliver curriculum, they develop it, define it and reinterpret it. At our school it is what teachers think, what teachers believe and what teachers do at the classroom level that ultimately shapes the kinds of learning that young people experience.
At Babinda P-12 State School our aim is to implement a curriculum that is:
Based on the latest 'best practice' research: Teachers at this school are expected to attend regular professional development, and undertake coaching to remain up to date with current research and methodologies.
Forward looking: Technology within the school is kept up to date and administration ensures that teachers meaningfully integrate technology within all subject areas.
Relevant: We seek to make all study linked to the outside world and ensure students see our topics as purposeful.
Dynamic: That the learning experiences the children receive are constantly being reviewed, refreshed and tailored to suit individual student needs. We believe exceptional teachers are in themselves lifelong learners constantly reflecting, improving both their practice and their content.
Focussed on outcomes: As educators we remain focussed on what the students need to know and be able to do with what they know.
Babinda P-12 State School's curriculum is based upon Queensland’s Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework, as well as the Australian Curriculum and will be enacted through Education Queensland’s Curriculum into the Classroom resources. These curriculum policies set standards and help parents understand what their children need to know and be able to do, and how well they can do it.
Primary school
Our primary school staff work as a co-operative team to ensure that the
experiences and events being implemented on a daily basis are exciting, challenging and rewarding for the students. When planning units of work, the teachers have embraced an approach to teaching and learning that results in the curriculum content being driven by experiences across the Key learning areas of English, mathematics, science, study of society and environment, technology and the arts. Such variation is managed through exciting five week long units that are unique each year.
The use of 'Bloom’s Taxonomy' and the 'Multiple Intelligences' are also incorporated into the classroom programs, which result in creative, stimulating, hands-on learning experiences for the students. Such an innovative approach to childhood education ensures that the teaching and learning experiences are implemented in meaningful, real life contexts for the children while catering for the needs, interests and abilities of every child on an individual level.
Strong foundations
Literacy and numeracy are the foundation stones of learning at Babinda P-12 State School. One of the strengths of our curriculum programs and a factor contributing to why our students achieve such high marks, is that in the primary school all students take part in daily, rigorous, fast paced practice of the fundamentals through high
quality foundation learning programs. The teachers implement these professional, research based and ability levelled programs with the support of teacher aides.
The purpose of these programs is to reinforce the core concepts and skills of literacy and numeracy in such a way that children build their knowledge to mastery and automaticity. By focussing on this we ensure that in the later years of schooling students find learning easier, progress faster and have more confidence than the vast majority of their peers.
Co-curricular programs
In addition to the core programs being implemented by each classroom teacher, the primary school students also have specialist lessons each week including, health and physical education, music and Japanese. Students also have access to the instrumental music program on campus and as selected undertake district, regional and state sporting opportunities. All lessons are taught by teachers who are specialists in each of these areas, thus students develop their skill base in these subject areas from a much younger age. Finally other visiting programs such as dance and drama compliment the school’s curriculum.