COLLABORATIVE OPPORTUNITIES

Project- based learning –
This is an exciting way of teaching and learning.

At Kainon children get to design and/or create a tangible product, performance or event. They focus on solving a real-world problem (may be simulated or fully authentic) They Investigate a topic or issue to develop an answer to an open-ended question. EG.What kind of litter/ pollution is most seen in our surrounding community environment? Plastic? Paper or Glass?

EG:
For example, a problem-based learning project at Kainon could involve students pitching ideas and creating their own business plans to solve a societal need. Students work independently or in a group to conceptualize, design, and launch their innovative product in front of classmates or teachers, parents and community leaders.

Group Work:

This can be linked to Project based learning. Group work at Kainon involves and requires peer to peer discussions and delegation of tasks. It helps children develop responsibility and accountability for delivery to the group as a whole. The benefits are peer to peer teaching and learning from each other.

Group work is simply defined as more than one person working together to complete a task or assignment. In the classroom, group work can take many forms; however, the goal remains the same—to get students to interact with each other and collaborate to complete a unified task. By doing so, we are getting students to work with people they may never have chosen to work with. This concept teaches diversity, communication, and compromise. At Kainon we involve Think, Pair, Share ( TPS) First, have students think independently about the definition and examples you have provided and ask them to come up with their own examples. After a short time, we pair students together and have them talk about what they came up with. Lastly, we have the groups share out loud so the entire class can hear. The students not only have to work independently, but they also have to collaborate and communicate their ideas to others.

Increased Independence:

Encouraging independence in education is vital. At Kainon children first need to feel safe in their learning environment. They are encouraged every step of the way by their teacher. Children then begin to feel they can do more on their own and at a faster pace. Nurturing and encouragement with an individualised focus on the child by the teacher through guidance in the initial stages allows them to feel confident to become more independent day by day at Kainon.

At Kainon we create an open environment where children are encouraged to talk and share their views. We reward initiative and allow children to teach back to the class. We involve them with drama and they are allowed to pretend to be the part. We encourage discussions and debates and ask open ended questions. EG What is democracy?

Active Learning:

At Kainon we focus on active learning. We encourage activities such as singing and chanting tables and bonds, dancing to a rap to remember important concepts and key rules. EG. “ The smaller the denominator the greater the fraction!” At Kainon we love Active learning which is an approach to instruction that involves actively engaging students with the course material through discussions, problem solving, case studies, role plays and other methods. We do not encourage chalk and talk or sedentary learning with worksheet upon worksheet to be completed!

Problem Solving:

Some common problem-solving strategies we use at Kainon are: compute; simplify; use an equation; make a model, diagram, table, or chart; or work backwards. Choose the best strategy.We help learners to choose the best strategy by reminding them again what they are required to find or calculate.

At Kainon we educate our children about problem solving skills from an early age in school facilitated through classroom problem solving activities. Such endeavors encourage cognitive as well as social development, and can equip the learners with the tools they’ll need to address and solve problems throughout the rest of their lives. Here are five classroom problem solving activities your students are sure to benefit from as well as enjoy doing:

An example of a game of problem solving we would play at Kainon is, we would have each student in the class draw an item from a bag one by one, read it aloud, then tell the class their answer on the spot as to how they would handle the situation

EG:The cashier gave me an extra R1.50 in change after I bought candy at the store. What should I do?”

Integrated Learning:

We use integrated learning at Kainon.There are three important characteristics of integrated lessons. First, they must cross over into a different subject area. A language arts lesson can incorporate history topics, or a math one can incorporate science topics. EG. Learning about Space in Science can also be learnt about in Afrikaans with a focus on the vocabulary. EG: At Kainon we integrate our Environmental Green Flag focus across Maths, Geaography, History and Science.

Team Work:

At Kainon we advocate that the BEST gift that a child can receive at school is TEAM work – TEAM work between their parents, teachers and them as the learner. Parents that support the school and their child in helping them prepare and organize for the school day and assessments etc, makes the child feel secure coming to school.Clear communication from teachers to parents helps parents feel supported and the teacher’s full support for the child in the classroom is motivating and vital! This TEAM work involving parents, teachers and the learner is first class!

At Kainon, our teachers work as a tea to help and support each other. Our children are encouraged to work as a team in group work and in sport activities etc. Our parents work as a team to support our PA and fundraising activities.

RESPONSIVE EDUCATION:

At Kainon, we are intentionally focusing on noticing the educational gaps that a child may have in a particular learning area EG Reading, phonics , mathematics etc. and are making it our aim to fill those gaps by collaborating with parents, teachers and other professionals such as OT therapists and Speech and Language therapists, psychologists etc. At Kainon we have Individualised Education Programmes for children that need to be caught up as a result of the gaps that the pandemic has caused as well as the gaps caused more recently due to the unrest in July .

Our Learner Support specialist, Jayde Stubbs, and our Acclerated Learning programmes are our direct responses to ensuring we are meeting every child exactly where they are. No child goes unnoticed or falls through the cracks.

Work from current point of understanding:

In response to the turmoil that some children have experienced over the past 18 months, we at Kainon focus on honing in to find out exactly where the child is at educationally in each subject. We find out what they know and which concepts are needing to be carefully consolidated before moving forward so that the foundation for building concepts is strong. Once we have established where the child’ current point of understanding is, we can springboard from there to help them thrive!

Differentiation:

At Kainon we work on the understanding that “one size does not fit all!” This can be seen in our small group work focises in the classroom where the teacher works knowingly and intentionally with weaker students consolidating concepts and allows for the extention of students working at a faster pace. They may be doing a completely different task or the same task which requires different skills dependeing on where the children are conceptionally.

Differentiated teaching occurs at Kainon when a teacher plans a lesson that adjusts either the content being discussed, the process used to learn or the product expected from students to ensure that learners at different starting points can receive the instruction they need to grow and succeed.

At Kainon our teachers provide good differentiated teaching programmes which means a high quality, evidence-based instruction that meets students’ needs within their zone of proximal learning development and has clear SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based) goals.

Reduced Homework Policy:

At Kainon we have a reduced homework policy which intentionally focuses on relevant information being prepared for and every day reading. We focus on active learning and teaching in the classroom to learn and remember, understand and problem solve, so that the work that is done at homein the Primary Phase is merely preparation for the assessments that a child needs to prepare for. We do not send home reams and reams of busy worksheets for children to do in the afternoon. We do require them to prepare for their upcoming assesments and read and play! Some days they might only have reading and play as they have completed their assessments. Parents are not there to supervise reams and reams of worksheet based homework! Parents are expected to help their children prepare for upcoming assessments and enjoy reading and family time. Balance is important for children. They need playtime, downtime. Spiritual tme, family time and not an afternoon of active working time!

Balanced Approach to Learning:

At Kainon, one of our values is Broad Experience. We want our children to experience everything they can. They are all involved in sport, in teams, in plays on the stage, in daily Christian spiritual focus, in speech and drama, in computers. We celebrate a balanced approach to learning in and out of the classroom. A variety of learning styles requires a variety of activities and approaches to learning! At Kainon we have an outsanding programme of a variety of activities within the academic realm and the extra mural and sport arena. We celebrate balance and variety!