LIBERATING CHILDHOOD
From their earliest years at Preshil, each child is welcomed into an environment consciously created to invite play and imagination as the foundations of rich, conceptual learning. Childhood is recognised as a time of immense sensitivity to messages about social inclusion, gender stereotyping, conformity and personal agency – elements that the school takes very seriously.
The PYP is instrumental in furthering Preshil’s long tradition of project-based, inquiry-led learning. As Preshil completes the process of authorisation for the IB Primary Years Programme, its teachers are delighted to find the PYP provides a rigorous framework for individualised learning and allows a seamless continuity from the Kindergarten all the way through to the IB Diploma Programme in Years 11 and 12.
There is a central emphasis at Preshil on strong and trusted relationships between teachers and students; these relationships are imperative in facilitating the collaborative learning that frames many of the traditions of the Primary School and in delivering a successful PYP.
Children are encouraged and supported to be at the helm of their learning journey and are free from teacher-imposed comparisons or standardised labels. Without the pressure of everyday competition or fear of making mistakes, exploration, creativity and the freedom to experiment, bloom. Learning goals and expectations are established through conferencing and ongoing, reflective practices focusing on maximising progress for every child.
As children grow within the PYP, transdisciplinary themes and lines of inquiry are co-created with the students; demonstration of understanding can be negotiated, and children are challenged to be creative and take risks with their learning.
Preshil enjoys a longstanding commitment to team-teaching. Having more than one educator in the classroom dramatically enhances the delivery of the PYP; it enriches student/teacher interactions, exposes children to different perspectives and affords them the opportunity to partake in and observe dynamic and inspiring conversation between adults.
This is an ideal way for children to experience first-hand one of the fundamentals of the International Baccalaureate Mission Statement:
‘These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.’
Embodying the PYP’s emphasis on holistic learning, children at Preshil have the opportunity to explore a broad range of subjects in addition to rich, inquiry-led delivery of the core Victorian curriculum. Through multi-age electives and specialist classes in French, Philosophy, Music, Art and Physical Education, Preshil students are inspired, challenged and nurtured to question, try and flourish.
Delight, awe and wonder are powerful motivations.
“Every child is a potential artist, but in so many, alas, the artist is allowed to die. The children in our schools should be writing, acting, producing their own plays, writing their own poetry, painting their own scenery, creating their own dances. Art, music, drama are not the frills of education but an integral part of it; the part, indeed, which helps the soul to blossom.” – Margaret JR Lyttle
Preshil is the oldest Progressive School in Australia. As we face a rapidly changing global landscape, it’s imperative that children […]