Student Care
Academic Care
Add to FavouritesOur aim in the Middle Years is to develop learners who are curious, self-directed, collaborative, resilient and critical thinkers, in a 21st Century learning environment. Students in the early years of adolescence have different educational, social, and emotional needs to those younger or older than themselves. Students in the Middle Years require their own distinctive phase of teaching and learning.
At Ravenswood, effective teaching practices for Middle Years students are well defined and are vital to improving student learning outcomes and promoting sustained engagement in learning. With an overall aim to ensure students develop the necessary disciplinary knowledge to construct meaning and develop skills, a relentless focus on ways to maximise learning opportunities ensures that students are equipped and inspired to explore and solve complex problems.
In the Middle Years, students are encouraged to take greater responsibility for their own learning and to be involved in decisions that affect their learning. Strong teacher/student relationships help to meet the needs of each student and produce thriving learning environments.
Year Coordinators, supported by the Assistant Year Coordinators, oversee each Year Group and track, monitor and support students. They confer regularly with the Director Student Wellbeing, Director Student Analytics, Coordinator Academic Studies, Coordinator Teaching Quality, teachers and parents about student learning. Regular dialogue and feedback between staff and students is also actively encouraged, to promote independent and proactive learning. Year Coordinators also provide academic care through the incorporation of academic study skills in specialised Middle Years Programs.
Students are also supported by Mentors, who have the responsibility of a small number of students and meet with them on a cycle of nine out of ten days, to monitor their academic progress and wellbeing.
All students are entitled to a rigorous and successful learning experience. For students with an identified area of need, for example students who are not engaged in the learning process and who tend not to take ownership for their learning, an Academic Care protocol is put in place, which aims to ensure an increased amount of academic care. Ravenswood’s Learning Enrichment teachers also provide individualised programs for students requiring support or extension.