Learning Power

With the introduction of the New Curriculum for Wales there has been a shift in not just what we teach but also how we teach. We expect the pupils to take a more active role in what and how they learn. In order for this to be successful we must develop the learning power of the pupils.

The curriculum demands that we develop

• ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives.
• enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work.
• ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world.
• healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.

In order to fulfil these 4 key purposes we must develop the pupils’ perseverance, collaboration, questioning, listening, imagining and reasoning.  To this end we promote and celebrate a learning power each half term. For example, resilience. We want our pupils to understand it is OK to get something wrong as it provides an opportunity for further growth, learning and development. We reward resilience with a pawprint – Be the Bear!

Collaboration plays a key role in the classroom, with the pupils involved in group discussions, developing their understanding of different roles within a group and supporting each other in their learning.  Similarly reasoning and problem solving are key to the modern classroom but have to be taught as skills. This area links back to perseverance, as we see the pupils try, sometimes fail, and continue to attempt different ways to find a solution to a problem.

Developing relationships plays a key role in our life at St Padarn’s and we recognise the thoughtful, caring and kind pupils with heart awards. We want to develop empathy in our pupils so they respond appropriately to the troubles or joy of others. To support this we have embarked on a journey with Empathylab (www.empathylab.uk) to promote the use of stories that support the development of empathy in our young people. We are looking forward to Empathy Day on June 10th, 2021.

The combination of all the learning powers support the development of the whole child.