OUR LEARNING, OUR CURRICULUM
At Dominion Road School - He Maunga Teitei, our approach to learning stems from our shared vision, mā pango, mā whero, ka oti te mahi - through collaboration we achieve, believing that together as a community (staff, whānau and students), we can make a positive impact on achievement through a strength-based collaborative approach to learning. Our goal is to ensure that the needs of individual students are at the centre of all teaching, learning and assessing. Our curriculum focuses on supporting our learners to develop the skills, knowledge and competencies to reach their potential and our students are encouraged to have a voice in this and take ownership of their learning.
We work in partnership with whānau to provide an engaging learning environment where children feel safe, happy and nurtured. We believe that all learners should be given many opportunities to succeed through the provision of a rich and diverse curriculum.
The curriculum is delivered in accordance with the National Education Guidelines and sits alongside the New Zealand Curriculum. Learning is integrated across the curriculum and Te Ao Māori is embedded throughout. At Dominion Road School teachers seek to ensure that all students understand the inherent connection between te reo and tikanga, they will achieve to the best of their ability in te reo Māori and develop familiarity and understanding of the language, culture, history and tikanga of Māori.
Staff at Dominion Road School collaboratively inquire and actively engage in professional development to provide a variety of learning/teaching styles and strategies that are in line with current pedagogical theory and practice which are engaging, challenging, and appropriate to the needs of the students. Lessons consist of a variety of whole-class, collaborative group, inquiry, peer and one-to-one explicit teaching moments. Learning is personalised, contextually relevant, culture is considered and the curriculum is responsive to the needs of the learner. Digital technologies are integrated throughout the different curriculum areas.
Learning programmes are evidence-based, where teaching is informed by ongoing and formative observations of students’ needs. We are committed to track and record student progress against the New Zealand Curriculum levels using a variety of both formative and summative assessments that are integrated into the learning programme and used by teachers to inform the next steps for their learners. Students are also a part of the assessment process as they reflect on their own learning and identify goals and next steps during conversations with their teachers.