Throughout Term 3, curriculum has been a major focus across all three campuses at Concordia College.
Our recent International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme Evaluation occurred across our St John’s and Concordia campuses, and this has given us an important opportunity to critically reflect on what we do well and what we can continue to strengthen. The evaluation team found that both our Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP) show close alignment with the IB Standards and Practices, and particularly affirmed our holistic approach to education, our commitment to student wellbeing and inclusion, and the quality of learning experiences across the College.
A key focus of our recent Professional Learning Days was the coherence of our curriculum. This refers to how the curriculum at each year level connects as a whole, and how we deliberately build on the knowledge and understanding students have developed previously to prepare them for what comes next. A coherent curriculum is more than simply having a list of learning intentions for each year level and subject. It means building knowledge cumulatively and intentionally, so that students encounter important learning with the foundations they need to be successful. Strategically, this allows students to engage in increasingly rigorous and sophisticated learning as they move through the College, because each new stage of learning builds on what has come before. For us, curriculum coherence is therefore about asking some important questions: What do we want every student to know and be able to do? What foundations do they need before they can access more complex learning? And how do we ensure that learning builds meaningfully from one year level to the next? This work is about being deliberate and consistent about the essential learning we want for every student, maximising opportunities for every learner.
Alongside this curriculum work, key wellbeing staff came together across our Professional Learning Days for a strategic conversation about student wellbeing. We recognise that learning and wellbeing are deeply connected, and we asked ourselves some critical questions about our current approaches and how we might continue to develop student wellbeing. This reflects our broader commitment to considering learning, wellbeing and their role in developing the whole person together.
Professional Learning Days provide an important opportunity to step out of the day-to-day rhythm of school and create space for these conversations. While we recognise that these days can create additional challenges for families, the time they provide for our staff to learn together, reflect honestly on our practice and engage in strategic conversations about the future of Concordia is an important investment in our students. The work undertaken on these days is not simply professional learning for its own sake; it is about strengthening the experiences our students have in our classrooms and ensuring that we continue to grow as a learning community.
We are grateful to our staff for the thought and energy they bring to this work, and to our families for supporting the time and space needed to do it well.
Mathew Disher
Director of Learning & Wellbeing ELC–12