Learning

Our Student’s First Teachers are You!

At Newtown School we recognise parents and caregivers (you) as the first teachers in a child’s life. We aim to include you in school activities as much as possible and we operate an ‘open door’ policy, welcoming the opportunity to talk to you about your child’s time at school.

Our Learning Journey

We believe that everyone at school, including the staff, should be encouraged to be active learners. We are all on a journey of discovery and the sum of our students total learning should not be confined to the knowledge of their teacher.

Thankfully, with the help of technology there are no limits to what students may be able to discover in the classroom. Our teachers are constantly learning alongside them and providing them with guidance and the tools they need to succeed in the modern world.

Innovative Learning Environments (ILE)

At Newtown School we aim to engage students and enhance learning by providing Innovative Learning Environments.

What is an Innovative Learning Environment?

An innovative learning environment encompasses the complete physical, social and pedagogical context in which learning is intended to occur. An ILE is one that is capable of evolving and adapting as educational practices evolve and change – thus remaining future focused.

At Newtown this means that we don’t have traditional classrooms, but students belong to Whanau Groups. Whanau Groups are a mix of 2-3 year groups with up to 4 teachers. While each student is allocated to one “Home Teacher” all teachers are responsible for different aspects of each students learning and these rotate from time to time.

Teachers in Whanau Groups develop class plans and schedules together and generally work together to support each other to enhance each student’s learning.

In the past the term Modern Learning Environments (MLE) has been used. Innovative Learning Environments (ILE) has greater international recognition and the Ministry of Education is migrating to the use of this term.