Learning Development & Enrichment
At Matthew Flinders Anglican College, the Learning Development and Enrichment (LDE) program plays a significant role in supporting students' academic growth. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive range of resources and support structures that cater to students' unique learning needs, whether they require remedial assistance or academic challenge.
Our primary objective is to equip each student with a diverse set of effective learning skills and strategies that will enable them to become successful and independent learners. By promoting a growth mindset and fostering a culture of continuous learning, we strive to help students unlock their full potential and achieve their goals.
Our team of experienced educators and specialists work closely with students, teachers, and parents to identify areas for improvement and develop tailored learning plans. We believe that every student has the capacity to excel, and we are committed to helping them achieve academic success and personal fulfillment.
Our curriculum is designed to provide a continuum of support, catering to students' needs, abilities, and age-appropriateness. We strive to strike a balance between classroom curricula and the development of key skills in literacy, numeracy, and other core subjects, as well as additional curricular areas that align with each student's strengths, needs, and circumstances.
Overall, our focus is on delivering a comprehensive and holistic learning experience that empowers each student to reach their full potential. Whether a student needs academic extension or additional support, we are committed to providing a comprehensive learning experience that meets their unique needs and helps them achieve their full potential.
Program Offerings
Support
Matthew Flinders Anglican College uses a three-tiered approach to identify and support students with learning needs. This approach is based on a research-based and validated Response to Intervention (RTI) model.
Our RTI programs are designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to confidently engage in curriculum, activities and learning alongside their peers. LDE prioritise efficient differentiation of teaching to ensure that every student receives the support they need to reach their full potential.
Responses to Intervention include:
- Elevate groups (Tier 1) provides targeted and intensive support for students with the highest needs. Elevate is specifically designed for students with diagnosed learning disabilities who require individual support plans. To accommodate this offering, students drop one elective course for a semester in Years 7 and 8 to participate in a skills-based curriculum tailored to their needs. This allows these students to develop proficiency in specific skill areas and assists them in core classes.
- Core Intensive Programs (Tier 2) are short-term intervention programs offering a differentiated response to teaching and learning with targeted and systematic support provided to a small group of students with wide-ranging abilities who require a boost in English or Mathematics. The teaching focus and assessment tasks for the groups are the same as for the core classes; however, the learning is more scaffolded, and the nature of the small group instruction means that each student's particular needs can be individually addressed. This environment also nurtures and empowers students who feel less confident about learning.
- Small Group Support Programs (Tier 3) are created so that subject experts can work with small groups or individual students in single lessons to upskill or support them in particular areas of the curriculum. This ensures they keep up with the pace and delivery in their core class. These groups change from week to week and the LDE teachers work closely with subject teachers to ensure that support is accurately targeted
- In-class support (Tier 3) is introduced on a needs basis in core English and Mathematics classes to provide additional support for targeted individuals.
Extension and Enrichment
Extension and enrichment opportunities in the school take place either in class, through small extension groups, in courses like Advanced Mathematics and through project work or co-curricular offerings where students are encouraged to participate in academically challenging competitions, activity days or technology challenges.
Co-curricular offerings include:
- The Middle School Da Vinci Club where students in Years 7-9 are given the opportunity to explore and build the inventions of da Vinci, engage in code-breaking activities, create practical solutions to real-world problems and develop skills which will help them if they choose to compete in the da Vinci Decathlon.
- The da Vinci Decathlon is a stimulating and challenging team competition run in the spirit of an Olympic decathlon, placing a particular emphasis on higher-order thinking skills, collaboration, problem-solving and creativity. Students compete in ten disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics and Chess, Code Breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Producers, Cartography and Legacy.
- Tournament of Minds gives an opportunity for those who have gifts and talents in a diverse range of areas to be involved in enrichment activities across the disciplines of The Arts, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Language Literature and the Social Sciences.
- Thriving Minds Thinking Days (Senior) Academy Learning provide high-level intellectual ‘thinking days' when students engage with a diverse array of topics and participate in a balanced academic program designed to foster critical thinking, creativity and a lifelong love of learning.
- Thriving Minds Junior Stretch and Challenge Academy Learning offer interactive, multi-media sessions designed to meet the unique needs of highly able students by encouraging them to think critically, analyse and synthesise information from different domains to deepen their understanding and broaden their perspectives.
Other opportunities outside of school that high potential and performing students are encouraged to participate include:
- BRAINways workshops and Academic Programs
- USC Science and Engineering Challenge
- STEAM Residentials for Girls (Clearing Skies)
- Write like an Author with Brian Falkner
- Study Skills for Gifted Students (Clearing Skies)
- Science Competitions
- Holiday workshops for Gifted Students
- eDiscovery Vacation Camps at USC
All Extension and Enrichment programs aspire to be stimulating and challenging while providing opportunities to allow students to work in areas of their passion and to socialise and collaborate with like-minded peers.
Contact
Mrs Carol Marais - cmarais@mfac.edu.au
