It has been a great start to the year in Stage 4. The most impressive thing in my eyes has been the students enthusiasm for the subjects of Science and Maths which have been team-taught on Mondays and Wednesdays with laboratory work conducted on a Thursday rotation.
We have had a specialised team working with our students on Mathematics which has been tremendously successful. We have worked through challenging mathematical concepts as a stage, avoiding the dreaded “mathematical anxiety” which I’m sure the majority of you are familiar with.
We have done this through the constructivist approach where students are encouraged to work through and solve mathematical equations using their own thinking. This is a more effective methodology than the rote learning approach to maths.
In Science Stage 4 has had fun leaning about local ecology, studying the local Mount Penang Garden Parklands as an example of local ecosystems. Students have been able to create a food web based on flora and fauna interactions in an ecosystem just a stones-throw from the CCSC pitches. We are so lucky to have such a fantastic resource outside our classroom- it truly is a unique environment.
Overall I’m looking forward to building scientific and mathematical skills with Stage 4. We have a few exciting things coming up in science including growing bacteria and perhaps a dissection activity in the laboratory towards the end of term.
*Dissections are not mandatory in Stage 4 !
Marty
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