King David's Educational Philosophy
Teaching and Learning Framework
Students learn best when the curriculum and teaching practice are forward looking; informed by educational research and neuroscience; and are meaningfully differentiated to meet the needs of each learner.
Our educational philosophy underpins everything we do at our School. Placing the development of the whole child at its core, our educational philosophy is founded upon the three essential values of King David: inclusivity, egalitarianism and social justice. These are woven through our domains of teaching and learning, wellbeing, and Jewish life and learning, and frame our classroom culture.
Our focus is on teaching students the crucial skill of how to think and learn rather than what to think and learn.
Our world is dynamic, creative, innovative and collaborative. What students need to know will change in response to new technologies and societal priorities, however the requirement for critical thinking, decision making and problem solving skills will remain. The development of these skills will enable our students to thrive now and in the future they inhabit.
Our educational approach develops students who know themselves, are able to adapt and rise to challenges, and are ready to contribute to the Jewish community and wider Australia.
Early Learning
In the early years, students are taught executive function skills using our ‘SOWATT’ (Self-regulation, Organisation, Working memory, Attention, Thinking flexibly and Thinking about thinking) framework created by Rosalyn Muir and Russell Kaplan. Executive function skills regulate all of our thoughts, emotions and actions.
Well-developed executive function establishes the foundation for successful learning.
“Executive functions can be described as the cognitive toolkit of success, underpinning the ability to set and work towards goals by coordinating thought and action, particularly in new situations.”
Junior School
In the Junior School, students learn through curiosity, experiments and play. Our Junior School program, ‘Bedrock thinking’, is designed to develop thinking and cognitive functioning. This is supported by the subject Philosophy for Life, offered throughout the Junior School. King David teachers weave thinking and learning strategies into everyday activities, including play.
"We learn best using the 3 C's - creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. Our units are designed around conceptual ideas such as cause and effect, change, responsibility and perspective ... students use their creativity to problem solve and to make changes that will positively impact the wider community.”
Middle Years
Our middle years’ students work in a collaborative, flexible environment that allows them to utilise their critical and creative thinking skills and reflect on how these skills are beneficial to themselves and to the broader community. Our middle years’ program emphasises Project Based Learning.
In Year 6 students develop their social and collaborative skills through regular subject-specific projects. In Year 7, students expand these skills through our Project Slingshot initiative where they are explicitly taught creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and Design Thinking across multiple disciplines. The development of these skills culminates in our Passion 4 Thinking unit in Year 8, where students apply their new skills to an area of personal interest.
Year 9 students undertake Nitzan (‘bud’), a weekly whole-day program which teaches independence and resilience, preparing our students for the challenges of VCE in the years ahead.
"We encourage the students to take ownership of their learning. Our students develop confidence in their skills and abilities as we give them experiences they may not ordinarily receive in the classroom or indeed at home. It is a joy, as an educator, to watch as our students engage in positive and life-affirming experiences on their journey towards independence.”
Senior Years
In their final years of school, our senior students are engaged, creative thinkers. Our senior students understand that they are in control of their own decisions, motivation and goals and have learned to reflect on the type of person they ultimately would like to be.
"Students are challenged to become independent and resilient learners, relying on the foundation of skills they have developed in the middle years. They are encouraged to foster new relationships with their teachers, who become less like traditional educators and more like mentors on a student-driven learning journey."
