Classes

The students at Tamariki are learning all the time. The majority of this time is learning through informal play. The child is in control of their learning and they are learning in a very broad fashion. This type of learning is able to easily evolve and change to meet the child's learning needs. The child is able to see their own next step, and self-direct their own goals.

We also offer formal-learning or classes. 

The formal classes are a mixture of teacher-directed and child-directed.

Sun Room: Students can at any stage approach the staff member in the Sun Room (usually Mary) for a reading and/or writing class. If she is unable to immediately respond (i.e. due to being involved in a meeting, or another class etc.) then Mary will follow up this request with the child afterwards. There is an abundance of learning done via play in this room which Mary also facilitates e.g. math games etc.

Red Door Room: There is an expectation that the older students will attend formal classes in the morning.

Quiet Room: Alison works with some students one on one (see notes below) and there is also a booking system where students can sign up for a one-on-one class or they can book a class with their friends. Alison is also available in the afternoon for more spontainious requests.

Blake's Room - Blake offers classes to a wide age range of students. As well as regular booked classes he is able to respond to impromptu requests for classes.

Paul, Marina, Raewin,  are all avalailable to respond to requests for learning support when they are available. Paul usually focuses on supporting students with their art skills and knowledge but he also helps as a relief teacher and will  often work with the older students, Marina runs sucessful and interesting science classes, and is also availabe to provide classes with any other academic area. Raewin is able to support with woodwork, outdoor games, and magic. 

Who gets to do Alison’s pre booked one-on-one classes?

There are a wide range of possible reasons why someone might be identified as needing some extra support with their academic learning e.g. literacy and math:

·         They have been playing, and learning, actively outdoors for years and have been too busy doing other aspects of their learning to have attended many formal classes. We know that it takes time to develop these skills to a level where they will be ready for high school and if we left it until the last 2 years they would not have sufficient time to catch up their skill level, so we approach them and offer support so they can gain these skills in a more manageable timeframe.

·         There may be a hereditary/biological factor e.g. Dyslexia, dyspraxia, Asperger’s, autism etc.

·         They have self esteem issues.

·         They may have attended classes and a teacher has identified some kind of learning difficulty.

·         They may have attended other schools and had difficulties within a standard classroom environment. From these experiences they may have developed trust issues with adults/students around their learning, and also they may doubt that they are capable of learning.

·         They have a fear of failure (usually they will also be perfectionists) and rather than risking failure they avoid putting themselves in a position where they may be seen as not knowing how to do something. They will often expect themselves to know how to do something automatically and perfectly the first time they try. Due to the unrealistic self expectation they need support to put themselves in new learning situations.

Please note – it is EXTREMELY important that these children do not get labelled or teased by the other students.

 One of the key factors with all the students Alison works with is the need to develop their confidence and self esteem. It is important to develop the feeling of being successful and growing their belief in themselves as an academic learner.

It is also essential for Alison/staff to maintain professional discretion and not discuss the reason for someone doing classes with Alison with anyone other than the parents/guardian of the child.

It is a fine balance between respecting the needs and privacy of one child and having the other children not confused as to why they don’t have a one on one time with Alison. We would love to be able to offer one-on-one to every child who wants it – but there are not enough hours in the school day to be able to offer this option.