Home Learning

In the Secondary School we are beginning to move to a ‘flipped’ model where students are asked to review documents, teacher instruction videos and concepts and then come and apply and discuss findings. In a traditional class the application is normally done as homework, for example pages of mathematics equations.

In the Junior School the focus is on Numeracy and Literacy, particularly home reading.

Junior School

We recognise that learning takes place both within and beyond the classroom experience. Home Learning helps children prepare for lifelong learning and assists with the development of organisational and time management skills. It provides an opportunity for students to share their learning with their families and provides feedback to teachers about student learning.

We believe home learning should be:

• purposeful;
• supportive of the development of the whole child;
• a way to extend the child’s understanding of the world around them;
• a means for developing good independent work habits and initiative;
• a skills practice device;
• a positive experience for all concerned; and
• inclusive of a broad range of activities to meet the needs of all students.

The communication between parents and teachers is an important part of ensuring home learning is positive and beneficial for each child.

Parents will be informed of the home learning requirements and expectations at the beginning of the school year. Teachers will communicate with parents if the child is consistently not completing home learning so that strategies to improve can be developed by the teacher, student and parent for those children. Teachers and parents should give praise, encouragement and feedback to students who complete home learning.

We understand that home learning can sometimes cause friction in families, and we ask parents to let us know if our expectations are causing problems. One of the most important things children should take from their junior school years is a love of learning, and this will only be achieved if work is done happily and successfully.

Secondary School

Practice Exercises

Provide students with the opportunity to apply new knowledge, or to review, revise and reinforce newly acquired skills, such as:

• Completing consolidation exercises for Mathematics – memorisation of tables;
• Practising spelling words;
• Practising words or phrases learnt in Arabic class or Quran lessons;
• Reading independently;
• Writing essays and other creative tasks;
• Practising physical education skills;
• Strengthening ICT skills.

Preparatory Learning

Providing students with the opportunity to gain background information so they are better prepared for future lessons, such as:

• Reading background material for History;
• Reading English texts for class discussion;
• Researching topics for class work;
• Collecting newspaper articles;
• Revising information about a current topic;
• Developing organisational and time management strategies.

Assignments

Encouraging students to pursue knowledge individually and imaginatively, such as: * Writing a book review or report;

• Making or designing an art work;
• Completing a Science or Humanities investigation;
• Researching for a History unit;
• Finding and retrieving material from the Internet using a home computer;
• Monitoring developments such as advertising in a local newspaper;
• Mathematical analysis tasks and challenging problems.

Summary of home learning time allocations (per week) Years 7 to 12

• Year 7 – 3.5 hours
• Year 8 – 6 hours
• Year 9 – 7.5 hours
• Year 10 – 10 hours
• Year 11 – 12 hours minimum
• Year 12 – 15 hours minimum