For
some years the school has used 'Aus Identities and temperaments' as a
tool to assist teachers to understand and work with different
personalities in staffrooms and classrooms. An understanding of the
nature of the different people we come into contact with on a daily
basis helps us to form strong positive relationships with people in both
our personal and professional lives.
Developing this level of understanding often
takes a great deal of time, especially in a high school setting where
students may only see a teacher as infrequently as twice a week. Well
respected and world renowned educator Professor John Hattie identifies
positive relationships as key to creating a climate conducive to
learning.
To further our knowledge and understanding of
temperaments the school has subscribed to a training program developed
by 'Aus Identities' in conjunction with a Queensland Outdoor Education
Centre. One of the features of this subscription is a website that is
accessible to parents to assist them in understanding the nature of the
work the school is doing and more importantly to help parents understand
their children’s preferences and behaviours.
The web site provides lots of information
about temperaments and allows you to determine your own temperament
type. Your temperament type determines your core needs, values, talents
and behaviours and influences your preferences for learning and
interacting with people. The parent site is called 'Differentiated
Learning for parents'.
Differentiation is about making adjustments
to what is taught and how it is taught, to suit the needs of the
learners in a group. Parents should be aware that in Queensland Studies
Authority, Vocational Education and Training and National Curriculum
subjects, what is taught is mandated by the overseeing authority. The
products of learning are dictated by work programs and study plans
approved by these overseeing authorities. Adjustments to what is taught
and the methods of assessment are often not possible in these
situations.
When teachers understand the nature of the
different temperaments of student in their classroom, they can use a
variety of different activities to suit the preferences of the students
in their class. This is differentiating how lessons are taught. At
Narangba Valley State High School all teachers develop targeted
differentiation plans for their classes. These plans identify strategies
specific to the needs of students with goals for improving their level
of achievement.
The school encourages parents to access the
site to help them understand the preferences and behaviours of their
children and to understand the nature of the work the school is
undertaking to support positive professional relationships and a school
climate conducive to learning. The website is accessible via the link
listed to the right, under Relative Links.