Academic Enrichment & Extension2020

H EAD OF AC ADEMIC ENR IC H M EN T & EX T ENSION

Kathryn Fraser

Success for a Kingsman is not defined by the School or society, but by the boys themselves. Success is for each

individual student to feel a sense of rigour, motivation, achievement and enjoyment from what they are learning by acknowledging their learning needs, strengths, interests and goals. The enrichment and extension opportunities we offer, endeavour to ensure the needs of all students are met.

As a non-selective school, it’s essential for King’s to challenge boys, giving them opportunities so they may follow their passions. We believe in catering for high potential learners, including gifted students. This may mean they need to be pushed beyond the general curriculum and be encouraged to work at a level which is matched with their abilities.

Therefore, all our students are provided an enriched learning environment, but it is through our Extension Program that learners of a high potential are identified, supported and extended within a challenging, creative and nurturing environment.

This is one aspect of a much broader educational experience offered to your son by The King’s School. Our academic focus is to provide our young men with the opportunity to develop the necessary 21st Century competencies, such as critical and creative thinking, problem solving and collaboration, along with dispositions like curiosity, perseverance and empathy. These capabilities are essential in assisting students to become global citizens who make an outstanding impact in their community beyond The King’s School.

Ms Kathryn FraserMEd (Gifted) BSc BEd, Head of Academic Enrichment & Extension

INTRODUCTION

“Success for a Kingsman is not defined by the School or society, but by the boys themselves.

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ALL STUDENTS Enrichment

Student Identification No formal identification required

Academic Department OpportunitiesWhole-school promotion of innovative educational strategies, critical and creative thinking skills, providing choice for personal interest projects, solving real world problems, excursions, guest speakers, exhibitions of student work

MOST STUDENTS EnrichmentStudent Identification Often based on student interest via self selection or selection based on specific criteria for each activity and can include auditions or selection on performance data

Academic DepartmentOpportunitiesClass activities that extend beyond the core providing differentiated levels of content between streamed classes

Extra-CurricularOpportunities Some external camps and other opportunities on holidays/weekends

Co-Curricular OpportunitiesClubs, Study tours, Debating, Drama, Music ensembles

SOME STUDENTSExtensionStudent Identification Based on students’ interests, demonstrated and sustained interests including teacher nomination, marks and academic achievement, or other test data to select students

Academic DepartmentOpportunities Sequenced modifications throughout programs and assessment tasks which extend beyond the core and provide differentiated levels of content between streamed classes

Extra-Curricular Opportunities Year 9 Extension English and History Community Project, Mentoring programs, GATSTA excursion days, UNSW and Olympiad Competitions, GERRIC Student Programs, The Future Project Year 10

Co-Curricular Opportunities Academic clubs, Da Vinci Decathlon, GATEway 8, World Scholars Cup, Philosothon, Ethics Olympiads, Model UN, Tournament of Minds

FEW STUDENTSExtension

Student Identification Often based on student interest via self selection or selection based on specific criteria for each activity and can include auditions or selection on performance data

Academic Department Opportunities Students benefit from highly individualised services; such as accelerated Mathematics classes, Individual flexible progression plans – single subject acceleration and differentiated assessments

Extra-Curricular Opportunities The Future Project Year 11, NYSF, Olympiad Summer Camp, FerMUN, other external competitions/programs

Academic Enrichment & Extension Model

“In our Extension Program learners of a high potential are identified, supported and extended within a challenging, creative and nurturing environment.

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FEW STUDENTSExtensionLEVEL THREE

SOME STUDENTS ExtensionLEVEL TWO

SOME STUDENTS ExtensionLEVEL TWO

MOST STUDENTSEnrichment

LEVEL ONE

MOST STUDENTSEnrichment

LEVEL ONE

ALL STUDENTS Enrichment

FOUNDATION LEVEL

ALL STUDENTS Enrichment

FOUNDATION LEVEL

“In our Extension Program learners of a high potential are identified, supported and extended within a challenging, creative and nurturing environment. Adapted by Kathryn Fraser 2020 from Treffinger, Young, Nassab, Selby, & Wittig (2008) The Talent Development Planning Handbook:

Designing Inclusive Gifted Programs Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Shown below is a differentatied model of the enrichment and extension opportunities at The King’s School. Through this model, we are able to identify students according to their strengths and provide appropriate learning opportunities at a variety of levels both in and out of the classroom.

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Academic EnrichmentThe School aims to provide quality whole school enrichment for students of all ability levels through varied and rigorous classroom and co-curricular experiences.

“We present many opportunities for students to challenge themselves through numerous local and overseas excursions and tours.

Enrichment Options Within the ClassroomWithin schools, enrichment aims to take the basic curriculum subjects and expand them, looking at them in more depth or from a different perspective. At King’s, our teachers do this in multiple ways; from the promotion of innovative educational strategies, critical and creative thinking skills and providing choice for personal interest projects. Opportunities for solving real world problems, excursions, guest speakers and exhibitions of student work are all embedded within each Department’s classroom programs.

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Enrichment Options Outside the ClassroomOn campus, we offer a vast co-curricular program that also overlaps with different curriculum areas to enrich classroom learning for all students, with Clubs such as:

Agriculture

Book

Chess

Computer Programming

Debating

Homework

Maker Space

Science

Woodwork and Metalwork

Visual Arts

Writers

The co-curricular music program offers a wide array of bands, ensembles and choral programs such as the Gowan Brae Band and the Senior School Choir.

We also present many opportunities for students to challenge themselves through numerous local and overseas excursions and tours. These can be study, cultural or performance based allowing our students to apply their knowledge and skill base to a variety of experiences:

Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions

Geography tours to Antarctica

History tours to Europe

Musical Festival tours

Science tours to NASA

Tours for languages and language exchange programs

We encourage all students to challenge themselves at home and abroad through these activities.

“Opportunities for solving real world problems, excursions, guest speakers and exhibitions of student work are all embedded within each department’s classroom programs.

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Academic ExtensionWe also recognise there are some students within our School community who require further programming options. This ensures the particular needs of our high potential learners, including gifted students, are identified and supported.

For students with academic gifts, we aim to develop their talents through a variety of educational opportunities.

This occurs both in and out of the classroom that are designed to ensure the particular intellectual, social and emotional needs are met throughout their time at The King’s School.

Gifted Learners with a DisabilityA unique aspect of King’s is the diversity of our student cohort, so we recognise the need to acknowledge individual differences. For twice exceptional learners, the Extension Program, along with the Educational Support Services Department, caters for high potential learners who may have identified physical, emotional or learning issues to minimise any impairments to their learning.

Support Gifted and highly gifted students in particular can often be asynchronous in their development. This can mean aspects of their physical, intellectual and emotional growth are out of step with each other. This can be frustrating for the student, as well as for their parents and teachers. The School’s pastoral care network of Tutors, Year Coordinators, Housemasters and School Counsellors is used to monitor each student in the Extension Program and assist him to reach his full potential.

Identifying High Potential and Giftedness for Talent DevelopmentAn aim of the School’s Extension Program is to assist in the identification of students with academic gifts and to develop their talents through appropriate educational opportunities.

Identification tools that may be used by the School to identify giftedness and talents include:

• Academic Assessment Services Testing• NAPLAN tests• Independent psychologists’ reports• External tests and competitions• Teacher identification checklists• Pre-testing on new topics• Work samples• Parent, peer and self nomination

“A unique aspect of King’s is the diversity of our student cohort so we recognise the need to acknowledge individual differences.

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Extension Options Within the Classroom

Extension Options Beyond the Classroom

The King’s School is committed to providing teaching staff with professional learning to meet the needs of our high potential learners. We aim to foster the links between the Gifted Education, Research, Resource and Information Centre (GERRIC) and the Gifted and Talented Secondary Teachers’ Association (GATSTA) forming professional learning partnerships to ensure active and ongoing training and engagement for staff.

Scholar Classes are structured in Years 7 to 10 to cater for the most able boys. Placement is performance-based and classes can undertake a variety of curriculum modifications to address the student’s specific learning needs, such as a differentiated curriculum, rigorous extension tasks, curriculum compacting and individualised programs.

A wide variety of extra-curricular activities adds to the richness of opportunity for talented boys at The King’s School. This is vital in playing a key role in building a group identity in which students are supported by capable and hard-working peers who share their aspirations. Intellectual societies and extension groups exist in each year group from Year 7-12 including the Mary Burns Philosophical Society (Year 7), the Tom Barrett Society, Cartesian Club, Scipionic Circle and Twelve Club for senior students.

National inter-school and international academic and thinking competitions are offered, such as the da Vinci Decathlon, Philosothons, Model United Nations, UNSW and Olympiad competitions. Through links

In-class extension is staffed by subject specialists with relevant programs developed to meet the individual needs of students. Sometimes high potential learners need advanced learning pathways and/or acceleration in order to work at a level commensurate with their ability. These cases are assessed individually and a decision arrived at after considering all aspects of a student’s well-being.

with GATSTA, we participate in inter-school activity days providing access to eminent people within their fields addressing a wide variety of different themes. University courses are also encouraged, such as Macquarie University’s Critical Thinking course for Year 11 students as an extension of the School’s Stage 5 Philosophy program.

We encourage students to follow independent pathways to connect their outside passions within their school learning. Through our Independent Learning Projects, we work with students and support them to follow their passions making the sky is the limit so they can share their successes with the world.

“A wide variety of extra-curricular activities adds to the richness of opportunity for talented boys at The King’s School.

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