Differentiated Curriculum
What is it?
Differentiated Curriculum is all about modifying the learning activities, providing resources and co-ordinating expertise so that your child can succeed in the best possible learning environment. On a day-to-day basis, teachers and support staff adjust and tailor classroom activities according to the needs of individual students.
All students are capable of successful learning when they are provided with a supportive and engaging environment that is safe, respectful, tolerant, inclusive and promotes intellectual rigour.
Tewantin State School is committed to identifying and addressing the learning needs of individual students, therefore by pooling our resources (staff time, expertise, funds, facilities and materials), we are able to cater for students with disabilities, those who require learning or behaviour support, those who are gifted, those who have english as a second language or those who are indigenous, to ensure that ALL students learning needs are addressed in a targeted manner.
Who is involved?
The Student Services team includes specialist teachers, teacher aides and non-teaching staff (including our Guidance Officer and Advisory Visiting Teachers for students with disabilities) to support all learners at Tewantin State School.
The Student Services team is led by our Head Teacher - Student Services, Mechelle Macauley.
Guidance Officer: Rebekah Brown and Isabel Musson (Go Student Engagement and Wellbeing)
Support Staff: Elisa Williams (Chaplains); Rhiannon Perkins (Administration).
Teacher Aides: Sue Dewar: Christine Goggin; Deb Curtis; Kym Slattery; Maree Sanders; Marnie Eastaughffe; Nanna Brane; Kristy Morris, Kristy Howe, Lisa Gale, Julie Schultz, Vanessa Smith.
What does it look like?
In each year level, from Prep to Year 6, the Student Services team support each year level. During this time, student-teacher ratios are dramatically reduced because there is double the number of teachers/support staff available during the allocated sessions. Year levels have been using this extra support to differentiate, or modify the activities, so that your child`s learning needs are being addressed in an intensive teaching session, with reduced teacher-student ratios.
Additional programs that are currently being offered by the Student Services team in conjunction with year levels include:
- Support and intervention programs (Not Just Phonics Program, In class support from Teacher Aides)
- Extension programs (Enrichmatics; Loving Literacy; international/interstate competitions)
- "Tewantin Tutoring" - Before and after school tutoring program
- Alternate literacy and numeracy programs