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Our Curriculum

THE VIS CURRICULUM AND LEARNING MODEL CAPTURES OUR CORE PILLARS, MAPPED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE STANDARDS.

It is infused with Project Based Learning, and enriched with dimensions that enable our children to develop strong character traits. This model underpins everything we do from a curriculum, assessment and teaching and learning perspective.

We recognise that in today’s world, children need a variety of skills and dispositions to succeed in future employment, higher education, and to be positive, active members of society. Our core pillars prepare children for an uncertain world, and these pillars drive our planning and assessment practices:

  • Learning Skills
  • Life Skills
  • Literacy Skills

Learning Skills

VIS learners strive to be:

  • Creative & Inventive – VIS children think creatively by generating and exploring ideas, making original connections. They try different ways to tackle a problem, working with others to find imaginative solutions and outcomes that are of value.

 

  • Independent – VIS children evaluate information in their investigations, planning what to do and how to go about it. They take informed and well-reasoned decisions, recognizing that others have different beliefs and attitudes.

 

  • Reflective & Critical – VIS children evaluate their strengths and limitations, setting themselves realistic goals with criteria for success. They monitor their own performance and progress, inviting feedback from others and making changes to further their learning. VIS children use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

Literacy Skills

VIS learners strive to be:

  • Digitally literate – VIS children are able to critically use technology, to navigate through various online forums and devices, understanding how technology works, and being able to creatively and inventively manipulate technology to solve problems.

 

  • Expressive writers – More than just knowing how to read and write basic letters and sentences this means that VIS children can understand and communicate what they have read and that they can express themselves through writing.

 

  • Numerically Literate – VIS children have the ability to use basic math skills in everyday life and the ability to use numbers to solve problems through logic or manage finances.

 

  • Physically literate – VIS children can use their fine motor skills, balance, and move with confidence and enjoy physical movement.

 

  • Culturally literate – VIS children learn to understand the subtle nuances that come along with living or working in a particular society. It consists of understanding the language, methods, assumptions, and unstated ideas that make up a way to behave and communicate.

Life Skills

VIS learners strive to be:

  • Self-organised – VIS students organise themselves, showing personal responsibility, initiative, creativity and enterprise with a commitment to learning and self-improvement. They actively embrace change, responding positively to new priorities, coping with challenges and looking for opportunities.

 

  • Productive – VIS students show a willingness to put forth efforts, and continually strive to get better. They actively try to complete tasks and activities and they are motivated to achieve more.

 

  • Responsible – VIS students use interpersonal and problem-solving skills to influence and guide others toward a goal. They demonstrates integrity and ethical behavior in using influence responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind.

 

  • Collaborative – VIS students demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams and exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal and assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member.

 

  • Flexible – VIS students are able to adapt to new situations and improvise and shift strategies to meet different types of challenges. Students are skilled at Listening, Recognize alternatives, Points of view, Ability to shift, Ability to let go