The mandatory learning areas of the Australian Curriculum v9 and the Brisbane Catholic Diocese, Religious Education Curriculum are delivered at Saint Thomas More Primary School either by classroom or specialist teachers.
P-6 Classroom Teachers
P-6 Classroom teachers deliver and report against the following curriculum areas:
- Religious Education
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- HASS - Humanities and Social Sciences which includes:
- P-2-History and Geography
- Years 3-4: History, Geography Civics and Citizenship
- Years 5-6: History, Geography Civics and Citizenship and Economics and Business
- Health
- The Arts: Focusing on Drama and Media Arts
Curriculum areas are often integrated within learning plans.
Specialist Teachers
The following Curriculum areas are taught by the school’s Specialist Teachers. While students attend these lessons, the class teachers are involved in planning. Information regarding the specialist Curriculum areas can be found under the specific tab on this website.
- Visual Arts
- Physical Education
- Music and Dance
- Languages-Indonesian
Timetabling of the Australian Curriculum v9 is determined by the indicative hours set by ACARA (Australian Curriculum Assessment and reporting Authority) and Brisbane Catholic Education in the case of Religious Education.
Pedagogical Approach
As part of Brisbane Catholic Education, St Thomas More uses the BCE Model of Pedagogy to support student engagement, learning progress, achievement and wellbeing.
This pedagogical model includes the following aspects: Focus. Establish. Activate. Respond. Evaluate
Focus
- Begin with the approved curriculum
- Identify progress and development of learners and their learning
- Plan strategies to accelerate the cognitive levels of all students
Establish
- Use the curriculum to create and make clear the learning intentions and success criteria
- Establish learning goals with students
Activate
- Establish positive classroom environments
- Activate student engagement in learning
- Enable multiple ways of knowing and opportunities to practice new learning
- Teach explicitly
- Differentiate to move each student’s learning forward
Respond
- Provide students with feedback about their learning progress
- Use different levels of feedback
Evaluate
- Evaluate the impact of teaching on student achievement
- Review the learning relationships and learning environment
- Collect students’ feedback on the impact of teaching
Differentiated Teaching and Learning
Saint Thomas More utilises the BCE promoted Multi-Tiered System of Support. (MTSS)
The MTSS framework can be aligned with the Levels of Teaching Response.
- Tier 1: All students engage within effective first teaching
- Tier 2 and 3: While also receiving the targeted, strategic, or intensive support that they may need at different times or in different learning areas.