WYLIE’S POLICY ON EDUCATION

 

We are passionate about teaching students and teaching them well!  We are not interested in the latest fads but will use innovative approaches (often combining old and new).

 

Our policy on education broadly follows the six areas as detailed below:

 

Christ-Centred Education

·         Every day begins with prayer for staff and students alike

·         Scripture should be read and understood so that it may be accurately and regularly applied to daily life.

Teacher-Directed Instruction

·         Teaching is viewed as a gift from God.

·         The teacher is considered integral to the learning process as is the learner.

·         Access to a competent teacher is the chief value of the school experience

·         Opportunities to interact with the teacher (as opposed to computers) should be maximized

·         The teacher assesses the needs and determines the activities which occur in each class to meet those needs

·         The teacher is accountable to God, the Board, and the Parents, in that order, to ensure that learning occurs

 

Focused on Fundamentals

·         Understanding of simple concepts should precede more complex ones

·         Students who are skilled in the basics are best equipped to learn advanced problem solving

·         All students should be able to read well, write well, and calculate quickly and accurately

·         Phonics, spelling, and math facts are foundational to reading, writing, and arithmetic

·         Creative writers must first be literate writers

·         Creative artists and musicians must first be skilled artists and musicians

·         Good athletes should first of all be "good sports"

 

Result-Oriented

·         Our definition of "Teaching" is "Causing Learning to Occur"

·         Nothing has been "taught" until "something has been learned"

·         If one method, no matter how credible, doesn't work, another should be tried

·         If one resource doesn't work, another should be tried

·         Methods and resources should be found and implemented until learning takes place

·         Policies and procedures should support, not undermine, the learning of each student

·         Parents should be informed of the success or lack thereof of each program

·         Results should be verified through a variety of means including standardized testing

 

Mastery Learning

·         Success breeds success

·         Mastery of concepts fosters self-confidence and therefore a willingness to try something new

·         Mastery of concepts provides the proper foundation to be able to succeed at the next task

·         Success on complex concepts is best assured by "mastery" (80% or better) of the simpler ones

·         It is better to ensure that a few things are learned well than many things poorly

 

Personalized Programming

·         Students with differing abilities should not be treated the same

·         Not all students can or should work at the same pace or with the same materials

·         All students can do well if the program is properly designed for them

·         All students should be allowed to study at a level appropriate to their gifting

·         Programs should be adapted to students, not the other way around

 

 

At Wylie, we believe that the purpose of education is to prepare our students to lead fulfilled, productive, responsible, happy and successful lives.

 

Expectations are high, both academically and socially and each child's progress is carefully monitored through the excellent pastoral and support structures. Wylie offers a broad range of subjects and an exciting variety of extra-curricular opportunities.

 

As students progress through the school, they are given opportunities for increased responsibility to enable them to develop a sense of service and the ability to work as part of a team. This strategy of building 'confidence without arrogance' nurtures attributes essential for success both personally and professionally in the 21st Century.