Powerful Learning at Whangaparaoa College comprises a focus on Thinking Skills, Learning Behaviours and Literacy Skills. Woven through these three areas is the process of Metacognition.
Powerful Learning will help learners develop skills to cope with new situations and foster the higher level thinking that will be so important in this ever-changing world. Content may become obsolete but thinking learners will not.
Thinking Skills
The development of a Thinking Culture will be developed by the teaching and utilising of Whangaparaoa College’s eight Thinking Organisers and the use of the Three Storey Intellect in the delivery of class programmes.
Learning Behaviours
Whangaparaoa College will focus on eight of Art Costa’s Habits of Mind over each two year period. There will be a schoolwide approach with a focus on one Learning Behaviour per term.
Literacy
Basic Literary Skills will be taught at specific year levels and practised and reinforced in other learning areas and in subsequent year levels. Guidelines will be provided for each skill and genre to ensure consistency across the school
Metacognition
Metacognition is a major tool to assist learners take charge of their learning. It is commonly referred to as “thinking about thinking” and teaches learners to understand how they learn and often involves overseeing whether a learning goal has been met
