Berry Street Web Docs Berry Street School Practice Approach | Page 5

Theory/Rationale
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Cole et al. (2004) highlight the need for teaching programs, activities and curricula
that:
o Engage students
o Cater for students’ interests and needs
o Provide students with practical and hands on experiences.

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As students develop both academic and personal skills they need a balance of
individual self-led models and group devised work (Downey, 2007).

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Student engagement with the curriculum has three interrelated components:
o Behavioural engagement refers to students’ participation
o Emotional engagement can be defined as emotional reactions, belonging,
and connectedness
o Cognitive engagement relates to student investment in their own learning,
intrinsic motivation, and self-regulation – alongside the cognitive skills
needed for effective learning (DEECD, 2009).

Campus Examples
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Monitor academic growth by matching student ability levels to AusVELS levels.

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Literacy workshop model is described as apprentice learning, with teacher as model
reader or model writer, encouraging students to work independently on
differentiated, self-selected literacy tasks (see Calkins, 1994, 2000; Harvey, 1998;
Witter, 2013).

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A clear focus on academic intervention (literacy and numeracy).

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Goal setting with students in their Individual Education Plans (IEPs).

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Visible evidence of student growth including ‘stamina’ charts, book logs, and process
charts.

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Integrated themes across curriculum areas.

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Experience based learning - for example, industry visits, excursions, and field trips.