Wellington Today Wellington Today 2017 en | Page 14

WELLINGTON TODAY 2017
WELLINGTON COLLEGE CHINA
WELLINGTON
APTITUDES
The Wellington community of schools seek to provide an
all-round, or holistic education for our pupils, placing as much
emphasis on life outside of the setting, as much as life within it.
At the heart of this, the Wellington way, is the eight aptitudes
approach to structuring, developing and reflecting on all the
learning that takes place within the setting.
The intellectual basis from which this is adapted is the work
of Professor Howard Gardner at Harvard, on the ‘multiple
intelligences’ that all humans possess. In identifying eight separate
intelligences, the learning process can be expanded from the
more traditional logical and linguistic learning into a well-rounded,
holistic education. We have a commitment to develop and
enhance for your children the following aptitudes which are
found within all of our pupils: Linguistic, Logical, Social, Personal,
Cultural, Physical, Moral and Spiritual.
LINGUISTIC SOCIAL CULTURAL
Words, spoken or written, in English, Mandarin or any other
modern language are the cornerstone of a Wellington education.
We want our pupils, irrespective of their age, to develop a love of
reading; being able to decode words and make sense of written and
spoken word, produce their own creative and imaginative stories
and passages without the limits or restrictions of ‘sense’. Pupils will
express themselves effectively, developing their own narratives and
explanations by connecting ideas or events. Making relationships, understanding similarities and differences
between families, cultures and traditions enhance a child’s ability
to be accepting and tolerant of others in the wider social community.
Possessing the ability not just to think for themselves, but also for
others promotes a sense of camaraderie, appreciation and team
spirit. Pupils will play cooperatively, taking turns with others.
They take account of one another’s ideas and show sensitivity to
others’ needs and feelings, forming positive relationships with
adults and other children. Pupils discuss their own lives and the lives of family members,
whilst being sensitive to understanding that not all children enjoy
the same things. They appreciate the similarities and differences
amongst the social group and talk about the features of their own
immediate environment and how environments might vary from
one to another, in relation to places, objects, materials and living
things. Pupils sing songs, make music and dance. They explore and
experiment with colour, design, texture, form and function; they
represent their own thoughts, ideas and feelings through design
and technology, art, music, dance, role play and stories.
PERSONAL
LING
UIS
TI
C
AL
GIC
LO
INTERPRETING
THE WORLD
THE
BODY
WELL BEING
SEEING
THE
WORLD
THE
INDIVIDUAL
THE
INNER
SELF
LOOKING
INSIDE
LOGICAL
THE
OUTER
SELF
INTELLECTUAL
The world of logic, reasoning and numbers need no introduction.
Mathematics is obviously essential, but developing this aptitude takes
pupils in to the world of numbers, shape, space and measure. Pupils
think of ideas, finding ways to solve problems and new ways of doing
things. They plan, making decisions about how to approach a task,
solve a problem and reach a goal, changing strategy as needed and
reviewing how well an approach worked. Pupils recognise, create and
describe patterns; they explore the characteristics of everyday objects
and shapes and use mathematical language to describe them.
Personal
Vital aspects of growing up in the 21st Century are understanding
yourself: knowing who you are, what you can personally achieve,
what you aspire to; and perhaps most important of all, what to avoid.
We seek to instil self-confidence and self-awareness in all pupils,
supporting them to manage their feelings and behaviour. Pupils will
be confident to try out new activities and speak in familiar groups.
Talking about their thoughts and ideas, pupils will be empowered
to say when they do and do not need help. Pupils will choose the
technological opportunities around to extend their learning, adjust
their behaviour to different situations and take changes of routine
in their stride.
L
RA
MO
SPIR
ITU
AL
MORAL
What is right? What is wrong? We want all pupils to make
well informed decisions in life. We want them to have appropriate
role models who champion the five core values consistently.
We encourage pupils to learn from their mistakes. We will never
forget that we are educating the leaders of the future and we will
ensure that they are equipped to make the right decisions as
adults, by showing a ‘can do’ attitude, tak ing risks and learning from
trial and error.
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SPIRITUAL
Spirituality can be defined as involving deep feelings and beliefs. Pupils
must develop an inner strength, fortified by an appreciation of their
own positives and development areas. The pupils talk about how they
and others show feelings, they give their attention to what others say
and respond appropriately. They enjoy meeting challenges for their
own sake, rather than external rewards or praise and are proud of
how they accomplished something rather than just the end result.
PHYSICAL
A healthy lifestyle and developing an ability in a wide variety of
physical activities are vital objectives for all Wellingtonians. Pupils
will move confidently, handling tools and equipment effectively. They
will know the importance for good health of physical exercise and a
healthy diet, and talk about ways to keep healthy and safe.
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