Emma Scott is a Year 6 teacher and aspiring leader.
When asking teachers what they wish for their students, there will be many answers - happiness, progress, health, confidence. However, there is always one consistent word that epitomizes the purpose of our classroom practices: success.
Success is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or the attainment of prosperity. This being said, we understand that success is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach; it is complex, varied and individual. At BISC Lincoln Park, we strive to personalize our curriculum so that success is a feeling that every child can experience on a regular basis.
We differentiate our ‘challenges’ within lessons in up to four different ways, allowing us to cater for a range of needs and creating a learning experience that is both accessible and challenging. Children have the opportunity to choose their challenges on a daily basis, based on their confidence levels in a particular aspect of the curriculum. This empowers our students to take control of their own learning and celebrate, not just academic achievement, but also the success of effort and progress.
We also encourage success in a holistic way through our daily awards system. Every class has developed an age-appropriate system that allows the teachers time to have face-to-face conversations and verbally congratulate students on effort, values and behavior.
These systems combined, alongside other initiatives, mean that our children in the Lincoln Park campus have regular opportunities to feel celebrated, to feel proud of themselves and most importantly, to feel successful.
Year 5 Teacher and Social Impact & Global Campus Leader, Carlie Ennis shares thoughts on empowering children in elementary school to have a voice, and the profound impact it has on their growth and development.
