Baradene College of The Sacred Heart - A Guide To The Curriculum.

Educating for the 21st Century involves ‘new’ knowledge and ‘new’ ways of knowing. Education must be for a life of learning and relearning. The traditional view of learning and knowledge as a set of universal truths bound into a framework of disciplines has been surpassed by the view that knowledge and understanding through learning must be something dynamic, fluid and a process of making something new.

Catching The Knowledge Wave by Jane Gilbert
asserts that: ... education will encourage students to learn knowledge from traditional disciplines, not in order to store it away for future use, to reproduce it or add to it, but to do things with it, to remake it in new ways.

With this is mind and being aware of international and national trends in education, along with the needs of a global and national economy, our students need to develop a breadth of knowledge and understandings and have flexibility of choice in taking up a range of learning possibilities.

At Baradene College of the Sacred Heart we believe that holistic education starts with the individual. We respect the gifts and talents of each student and we set out to discover them. We know, as educators, that students succeed at school by first discovering and understanding their strengths and then building upon them. With this approach, not only will our students enjoy their learning and experience success, but they will also learn to take on the challenges of learning that they find more difficult.

We, at Baradene, have worked on our strategic vision in line with this document and the tradition of Sacred Heart education. For teachers, parents and students there are some important messages about how learning will look, and what learning will take place, as we continue to prepare our young women for their future.

THE NEW ZEALAND CURRICULUM

The New Zealand Curriculum, based on national and international research, after a thorough process of consultation with educators and the wider community, has identified common values to be encouraged, modelled and explored: excellence; innovation; inquiry and curiosity; diversity; equity; community and participation; ecological sustainability; integrity and respect.

The New Zealand Curriculum is a clear statement of what we deem important in education. It takes as its starting point a vision of our young people as lifelong learners who are confident and creative, connected, and actively involved. It includes a clear set of principles on which to base curriculum decision making. It sets out values that are to be encouraged, modelled, and explored. It defines five key competencies that are critical to sustained learning and effective participation in society and that underline the emphasis on lifelong learning.
Karen Sewell, Secretary for Education, 2009 The New Curriculum, Ministry of Education