Middle Years Education

A unique program where we continue to blend world class educational practices and methods to bring the best in education to your child. Individual learning is central to our learning model and our program is designed to provide emerging adolescents with a purposeful and holistic education that builds on the dispositions and attitudes acquired during childhood and primary years. Learning at this stage further promotes self-directed learning, collaboration, inquiry thinking and social action.

Our Middle Years program is organised as an integrated learning centre to maintain the learning continuum from primary years and to provide a seamless transition to a skills and academic focused program in high school.

The Middle Years curriculum is guided by New Zealand’s national curricular framework, which sets out a vision for young people as lifelong learners who are confident, creative, connected and actively involved. It includes a clear set of principles (values) and also defines key competencies that are critical for sustained learning and effective participation in society, and which underline the emphasis on lifelong learning. The middle years curriculum is also diversified to allow our students to approach learning through application, research and inquiry and is founded on the following broad principles.

We believe

• that the learning process should focus on building an independent learning disposition and abilities in learners
• that conceptual knowledge is intrinsically linked to application skills
• that investigative and research skills are the foundation of knowledge acquisition
• that creative abilities are fundamental to successful functioning in the new world order
• that essential human qualities such as ethical values, respectful behaviours and self awareness are crucial to productive and happy living both in personal and professional situations

How our program is implemented

Following our primary years model, the middle years program also continues with an open plan classroom, and mixed age learning. While keeping the learning continuum from primary years ongoing, such a setting also maintains the balance in students’ social, emotional, and intellectual development. All the while learners continue to be further supported and extended by providing necessary help and meaningful opportunities that are always individualised whenever necessary.

Buddhi follows an integrated inquiry & project based learning approach in the middle years keeping in mind the growing abilities of young learners.

Inquiry Learning is the key learning methodology of our program and is embedded in a project based learning framework along with an integrated curriculum. Such an approach greatly supports learners in planning their investigations and solving problems in a purposeful manner, while also providing them opportunities to develop core skills needed for academic learning later on. Using a project approach in investigations allows for authentic inquiry and not only builds on a learner’s prior knowledge, skills and perspectives, but also allows them to apply these in real-life situations. It allows our learners to pose and ponder over thoughtful questions and develop new understanding about topics and their place in the world around them. Alongside helping them become self-directed and lifelong learners, it also builds habits of the mind (21st century skills) making their learning very meaningful.

Curriculum integration is a crucial aspect of our learning approach, and allows learners to draw on multiple subject areas and acquire core academic skills while investigating a problem or inquiring on a topic. Through this learning approach, learners develop the ability to ask questions, collect information, acquire skills, organise and test their ideas, solve problems, and apply what they learn. They carry out their inquiries using independent research through books, field visits, interviews, research reports and web quests. They learn new skills through digital & teacher guided tutorials , and communicate & share  learning in a variety of ways such as through prototypes, posters, multimedia presentations, demonstrations and talks.

Community Based Learning is another important feature of our program and encourages learners to look towards their own future by exploring issues such as sustainability, citizenship, enterprise, and globalisation. This is what we call 21st Century Learning, which is relevant and authentic in relation to young peoples’ interests, concerns and future. It allows us to form new kinds of partnerships with the wider community. Engaging in this kind of learning, helps young people develop their capacity to create new knowledge rather than merely consuming it.

Our Language program, has English as the first language and the focus is on building reading proficiency and effective communication through verbal language and expressive writing. Grammar and techniques are integrated into the core learning with emphasis on its use in effective comprehension and communication. Library is another important feature at Buddhi. Libraries build literate, productive and engaged communities and are therefore crucial for our learners. The Buddhi library is designed as an active environment to offer education by way of literacy workshops, resources and learning support in a variety of media to meet individual or group learning needs and as a space for individual pursuit of knowledge & leisure

In a modern world driven by high technology and interlinked functionality, the understanding of science & mathematics from an application perspective is crucial! Our Missing Link program focuses on building scientific & problem thinking in our learners. They learn to apply math knowledge through practical problem solving and concrete materials. They also develop technological literacy, build conceptual understanding and develop the skills of observing, experimenting, describing, manipulating apparatus and hypothesising.

The skills learned here are integrated into the core learning with the emphasis on their use in effective application. This type of learning allows them develop a disposition that is curious, rational, creative, spatial and critical.

Science & Social Studies  is a focus area of topics and allows our learners to develop a curiosity about the natural & social world. These are integrated into our Inquiry & Project module, where topics of interest and importance are learned through discovery and purpose.

The Arts and Physical Education continue to be an important part of our Middle Years program. Physical Education focuses on fitness, sport and outbound learning with an emphasis on developing self awareness & discipline and setting personal challenges. The Arts focuses on building artistry in the visual (fine arts & craft) and performing arts (theatre, dance & music) with an emphasis on creative & aesthetic expression.

The main purpose of Assessments is to provide an insight into the learning process. Our teachers observe student learning behaviour and progress in all curricular areas. Assessment strategies include teacher observations, student conversations about their learning goals, work habits, study skills, class work, assignment outcomes and project outputs. All this feeds into the learning process continuously. Throughout the learning journey, emphasis is on self assessment by students, to encourage and inculcate ownership for their own learning.