Charleville School of Distance Education

 

The Charleville School of Distance Education offers the range of curriculum to its students:

·      Program for prep students

·      Primary curriculum for Year 1 to 7 students – a combination of new online curriculum units and old LAC (Language Across the Curriculum) and Maths curriculum

·      Core subjects secondary students - English, Maths, Science, SOSE, History, Geography, Agriculture 1 and 2, Citizen Education and Pastoral Care.

·      Japanese (Years 6,7 and 8) , ICT (all year levels), HPE (Prep – Year 7) and The Arts (Prep – Year 7)

·      Co-Curricular activities eg. Recorder, Keyboard, Technology, Choir, Readers Club, Japanese Club.

Each student receives the curriculum materials as his/her basic learning resource. They are required to work through 16 units of LAC 1/ English, Mathematics (32 units for Year 2) and LAC 2/ CLC (Year 1 only) with guidance from their Home Tutor. 

 

When complete units of work are returned to their class teacher for marking, the teacher will give feedback to the student and the Home Tutor on the work submitted.

Student work and parent/home tutor responses are sent to teachers mainly via print and electronically. Teacher feedback is through individualised written, electronic and phone comments, as well as through the on-air medium.

 

2008 saw the commencement of the new on-line curriculum for Year 1 in the form of 16 on-line units of Mathematics, presented to the students through an interactive Blackboard site on the Learning Place. This allowed students to complete some activities on the computer and to be involved in the discussion board component with their teachers and classmates.

 

In 2009 the complete curriculum for Year 1 English, Mathematics and CLC (Connected Learning Curriculum) is delivered in a new on-line format. Year 2 Mathematics is also currently being delivered as an on-line curriculum.

 

 

Each student studying through distance education is required to have a Home Tutor. In most instances this work is carried out by a parent, however some families employ a person to be a Home Tutor.

 

In lower primary years, home tutors teach students using the curriculum materials provided. Students in the upper primary and secondary years generally work independently through instructional papers. Home Tutors also manage classroom resources, liaise with teaching staff and ensure students attend field services. Home Tutors are an integral part of the schooling process. They are responsible for helping students in the classroom to complete curriculum materials.

 

Additional curriculum support is available from the Learning Support and Special Needs teachers, as well as through teacher modified and alternative programs. Support Teachers provide additional support for gifted students as well as those with learning difficulties. An Arts and ICT teachers provide support through on-air lessons and field events. A Health and Physical Education teacher travels to give field support to students.

 

Teaching occurs via the curriculum materials, on-air program and through the field service program. In distance education programs, the parent/teacher partnership is a crucial element in providing support to students.

 

Learning materials are prepared, with teachers, home tutors and students, contributing to the process. Teachers also modify curriculum materials at the school level to take into account students’ individual learning needs

 

Teachers share the co-ordination of the field program which consists of the following activities: Home Visits (on a needs basis), Inschool Weeks, Cluster Musters, Camps, Sports Muster, Minischools, Speech and Awards Day and Swim Muster.

Teachers report to parents formally through semester reports, Year 1, 2 and 3 Diagnostic Net and Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 National Testing.

Teachers also report informally to parents on a regular basis by telephone, face to face or through written feedback on their child’s work.

 

 

On Air lessons are mandatory. Parents are to ensure their child attends all lessons. Regular attendance for on air lessons is compulsory. On air lessons enable teachers to have direct and daily contact with their students. Each Year P-7 child has an on air lesson for 30 minutes each day with their teacher and classmates while Year 8-10 students receive one or two 30 min on air lessons per week in most subject areas. These may vary in time and frequency. If a student is to be absent from an on air lesson, then the parent is to notify the class teacher by telephone, fax, letter or email.

Students in years 6-8 receive two 30 min LOTE on air lessons each week. ICT / Arts lessons are once a week for P-10 students. Extra curricular activities are also timetabled in depending on student’s choices.

 

Regular Home Tutor sessions are provided by class teachers. Home Tutors are expected to take advantage of this opportunity. Notify your teacher if you cannot attend a Home Tutor session.