Our activities
Learning to Learn
Tailored learning plan
An innovative pedagogical framework is shaping students’ experiences, providing them with the support, tools, and skills necessary to self-direct their learning. This framework fosters well-being, responsibility, intrinsic motivation, and essential academic and life skills. It emphasises five keys to unlock lifelong learning skills:
- Being safe and seen, connection and belonging
- Self-care, regulation and emotional awareness
- Self-authorship, curiosity and competence
- Compassion and collaboration
- Future planning and building
While acquiring skills relevant to each key, students are encouraged and supported to design and follow a learning plan that encompasses their principal interests and objectives.
At WDS, the teacher’s role is to facilitate the student by informing them of the various options available for their learning. This involves a menu of recommendations and being flexible enough to adapt it based on the student’s suggestions. It is a co-created learning experience. Discussions with students to help them better understand what they need to progress occur not just during classes and activities, but also in one-to-one mentor check-ins and in small group meetings by age, held two or three times a week where students engage in activities together. It could involve group meditation, student buddy pairings interviewing one another about their goals and projects, discussions on healthy communication, growth mindset versus fixed mindset, bonding through board games or a walk, or chatting about what it means to be a good person. The students and staff collaborate to determine the best use of their time as a group to become the best versions of themselves.