Self-directed learning at Our Lady of the Assumption School

At Our Lady of the Assumption School, our mission statement aims for our students to be “Respectful, Responsible, Lifelong Learners who live their Faith every day”.

Within each team and their respective learning programmes, our students are encouraged to direct their own learning through various forms and activities.

Opportunities for self-directed learning for our students increase as they progress through the school, culminating in their 2 years in the Hillary Hub.

Self-directed learning in the Hillary Hub (Yr 7/8)

In the Hillary Hub Self-directed learning (SDL) is an instructional strategy where the students, with guidance from the teacher, decide what and how they will learn. It can be done individually or with group learning, but the overall concept is that students take ownership of their learning.

Hillary Hub students’ timetable is directed by their individual needs. Students’ work is assigned and completed on chromebooks.
Each week, workshops are offered by the teachers in order to meet the needs of individual students in Literacy and Maths.
Students select the workshops which relate best to their own specific learning goals which they have identified through their own access to the Hero goals they are working towards achieving.

After attending workshops, students complete follow-up activities to consolidate their learning, once the skills have been proven students have the goals marked off and then select their next learning steps.

Self directed learning in the Hillary Hub prepares our students well for the next educational step into High School. Self Directed learning promotes confidence, initiative, organisation and gives students the knowledge they need to set goals for themselves.