Learning Powers
Meet our Learning Powers! When we get stuck with our learning, we call on our Learning Powers of meta-learning, perseverance, collaboration, empathy & listening, questioning, reflection and imagination to help us solve problems.
Dragon of Meta-learning - A strong fire breathing creature. We can use our strengths and interests, burning within us, to push us to learn!
Giant of Perseverance - A legendary human-like being of great stature and strength. Just like giants, we can stomp our way through any challenge and not let anything stand in our way.
Fairy of Collaboration - One fairy can't be responsible for collecting all the teeth from all the children in the world! We can be a magical being with powers, working together to achieve a common goal.
Lochness of Questioning - A mysterious creature known as Nessie. Nessie is a curious creature who is busy exploring the depths of Scotland's Lochs. We can be curious and explore the depth of our learning by questioning and seeking knowledge.
Phoenix of Reflection - Born from the ashes, phoenixes grow and change from the ashes. We can grow and change by learning from our experiences and mistakes.
Unicorn of Imagination - Magical creatures that represent happiness, freedom and healing. We can be a creative creature who reaches for the stars and creates new ways of learning.
Mermaid of Empathy & Listening - A sea dwelling creature with a mesmerising singing voice. Everyone has a voice, we can listen to them all with respect and share our ideas using our strong voices.
Why Learning Powers?
In 2022, our school began a journey to identify, create, celebrate and embed Learning Powers within our learning and teaching.
We embarked on this journey to strengthen our students’ capacity to use their voice and take greater responsibility for their learning. At our school, building Learning Power means equipping students to become more effective learners, both inside and outside the classroom.
We are committed to fostering a supportive culture that promotes the habits and attitudes needed for successful learning. This approach enables students to approach challenges and uncertainty with calm, confidence and creativity. By actively engaging students in understanding how they learn, we believe that “learning how to learn” is an essential skill for life.
What have we achieved?
In collaboration with our students and families, we have:
- Identified our Learning Powers through surveys with students, families and staff, highlighting what we believe are essential for successful learners.
- Designed our Learning Powers through a school-wide student competition, bringing student voice to life.
- Celebrated our work with a launch day, where students dressed as their favourite Learning Power.
- Developed and displayed posters and icons, now embedded in daily classroom practice.
- Introduced a new approach to recognising academic achievement through student self-nomination for awards. This reflects our commitment to student voice and encourages meaningful self-reflection.
- Strengthened student ownership, self-awareness and intrinsic motivation by encouraging students to reflect on their learning behaviours, progress and achievements through this process.
- Provided families with advance notice of award recipients via the school newsletter, enabling them to attend and celebrate at whole-school assemblies.
Where to from here?
We will continue to embed Learning Powers across all areas of learning, ensuring students are supported to become confident, capable and self-directed learners.