Learning @ MPS

MPS Instructional Approach

Welcome to Mirripoa Primary School, where we are committed to providing our students with the highest quality of education through an evidence-based approach to instruction. Our philosophy is grounded in the Science of Learning, ensuring that our teaching methods are supported by research and proven to be effective. We prioritise knowledge-rich curriculum as we firmly believe that a strong foundation of knowledge is essential for students to become critical thinkers and problem solvers.

MPS Instructional Model

At Mirripoa Primary School our schoolwide instructional model is Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI). Teachers follow the I Do, We Do, You Do model to introduce new concepts, ensuring all students can achieve success. Our instructional model is based on Barak Rosenshine’s ten key principles of instruction.

English

At Mirripoa Primary School students are in engaged in a minimum of 10 hours of English per week as we understand how important English skills are to support all learning. We use evidence-based methods to ensure all students learn and grow in English. Explicit, structured and systematic teaching are the pillars behind our approach at MPS.

Effective reading instruction is made of six key areas:

Phonological Awareness

Fluency

Phonics

Vocabulary

Oral Language

Comprehension

 

​​​​Our structured reading and writing approach include:

  • Phonological awareness and phonics skill screening on arrival
  • Developing oral language by learning how spoken words sound, what words and sentences mean, and how to communicate ideas
  • Explicit teaching of phonological awareness and phonics
  • Explicit teaching of irregular words/ high frequency words
  • Guided practice to build fluency
  • Vocabulary development – including structured morphology from Prep to 6
  • Explicit teaching of comprehension strategies in context
  • Explicit teaching of comprehension questioning techniques

Mathematics

At Mirripoa Primary School students are engaged in a minimum of five hours of mathematics per week, where our focus is to enable automaticity in the basics, so students are confident when working with more complex problems. We explicitly teach the concepts and skills needed for students to be proficient mathematicians. We believe that if students have sound knowledge of the fundamentals of mathematics, they will enjoy and appreciate the study of number, algebra, statistics, probability, measurement and space.

We utilise the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 content. This includes the Big Ideas in Number, enabling our students to develop deep conceptual understandings and the four proficiencies of Understanding, Fluency, Problem Solving and Reasoning. These are embedded through our lessons across P-6 and help to ensure that student learning and independence are at the centre of what is being taught. The aim is for students to develop sophisticated, refined mathematical thinking and can justify their strategies and reasoning.