Harvest Christian School is proud to be the first in South Africa to introduce and launch Profound Learning. Our pilot ‘Learning Adventure’ with the Grade 4’s, in 2021, was very successful. Students learnt how to manage time, collaborate and monitor individual progress. Parents commented on how their children were excited about coming to school. Students’ journal entries read, “This is the best year of my life” and “these are the best teachers I’ve ever had.” Some students took what they had learnt during the Adventure and implemented new habits at home, becoming ambassadors of waste and recycling. The Grade 4 students became confident spokespeople about what they had learnt and experienced in and through their Learning Adventure.
Profound Learning originated in Canada and has formed part of the teaching at Masters Academy in Alberta for the past 24 years. Since introducing this method of teaching, the students at Masters Academy have consistently out-performed provincial averages for excellence. This is our desire at Harvest Christian School – to reach a level of mastery and excellence.
Profound Learning elevates learning to that which is beyond the ‘traditional’ model of education. No longer classroom-centred education, but student-centred education.
Conditions and environments are intentionally designed by teachers which increase the motivation and effectiveness of learning. This method of teaching integrates subjects and allows students to engage in learning experiences that are personal, managed and meaningful all in a space where there is a culture of trust – “it’s smart to show what you don’t know.”
We are guided by the CAPs Curriculum, and continue to see the value and importance of assessments, tests and exams. However, our methodology is creative and exciting.
Students take responsibility for and control of their own learning and monitor their own progress, thus identifying personal gaps. Teachers facilitate the students’ progress and assist with closing the gaps, and then reaching the goal – mastery for all!
Profound Learning is not Industrial Age learning, but 21st Century learning.
Along with high academic excellence, our aim is to prepare our students for their future with a focus on innovation, creativity and mastery.