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[Download a copy of
the Framework here
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Our Overarching Goal for Learning
Empowering learners of all ages to understand, shape and enrich our changing world, by living the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the spirit of St Augustine.
Our Beliefs
∙ about Learners:
∙ each person is created in the image and likeness of God,
“where your faith is, where your hope and your love are, there God has his image” - Augustine
∙ every person is a lifelong learner,
∙ every learner is in some respect, like all others, like some others, like no other.
∙ about Learning:
∙ the person of Jesus gives meaning to life and learning,
∙ every person can achieve success in learning,
∙ learning is an interior process,
“the true Teacher speaks from within” - Augustine
∙ learning is the active process of searching for and constructing meaning,
“let knowledge be used as a kind of scaffolding to help build the edifice of love and understanding” -
Augustine
ideally, within a community of fellow learners,
“the truth is neither mine nor yours, so that it can be yours and mine” - Augustine
∙ opportunities for learning encompass the richly diverse aspects of all life experience
∙ learning is directed towards knowing Truth, which is God
“one in mind and heart on the way towards God” - Augustine
∙ about Our Learning Community:
∙ the educational mission of our Augustinian Catholic school gives witness to the gospel and the integration
of faith, life and culture,
∙ the core business of our learning community is focussed on learning,
∙ at the heart of our learning community is the relationship between the teacher and the student,
“teachers and students must have their dwelling in one another” - Augustine
∙ our learning community is future focussed, flexibly structured and outcomes orientated.
“let our searching be such that we may be sure of finding, and let our finding be such that we may go
on searching” - Augustine
Our Values
As a Catholic school we value: the Catholic Christian Tradition, dignity and justice for each person, the
building of community, high quality learning, the principles of collaboration and subsidiarity, creativity,
stewardship and mutual accountability.
In particular, our Augustinian heritage calls us to love God and one’s neighbour, to solidarity with the poor
and the marginalised, to value interiority and humility, to be devoted to study and the pursuit of truth, to
promoting freedom, to actively building and nurturing community, to be devoted to the common good in a spirit
of service, and to friendship and prayer.
Our aims for each Villanova student
∙ to be a faithful, responsible person with integrity who
∙ generously loves himself, his neighbour and his God
∙ knows himself and relates to others with honesty, sensitivity, respect and compassion
∙ has a special concern for the poor, powerless and marginalised in society and the world
∙ has a personal faith which finds life-giving expression in his daily life
∙ to be a knowledgeable person with deep understanding who
∙ understands and uses the knowledge, concepts, theories and generalisations of the key learning areas
∙ understands and uses the symbol systems, languages, notational systems, processes and methods of generating new knowledge specific to the key
learning areas
∙ understands and uses the specific discipline skills appropriate to the key learning areas
∙ to be a complex thinker who
∙ uses a variety of complex reasoning strategies to analyse and synthesise information, solve problems and make decisions
∙ recognises and identifies patterns, connections, relationships and contexts
∙ compares new knowledge with previous knowledge to develop concepts and generalisations and to build new information into conceptual structure
∙ thinks inductively (from facts to generalisation), deductively (from generalisation or theory to facts) and intuitively (by perception of facts independent
of any reasoning process)
∙ to be a designer/creator who
∙ generates ideas, designs, systems or information with resourcefulness, imagination, insight, originality, aesthetic judgement, enterprise and a risk-taking approach to meet current and emerging needs and wants
∙ responds to multiple experiences and ideas about the world and communicates personal meaning through various modes and mediums such as:
choreographing, improvising, making and producing, and devising and composing
∙ uses a variety of methods, tools and technologies to generate new ways to solve problems, view situations and make decisions, or express new meaning
and envision alternative futures.
∙ to be a reflective, self-directed learner who
∙ critically reflects on problems and issues to shape ideas and solutions that contribute to a better understanding of the wider world
∙ critically evaluates and reflects on their assumptions, values and products
∙ plans, organises, manages and evaluates own thinking, performance, behaviour and well-being
∙ creates a cycle of reflection for self by: setting priorities and achievable goals, taking responsibility for actions, monitoring effectiveness of goals, and
resetting goals for further action
∙ develops self-discipline to work independently, to persevere with projects, and to plan to accommodate the unpredictable
∙ to be an effective communicator who
∙ communicates effectively and confidently in a range of contexts and for many different audiences
∙ actively listens to the intent and spirit of others’ words and respond appropriately verbally and non-verbally
∙ composes and comprehends a range of written, spoken and visual texts to convey information that is meaningful
∙ explores ideas critically and express them clearly for a variety of purposes
∙ uses individual and group performances to explore and express ideas, thoughts, feelings and understandings
∙ to be a community contributor who
∙ relates to others in ways that promote peace, tolerance, reconciliation, spirituality and optimism and a sense of purpose and belonging in the local,
national and global communities
∙ advocates for democratic processes, social justice and ecological and economic sustainability in local and global contexts
∙ seeks and employs ethical ways to address and solve problems affecting the well-being of their local communities and global environment
∙ actively works with others in their community to maintain or improve the quality of understanding and living in the world around them
∙ to be an active investigator who
∙ identifies questions, defines challenges and inequities, investigates underlying issues, and explores a range of alternatives to construct meaning
∙ generates and accesses information from a variety of sources
∙ examines cause and effect relationships in the context of the investigation
∙ judges the adequacy, accuracy and worth of data that results from research, experimentation, calculation and measurement, and justifies conclusions
based on evidence
∙ to be a quality producer who
∙ creates products that achieve their purpose and are appropriate for their intended audience
∙ constructs and applies knowledge, concepts, theories and generalisations to make meaning and communicate this in an exemplary product
∙ gathers and effectively utilises the people, resources and technologies needed for accomplishing projects successfully within agreed-upon time and
resource constraints
∙ to be a leader and collaborator who
∙ develops and incorporates leadership skills to contribute positively to the accomplishment of team goals, through processes such as: negotiation,
mediation, facilitation, clarification, coaching, and mentoring
∙ works cooperatively with peers and/or community members where plans and responsibilities are: clearly defined, equitably shared, and reliably carried
out
∙ develops and practices effective interpersonal skills in order to relate to others in peaceful, tolerant and non-discriminatory ways
∙ nourishes relationships with God, self, others and the environment with compassion, sensitivity, respect, integrity and empathy
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