Statement of Special Character

Matahui School’s Special Character is defined through its educational philosophies, its delivery of education through those philosophies and the commitment of Matahui School and its community to upholding the Special Character of the education it provides.

Matahui School’s core educational philosophies, which define its Special Character, are:

·       Multiple Intelligences (Howard Gardener); and

·       Habits of Mind (Art Costa).

Matahui School delivers these educational philosophies via small classes and a variety of teaching and learning methods, to enable students to learn in the way that they learn best. Learning through experience is core to the delivery of the Multiple Intelligences; accordingly, Matahui School has a focus on Education Outside the Classroom. This is supported through strong intra-school linkages between students of all ages; and a commitment between school and families to maintain a strong sense of community.

These elements represent Matahui School’s Special Character through its delivery of education.

The essential elements of Matahui School’s application of the Multiple Intelligences

·     We recognise that every student relies on a mix of connected skills (the Multiple Intelligences), through which they learn and experience life;

·     We recognise that every student has a unique mix of strengths across the Multiple Intelligences. For many students, their strongest skills and therefore, their most effective methods of learning, lie outside the “traditional”, more easily measured verbal / linguistic or logical / mathematical skills;

·     We provide the opportunities, structure and support to enable our students to learn through their strengths and by doing so, improve their learning across all their skills;

·     By enabling our students to learn in the way they learn best, our students develop strong and positive self-esteem, which in turn promotes their motivation to learn and success in doing so.

The essential elements of Matahui School’s application of the Habits of Mind

·     We recognise that our students need to develop critical thinking skills to enable them to handle the challenges of uncertain issues or changes they will meet in their future education and life beyond;

·     Working out “what to do when you don’t know what to do” (applying the Habits of Mind) relies on skills, attitudes, past experiences, recognition and management of risks, strategic reasoning and creative thinking;

·     We provide an environment and experiences that challenge our students to develop their own solutions to uncertain circumstances through the Habits of Mind.