The Core Curriculum
The Core Curriculum is characterised by two themes which run through the entire curriculum, be it in the experiences of the students within the classroom, in their assignments and projects, or in the evaluation modes.Design for Understanding
VCA IP students are engaged in lessons that are purposeful and activity-oriented, in order that their understanding of the concept or topic might be developed and deepened. We employ a learning approach that engages the students with big picture concepts that run through various topics or even subjects. Rather than seeing a discipline in terms of discrete components of knowledge, we make connections that bridge different ideas and issues, as well as the classroom context with the real world.
In-Venturing: Excavating the Essential Questions
We would like VCA IP students to drive their own learning process. Instead of merely understanding a concept or topic at a level that has been presented to them by the teacher or the textbook, students are encouraged to delve deeper into the issue, in the same way that professionals in the discipline would. Our students are encouraged to perceive a problem or situation in the way that a mathematician or biologist would see it.
Taken together, the two approaches ensure that students achieve both depth and breadth in the subjects they pursue.