UMNOS
Maramba Primary School is a proud member of The University of Melbourne Network of Schools (UMNOS)
As a collaborative partner with The University of Melbourne and twenty other State, Catholic and Independent Schools from various sectors of Victoria (rural and metro schools, primary, secondary, P-12 schools and Special schools.) Our aim at Maramba is to explore, research and implement high impact teaching approaches and strategies, which will improve teacher practice and student learning.
World-class researchers and leading education theorists such as John Hattie, Patrick Griffin, and Misty Adoniou just to name a few, provide professional learning that is current, relevant, and anchored in evidence based research. Schools within the network provide critical collegiate support as individual schools embark on their specific professional learning journey.
At Maramba, the professional learning we are undertaking is woven within our school values (Respect, Responsibility, Relationships, Resilience) and our Human Literacy pedagogy to enhance students’ engagement and achievement within school.
Our core belief of giving students a voice and encouraging them to be partners in their own learning, not only increases their agency and achievement but also creates lifelong learning habits.
The research tells us, providing and seeking feedback is an effective way teachers can give students a ‘voice.’ This is the path our professional learning is focused on in 2019, our third year of collegiate partnership within UMNOS.
At Maramba, teachers seek and provide frequent and real-time student feedback to assess the impact of their teaching practices on each student and strategically modify approaches and learning tasks to better suit different student learning needs. In our learning spaces, learning is visible, experiences are authentic and conversations are valuable; delivered in a supportive child centred environment.
Research tells us when students are engaged in their schools, feel empowered to goal set and seek success, reflect on their actions and learning there is a direct association with positive outcomes later in life.
As a team of educationalists, all of us at Maramba share the core belief that all students can and will learn best when their learning needs are identified, monitored and catered for. Evidence based educational theories and models explored through a professional learning context supplement our professional knowledge of promoting students social, emotional, physical, cultural and intellectual growth. Thus making learning purposeful, meaningful and lifelong.
Mrs Erminia Foley, is appointed the schools UMNOS Success Coordinator who leads this Network Partnership. Together with Mr. Darren Wallace, Mrs. Diane Morwood and the school’s UMNOS Professional Learning Community (PLC) the knowledge and skills gained from participating in the Network are transferred to Maramba’s own staff, through ongoing professional development.
Through the partnership, we are learning from the ‘best of the best.’ The lectures keynotes are thought provoking and the sharing of research and ‘work’ by the schools within the network inspire conversations and reflection thus driving the promotion and analysis of our processes but above all the Learning and Teaching culture here at Maramba for all staff, every single learner, in every single classroom, every day.
