ABOUT KINMA

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

Generally Kinma provides an environment which respects and nurtures the individuality of its members.

Kinma promotes an active, creative and generative environment for all its members; an environment which allows and actively encourages children to reach their potential in all areas.

The Way Children Learn

Children possess an innate desire to learn. From an early age children pose questions, problem-solve, play and interact with their environment. Teachers at Kinma provide learning situations that encourage, stimulate and develop each child's inherent learning styles with the aim of each child's reaching full potential.

Central to this individualised approach is the acknowledgement that humans possess multiple intelligences. These intelligences include:

  • language
  • musical
  • spatial
  • personal (intra-personal and inter-personal)

Teachers at Kinma carefully take all these "intelligences" into account whilst programming. Consequently children are exposed to all intelligence mediums. This allows the individual child to find his/her most accessible learning style, and use this style to maximise learning in all areas. For example, if a child is strong in musical intelligence, the knowledge of this strength can be used by the teachers to enhance learning in other areas. Subsequently, the child benefits by learning in the style that is most suitable to him/her.

Innovation

An educational environment which encourages debate, discussion, evaluation of current educational thought and research by all its members is more likely to be innovative and to continue to address the most pertinent of issues in terms of the future needs of its children.

Individuality

Furthermore we recognise that:

  • education should develop self-discipline, sensitivity and discrimination;
  • education should develop self-expression and confidence in individuals;
  • education should develop independent learners able to achieve satisfaction from learning experiences.
Society

Children develop an awareness of the rights of themselves and others through play and through the daily experience of resolving conflicts and working together cooperatively.

The school recognises its place in the wider community and the need for our children to develop skills and attitudes through which they will shape their own personal philosophy of life.

Cooperation, trust, integrity and friendship are fostered both within the school community and in the consideration of the wider community.

Social responsibility starts with the individual and develops through the school and into the world beyond.

Through the development of self-confidence, children develop independence and self-motivation which allows them to become socially responsible adults.