Our Philosophy

Our School Philosophy

Our students succeed best when we work cooperatively as a team created of students, parents, staff and community members. The students at Montague Consolidated are encouraged to be respectful, take responsibility for their learning, and have pride in their school. We promote our S.U.R.F philosophy (Safety, Unity, Respect, Fair Play) both inside and outside the walls of our school.

We are fortunate to have a great staff of individuals that are here to support your children. We work well together and encourage you to connect with our staff whenever you have questions about your child’s day with us at MCS. (King-Compton, 2021)

Our Program Philosophy

Our MCS Music Program believes that humans are innately musical. We create opportunities for our students to discover their passions through a variety of musical endeavours such as choir, rock band, musicals, and more! We focus on ensuring our music rooms are safe places for our students to experiment and grow, and welcome creativity and fun in our day-to-day activities. Our music classes feature many play-based lessons, inspired by Orff and Kodaly methods.

Ms Tara's Personal Philosophy Statement

Musicking is magic. In our music room (and beyond), everyone is welcome to join, share, and learn from each other while engaging in fun music making. I believe that humans are innately musical, and it's our job to help students grow to be kind, collaborative, confident, and successful. My classroom is a safe space, where we sing, move, play, create, and take creative risks each day. Mistakes are viewed as a normal part of the learning process, and artistry is pursued. Everyone can learn to make music as we incorporate relevant forms of musicking that students enjoy and connect to, while developing not only musical skills, but also social-emotional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills as well. Connection is key in my class, as we learn more about each individual student, and their unique musical journey.

My teaching philosophy is a blend of multiple psychological approaches as seen below.

Our community is a big part of our musical journey, and we encourage students to share their musical skills and creativity with friends, family, and the larger community. We also believe that our community has so much knowledge and experience to share, and invite guest teachers to join our classes and help us learn about your unique ways of musicking. If you are interested in joining us, please fill out this form and we will be in contact with you.

Instructional Design Approaches

Bloom's Taxonomy

Learning experiences can be categorized into 6 types or levels (see the taxonomy) that require the learner to interact with the subject matter in different ways (organized from “lower order thinking” to “higher order thinking”).

Knowledge dimensions: Factual, Conceptual, Procedural, Metacognitive

Three domains: Cognitive (think), Affective (feel), Psychomotor (do)

Essential Graduation Competencies

Prince Edward Island curriculum is designed to develop the following 6 competencies by graduation as per the Atlantic Canada Framework for Essential Graduation Competencies released by the Council of Atlantic Ministers of Education and Training. These skills prepare students for successful participation in lifelong learning and life/work transitions.

Lonis and Haley - The Four Pillars

Artistry - Beauty and intent. Be persistent in pursuing artistry, and give your students the tools they need to do so.

Philosophy - The embodiment of your values. What is important to you in your classroom and teaching?

Psychology - Understanding the way people learn. Incorporate ideas such as value and transfer, Bloom's Taxonomy, and other ideas from curriculum icons.

Pedagogy - The toolkit of strategies to build learning. "Know your stuff, know who you are stuffing, stuff 'em!" (Haley, 2024)

Spiral Learning

Cyclical - Learners revisit skills and concepts several times throughout their learning.
Increasing Depth: Each time a learner revisits a skill or concept, a deeper level of understanding is explored, increasing its complexity.
Prior Knowledge - Activating students' prior knowledge allows them to build upon their foundations instead of starting anew.
When learners revisit the same skill or concept repeatedly, they consolidate their prior knowledge, facilitating a deeper understanding and progressing toward mastery.

Additional Curriculum Model Influences Include...

Hilda Taba - Assessing students needs and choosing content based on those needs, teacher’s being very involved in the curriculum development, structured curriculum plan
Dewey - Experience-based learning, preparing students for real-world problem solving
Oliva - Collaboration, dynamic and adaptable
Kerr - Learner-centered, focus on the process (not just the content), focus on developing critical thinking
Hunkins - Reflection and revision of the curriculum

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