What can we do to improve student learning?

Introduction

What do teachers and school leaders do that has the greatest impact on student performance?

The purpose of this professional learning session is to provide our school team with the opportunity to focus on current research to assist us in shaping the future learning environment and experience of our students.

An overview of the current research is provided by Ann McIntyre.

Vodcast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjUvqGmd8Gs&feature=plcp

Discussion

Lead questions to guide discussion

• What key ideas resonated with you?

• What ideas relate most closely with ourcurrent work?

• What opportunities can you identify?

Activity 1

NSW public schools have a strong history of working together to ensure that all students have access to quality teaching within their local school. We know how important it is to ensure that every child, irrespective of their circumstances has an education that enables them to achieve their hopes and dreams and to leave school with dignity, purpose and options.

Question and activity• As a teacher, what do you want to achieve for

your students?

• As a school, what do we want to achieve for our students?

• Would parents and students identify the same outcome/s?

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Activity 2Successful leaders do three things. The first is that they actively set directions. The second is that they place their attention on the learning of their students and the professional leaning of their teachers. And the third is that they work on the organisational design of their schools to achieve the best outcomes.

Question and activityThinking about the organisation within your school, identify the things that enable and the things that hinder your school’s achievement of the best outcomes for students. List these individually on post-it notes. Place the notes on the matrix of influence with three levels, these being classroom, school, system and the level of action easy to implement, difficult to implement.

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Activity 3Engaging teachers in the key decisions regarding teaching and learning builds leadership capacity and shared responsibility for the success of the new strategies. It also means that the motivation for change and the skills to bring it about are shared throughout the school.

Question and activityStage or faculty group activity. Teachers are in the best position to see the impact on students in classrooms.

Consider the response to activity 2. If you had the opportunity to take any action this term to improve student learning in your classroom, stage/faculty or school, what would you do?

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What can we do to improve student learning? Future directions

1. Presentation of stage/faculty action plans, consideration of the common themes, patterns and interconnections and exploration of opportunities for stages/faculties with a common focus to work together.

2. At the end of the term or the term two school development day presentation of progress reports from stage/faculty teams and discussion of the next stages.