LEARNING & TEACHING FRAMEWORK

 

TEACHING, LEARNING & ASSESSMENT

     Teachers:

  • Place lessons in context of prior and future learning and assessment.
  • Present new material in small steps using clear and detailed instructions and explanations.
  • Provide opportunities for high level practice after each step.
  • Guide students as they practise by “thinking out loud” and modelling steps.
  • Use guided reading and/or oracy for writing strategies to develop academic literacy.
  • Provide examples and models of worked-out problems and exemplar exam work (and the steps to them).
  • Provide frequent opportunities for high level extended writing, discussion and problem solving.
  • Provide students structures to help them ask questions and debate to stretch or deepen their understanding.
  • Use the Brain, Book, Buddy, Boss model (or similar) to encourage students to solve problems themselves or collaboratively before asking the teacher.

     Use questioning to:

  • Check for understanding of processes and instructions.
  • Push students to think more deeply, develop their ideas and make more complex connections (e.g. using a Blooms model).
  • Confirm what students have learned.
  • Assess the learning and responses of all students within the lesson.
  • Adapt the lesson and/or instructions and re-teach elements if necessary.
  • Provide regular feedback and corrections.

      Teach students how to learn and revise in their subject areas e.g.

  • over-learning techniques
  • learning off by heart
  • effective Internet research
  • planning and checking essays
  • using mark schemes
  • working collaboratively

      Use every opportunity to teach, model and/or promote literacy and numeracy.

 

BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING

    Teachers help students to develop excellent behaviours for learning.

    They:

  • Arrive on time and equipped for lessons.
  • Settle to activities quickly.
  • Have pride in their work and their achievements.
  • Move through routines smoothly, with no time wasted.
  • Work respectfully and productively with others.
  • Have highly effective independent leaning skills.
  • Work is completed neatly and books/folders are kept in good order.
  • Have stamina and resilience to cope with extended writing, discussion and problem-solving.
  • Use their books and other resources to help them plan and complete work.
  • Use active feedback comments, mark schemes, Google Classroom resources and/or PLCs to help them plan and complete their work.
  • Complete all DIRT activities fully.
  • Use skills and knowledge from other subjects to inform their work.
  • Can select the most appropriate way of working and resources for them so they learn effectively.
  • Can model excellent leaning behaviours to others.

     Ask questions of their peers and the teacher which help them develop       their understanding.

     Have effective strategies for:

  • learning off by heart
  • researching on the Internet
  • planning and checking essays/assignments
  • using mark schemes
  • working collaboratively
  • working independently
  • revising
  • note taking

      Show strong literacy and numeracy skills in all subjects (as appropriate).

      Review their learning in each subject at the end of each week.

      Where appropriate, students are expected to keep PLCs up to date.

 

ROUTINES & BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT

     At the start of lessons:

  • Students put homework diaries and equipment for lessons on desks.
  • There is a uniform/kit check
  • Students settle quickly to a purposeful and calm activity (this will be DIRT at least every 2-3 weeks).
  • A register is taken within the first 10 minutes of the lesson.
  • Students who are late are asked to write their reasons in the teacher’s late book.

      There are established routines for regularly used activities.

      Students are praised personally and specifically.

      Half termly reviews of their progress data (linked to reports) and/or PLCs.

      Disruption of learning is not tolerated and the Behaviour Policy is followed                                consistently.

     At the end of lessons:

  • There is a uniform check
  • Students are asked to stand behind their desks and are dismissed formally

 

PLANNING

1. Lessons are planned in line with the subject’s scheme of work and scheme of          assessment so they are part of a continuum of learning.

2. Teachers use information about the strengths, aspirations and needs of individuals and from assessments, as well as the learners’ own targets to ensure that lessons/activities are adapted to meet the needs of all and to ensure there is stretch and challenge for all.

3. In designing lessons, teachers plan:

  • Ambitiously for all learners and in line with subject team planning.
  • Learning success criteria which are clear and ensure progress over time for all students.
  • Clear outcomes that the students must demonstrate to show that they have met their personal success criteria for each activity and over the course of a sequence of learning.
  • Assessment activities and questioning to check that students are progressing through the lesson and meeting their objectives.

 

HOMEWORK

Students have homework for every subject every week (30 mins/subject in Foundation, 40 minutes/subject in KS4). #There is no homework set for Core PE. In Foundation Drama and Music there is occasional homework as appropriate.

In KS5 students are set ca 4 hours per subject (in addition to their Supervised Study Time allocation)Every week students are expected to review the past week’s work and/or PLCs.

Homework will focus on the 4 R’s: Reading, Research, Revision, Recall and can include a variety of activities including:

  • Flipped learning
  • Reading/research in preparation for the next lesson
  • Reading/research (for consolidation or extension)
  • Recall tasks
  • Revision – creating revision cards/ topic maps for a topic/unit studies
  • Revision for assessments or examinations
  • Answering questions and problem solving
  • Extended writing/essay writing

The setting of homework and the clarification of expectations and deadlines are given enough time during the lesson. The principle must always be that homework is meaningful and has a purpose in consolidating or advancing learning.

Homework may be marked by the teacher or by students in class, or it may be used as part of learning in the next lesson.

 

ACTIVE FEEDBACK

Teachers provide written active feedback in line with their department policy (typically once every 2-3 weeks).

Active feedback confirms:

  1. What the student is doing well
  2. Where they are in relation to their personal target.
  3. Some specific activities the student must do to improve (work and ways of working)
  4. Activities to improve literacy and/or numeracy as appropriate

Active feedback can take a range of forms including verbal, coded and written feedback, self-and peer-assessment and whole class feedback.

Active feedback is always followed by a formal DIRT (Directed Independent Reflection Time) session (with clear routines).

Where appropriate DIRT sessions include a PLC review.

Other types of feedback may also be followed by DIRT sessions (eg: self-or peer assessment).

Teachers will do regular book/folder check in class to ensure that students are organising and presenting their work appropriately.