PoLT Online Professional Learning Resource – Principle 1

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Components Unpacked

1.1 - The teacher builds positive relationships through knowing and valuing each student

This component is about building quality relationships, based on respect, value and care. It is about taking time to get to know and understand students, in an educational sense but also in a wider social and personal sense.

This component is demonstrated by teachers:

• targeting questions, or responding to answers, in a way that acknowledges individual needs and potential contributions
• finding out about the interests and background of each student
• focusing attention, when circulating, on students who have particular needs
• encouraging all students to contribute
• responding positively and non judgmentally to student contributions
• using humour and anecdotes to develop rapport with the class
• talking to students to determine the root causes of misbehaviour and responding appropriately
• establishing a tradition in class whereby students talk about instances of new ideas connected to their lives and communities
• providing support for students through mentoring and pastoral roles and organisation of extra activities, such that relationships are built around multiple aspects of students’ lives.

The component is NOT demonstrated when:

• teachers make judgements about students based on generalisations relating to social or cultural background
• teachers judge students on a narrow set of skills or knowledge
• teachers have low expectations and/or negative opinions about certain groups of students.

Examples to illustrate the component.

• During a unit on health and disease, student opinion on current health and community issues is sought, and students are encouraged to talk about the complexities of health issues for their generation.
• A design task is framed around students’ needs and interests, and the teacher is open to their differing ideas and helps them work through the design brief.

1.2 - The teacher promotes a culture of value and respect for individuals and their communities

This component is about creating an environment where students’ comments are acknowledged, their different opinions are respected, cultural and other differences are accepted, and where students feel safe and valued.

This component is demonstrated by teachers:

• accepting the opinions and values on which students’ comments are based, and embracing differences rather than insisting that students conform
• ensuring that all contributions to class or group discussion are listened to and accorded respect
• establishing a climate where difference of perspective is welcomed and learnt from
• establishing agreed rules of behaviour to provide a safe and productive environment.

The component is NOT demonstrated when:

• class discussions are restricted by the teacher and student opinion is not acknowledged to any significant degree
• mainstream opinions are allowed to dominate discussion
• discriminatory language is not challenged.

Examples to illustrate the component.

• Students are encouraged to develop guidelines for class discussions where they all agree to listen to each person’s views carefully and answer respectfully, even if they disagree with the view.
• In a design task students are invited to talk about the way particular artefacts are used in their cultures, or home lives.
• Students establish contact via email with a sister school in an overseas country, exchanging information with a view to exploring and comparing a particular social aspect of both countries (e.g., traffic problems, population problems, family issues etc).
• During topics dealing with contemporary events, all students (of different gender, ethnicity or religious affiliation) are explicitly encouraged to contribute to discussion of issues and implications for them.
• In a Science unit on light, Islamic contributions to our current understanding of vision are described and discussed.

1.3 - Teaching strategies promote students’ self-confidence and willingness to take risks with their learning

This component is primarily about students being supported to feel confident to contribute ideas without fear of being ‘put down’. It includes the notion of students moving ‘outside the square’ with their thinking and learning; not settling for the ‘ordinary’ but trying out new ideas and practices. This may involve teacher modelling and negotiation.

This component is demonstrated by teachers:

• providing appropriate support structures for open inquiry projects and investigations
• encouraging students to follow interesting and open lines of inquiry
• modelling acceptance and valuing of unusual ideas
• using explicit assessment criteria that encourage students to try out new ideas.

The component is NOT demonstrated when:

• only ‘right answers’ are accorded respect and encouragement
• student attempts at problem solving activities are responded to judgmentally rather than as opportunities for further learning
• speculative responses are discouraged
• curriculum planning does not allow room for canvassing of diverse opinion and ideas.

Examples to illustrate the component.

• Students engage in exploratory tasks or constructions and are made aware that trying out ideas that have some risk of not succeeding will be assessed positively.
• Students are encouraged to draw in a way they have not previously tried and imaginative efforts that break new ground are encouraged.
• Students are encouraged to interpret the idea of ‘energy’ in a variety of complex situations that are challenging but productive to analyse.
• Students are supported through the use of video analysis to evaluate the offensive strategies of a team in a particular sport and develop defensive strategies to counter these.

1.4 - Each student experiences success through structured support, the valuing of effort, and recognition of their work

This component involves teachers supporting students to achieve success as they move through the learning process. It is about recognising that all students have different abilities and acknowledging and valuing the effort each student puts into improving their work.

This component is demonstrated by teachers:

• determining students’ differing abilities and providing support when it is needed
• acknowledging students’ progress and scaffolding learning to maximise success
• recognising and celebrating the achievements of all students
• assessing student work against prior achievements rather than against other students’ work
• providing students with realistic but challenging goals and recognising the effort they put towards achieving these goals
• acknowledging effort as well as ability, both publicly and in personal feedback.

The component is NOT demonstrated when:

• all student work is only assessed against general classroom criteria
• student achievement is ranked by academic performance only.

Examples to illustrate the component.

• Students set goals and timelines for a research project and share their progress with the teacher and other students at the commencement of each class. Students are assessed against their own goals.
• Students are given ample opportunity to develop new skills before embarking on tasks that require their application.