Student Learning

PoLT Online Professional Learning Resource – Principle 2

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You Could Try This

    Designing and planning the learning environment

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    What whole school strategies impact on teacher actions?

    • School wide student support and welfare policies are consistent
    • Student voice and ownership in learning are integral to designing and planning learning environments
    • The emphasis on student voice and ownership
    • Behaviour management policies reflect the importance of co-operation between all members of the school community
    • Classroom codes of conduct reflect the valuing of student voice
    • Negotiation is evident across school processes including assessment procedures
    • Curriculum approaches throughout the school emphasise teaching that fosters independent learning
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    Learning and teaching tactics and skills

    Tactics and teacher skill are directed to ensuring the learning environment promotes independence, interdependence and self- motivation. Democratic processes, values and skills of cooperative learning and negotiation are directly addressed in the classroom. Students recognise that:

    • my classroom is a democratic environment
    • I know that my voice will be heard in this classroom
    • I will be able to work in a supportive collegial environment
    • I will be supported to learn independently
    • I will be supported to work co-operatively
    • I will have a say in what I learn, how I learn, how I am taught, what I am taught and how I am assessed

    For more information see:

    Tactics can include:

    • direct teaching of cooperative learning skills, e.g. Jigsaw, Group investigation, team analysis, academic controversy, think-pair-share, inside outside circles, three-step interviews
    • democratic classroom practices, e.g. Class meetings, problem solving and negotiation are modelled and taught, eg Tribes, attentive listening, appreciation statements, the right to pass and mutual respect, negotiated classroom rules
    • negotiated learning, e.g students may contribute to curriculum planning and design by, making decisions about goals for learning, sequencing of activities, learning contracts, suggesting resources and excursions, modifying or extending the content, designing integrated units from the students’ big questions
    • negotiated assessment, e.g. deciding individually or in groups some product or goals in addition to those that the teacher may have made obligatory
    • ‘brainstorming’ with the teacher on possible methods of final evaluation.

    Download woksheet: Strategies and Tactics (Word - 159Kb)

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    Components of an effective lesson design

    • Opening
    • Questioning
    • Student voice
    • Grouping
    • Monitoring and assessing student progress
    • Evaluation

    Download worksheet: Components of an effective lesson design - A checklist (Word - 157Kb)

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    What grouping?

    • Whole class
    • Small groups, structured or unstructured
    • Individual
    • How are groups supported? what collaborative skills will be emphasized? e.g. turn taking, clarifying ideas, disagreeing in an agreeable way, sharing, positive feedback, helping others, negotiating

    Download worksheet: Groupings (Word - 159Kb)

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    Action planning with strategies in mind

    The teaching team, through their ongoing research and planning, ensures they are familiar with the recent research and literature on:

    • collaborative learning
    • co-operative learning
    • student voice
    • negotiated curriculum
    • democratic classrooms
    • ‘middle years’ issues of alienation, and
    • engagement.

    For more information see:

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    Reflection

    • How do I provide opportunities for student voice in learning and assessment?
    • What do I do that builds collaboration: with students; between students; and with the broader school community?

    Download worksheet: Reflection (Word - 161Kb)

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    Other support

    Leadership teams support teachers' initiatives that focus self and peer assessment. Time is allocated for teachers to negotiate planning and assessment with students. Professional development opportunities cover strategies such as collaborative learning anddemocratic classrooms.