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Pedagogy is one of those words that's heavily used across education, but rarely defined for the general public. In its simplest form, it is the way we teach. Pedagogy between teachers will often vary as no two classes are the same. However, the drivers and underpinning research, methodologies adopted by the whole school and consistent approaches to behaviour and inquiry are all shared by the teachers.
EFFECTIVE PEDAGOGY - ‘Where learning makes a difference’
EFFECTIVE PEDAGOGY - ‘Where learning makes a difference’
Teacher Actions promoting student learning.
A culture of inquiry and review of professional practice is established at Albany Primary School. In such a community we learn together, from each other and from evidence-based practice and research.
The NZC (p34-35) identifies Teaching as Inquiry at the heart of Effective Pedagogy requiring teachers to inquire into the impact of their teaching. Teacher inquiry ensures the improvement of student outcomes through the development and use of more effective teaching strategies and is woven into our ‘GROWTH Coaching’ and school wide appraisal systems.
Key indicators for success:
Create a supportive learning environment
Effective teachers foster positive relationships with students and the wider community that are caring inclusive and culturally responsive.
Students are actively engaged in their learning.
Learning focused relationships maximise the opportunities for learning, enabling students to become to become confident ,resilient active learners and citizens.
Positive Behaviour Expectations at Albany (PBE): Teachers create an environment that promotes and encourages ownership of actions and decisions, reflections, utilising restorative practices.
Encouraging effective thought and action
Reflective learners take their new learning, relate it to what they know, adapt it for a purpose, and put it into action.
Learners are guided and encouraged through opportunities to develop creative and critical thinking in appropriate contexts.
By using Split Screen strategy with learning intentions, teachers address both learning content and learning behaviours and dispositions e.g.
Concept > Walt: inquire into how “Challenges” are approached;
Skill > Walt: use effective questioning skills to select, compare, judge, explain…
Facilitating student directed learning:
Students learn most effectively when they understand what they are learning, why they are learning it and how they will be able to use their new learning (Agency).
Assessment for Learning fosters the development of students understanding and becoming responsibility for their own learning as well as being able to independently identify the next steps.
Rubrics, Self-assessment tools and Progressions are visible and used by students to guide their understanding of their learning steps in Literacy and Mathematics.
Authentic student led learning is based on passions and interests.
Facilitating collaborative learning
Learning is social, therefore learning conversations and partnerships are evident through the school community. As students engage in reflective discourse with others, they build the language that they need to take the learning further.
Using multi-level groupings both within school and globally
Working together to achieve a common goal, or solve a problem or meet a challenge is evident in the school community
Providing varied opportunities for learning:
Students learn most effectively when they have time and opportunity to engage with, practise and transfer new learning.
Modelled, independent and guided whatever the context, (new learning, reinforcement of learning, practice and strengthening/extension of learning)
Reciprocal learning/ teaching from, with and by occurs across a variety of contexts learning.
Responsive teaching to meet the needs of all students (is reflected in the use of flexible groupings). OR (is evident through the use of flexible groupings to address specific identified gaps).
Direct Acts of Teaching (DAT’s) underpin all teaching and learning sequences.
Differentiated (individualised)/groups for learning are based on data stories and gap analysis.
Shifting the Locus of Control
Shifting the Locus of Control
There is greater ownership of the lesson by students as responsibility shifts from teacher to student for learning. Content, process, and choice of learning are experienced as co-constructed. The teacher empowers students to be independent learners who have a commitment to evaluating and adjusting their learning to meet their needs. (TKI)
As we continue to explore the journey around shifting the ownership and locus of control in our classrooms, teachers need to become more familiar with the difference between praise and encouragement. This is not to say that praise should not be a part of the classroom programme, more that encouragement supports children to continue their learning, while understanding that praise is very often considered to be at the end.
Praise:
Recognizes the doer. (“You got an A on the test.”)
Is control from the outside. (“You are good when you follow all the class rules.”)
Is evaluation by others. (“You pleased me when you picked up all the pencils.”)
Focuses on the finished, well-done task. (“You are worthwhile because you did the job well.”)
Emphasizes personal gains. (“You came in first; therefore, you are good.”)
Encouragement:
Recognizes the effort of the doer. (“You worked really hard to get your grade.”)
Is faith that the individual can control self. (“You are a responsible person.”)
Promotes self-evaluation. (“How do you feel about your work so far?”)
Emphasizes effort and progress of a task. (“Look at all the improvement you have made.”)
Emphasizes appreciation of contributions and assets. (“Your efforts helped us have a good science fair.”)
What does this mean for APS?
Teachers are encouraged to continue to develop Learner Focused Relationships, supporting student understanding of their own knowledge, next steps and current abilities. As students begin to understand their own abilities and knowledge as a learner, they can be encouraged to continue to take greater responsibility and ownership for their learning.
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