Learning, Teaching &
Pedagogy Development
Our Learning and Teaching School Improvement Group has been a key driver in progressing the teaching and learning experience across Musselburgh Grammar School. This comprises of staff from each faculty so is widely representative of the school community.
This session their focus, through consultation with young people and staff, has been to create our MGS Learning and Teaching Approach. This is now active across school and sets out the standard expectations of excellent practice.
All faculties have collectively engaged in CLPL and professional reading using Rosenshine’s Principles In Action and Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli’s Teaching Walkthrus to develop their teaching approaches.
Learning and Teaching features as a regular item in faculty meetings and on faculty/department bulletins. We also use our Extended Leadership Meetings to focus on learning and teaching and therefore to share good practice. This year every faculty has presented to ELT on an aspect of excellent L&T practice within their faculties. The approaches have been shared with whole school staff via minutes/ bulletins and the faculty CLs. Examples of practice shared this session include:
Maths: Reflection question templates and use of Plicker
Biology: ·Stop animation and revision games based around Blooms taxonomy/clock.
Chemistry: SOLO taxonomy (structure of Observed Learning) and Rubrics: using success criteria to set Gold/Silver and Bronze level understanding
CDT: Using CAD on Google Classroom
Modern Languages: “Throwing a Missile” concept tasks, “Under a Square” plenaries
Social Subjects: Giving meaningful feedback through BGE "stickers" and Senior Phase Google Forms, using Ai (ChatGTP) for creative lessons
Business and Computing: Using videos to enhance learning and teaching
Music: Self-assessment using Screenapp.io
The SIG has also reintroduced Reading Lunches linked to CLPL. This allows staff the opportunity to engage in relevant and inspiring professional reading, and to meet informally for dialogue and discussion to identify aspects of good practice, to reflect on their own practice and to consider how they could inspire more widespread pedagogical change at MGS.
Next session's L&T focus is to:
·Develop our home learning policy and procedures S1 to S6
Develop our Musselburgh Learns approach into a comprehensive LTA policy and embed MGS L&T approach: Towards Better Learning
Increase our school focus on BGE moderation