Teaching and Learning at Ainslie School
This section details valued Teaching and Learning Practices at Ainslie.References noted in italics will provide more detailed information.The school's current Literacy and Numeracy Plans support this document and the partner document. This is a partner document to the Beliefs about Teaching and Learning at Ainslie School
Factors that account for effectiveness in teaching and learning (Hill and Crevola)
Teaming and Professional Learning
Ainslie has a strong focus on staff professional learning and teaming. The school is organised in teams; Junior, Middle and Senior teams, the Management team, the Music team and the Office /Administration team. In addition specialist areas of the school meet as teams as well as curriculum groups. We value professional development, professional conversations, sharing and reflection on our practice. The Professional Pathways process and Performance Plans process is an integral part of our whole school ethos. Class teachers plan across their year level together and time for planning is allocated. We support new and beginning teachers through induction days and individualized professional learning opportunities.
Literacy Practices
Our daily literacy program is based on careful programming ensuring it is balanced, cohesive and inclusive. Literacy outcomes are achieved through both explicit English class sessions and through the Integrated Inquiry unit of work. Literacy learning occurs across the curriculum. As far as possible every class dedicates the first two-hour block of time in the day for literacy teaching. We have a whole school approach to all aspects of English incorporating First Steps practices, 'Spelling through Writing', Writers' workshops and a focus on Visual literacy. We value daily reading to students of a range of texts.
Critical Literacy- It is important that all texts provide students with varied and challenging perspectives and that we encourage learners to 'read' these texts critically and uncover the social and cultural meanings embedded within them.
Multiliteracies- In today's global world literacies are multiple in two major ways:
*Many kinds of English literacy are at work in different cultural, social or professional contexts. Even though English is becoming a global language, these differences are becoming ever more significant to our communications environment.
*Through new communications technologies, meaning is being made in ways that are increasingly multimodal. That is, written-linguistic modes of meaning interrelate with visual, audio, gestural and spatial modes.
In our classrooms at Ainslie we aim to engage students through exploring multiliteracies in teaching and learning with a focus on critical literacy and multimodal texts.
Information Literacy is the ability to Define, Locate, Select, Organise, Present and Assess information. Through a partnership between our class and library programs we support students by teaching them how to access and use information from a wide range of sources.
Ainslie School Literacy Action Plan & English Curriculum. Cope, Kalantsis, Anstey. Hornsby. First Steps resources.
Each year we celebrate literacy with our WORD ROCKS ON festival in Term 3.
Numeracy Practices
Numeracy is the ability to cope mathematically with the demands of everyday life and deals with mathematical demands inherent in performing tasks, learning ideas, making things and understanding concepts. At Ainslie numeracy occurs in different learning contexts and integrated settings. As with our literacy planning, numeracy outcomes are achieved through both explicit Maths class sessions and through the Integrated Inquiry unit of work. As far as possible every class dedicates the middle block of the day to Maths sessions.
Problem solving, mental computation, skills and content that apply to 'real life' situations, group work and opportunities for enrichment are features in all classrooms. Count Me In Too (CMIT) strategies are used extensively in the junior and middle school. Whole school numeracy initiativies include Reach for the Stars. teachers plan and assess using Rich Tasks.Our current Numeracy Plan outlines three overarching goals:
GOAL ONE: Improve the numeracy outcomes of all students with a focus on students not reaching their full potential
GOAL TWO: Provide greater opportunities for sharing and reflection of numeracy practices through focused Professional Development, whole staff discussions and team sharing
GOAL THREE: Embed and maximize authentic numeracy across the curriculum
Ainslie School Numeracy Plan
Ainslie School Mathematics Curriculum
Cooperative Learning
Cooperative learning has significant advantages for our students in today's world. It can promote higher academic achievements than individualistic or competitive learning experiences and is certainly more fun for the participants. It promotes the development of leadership skills, positive attitudes, self-esteem, inclusive learning and a sense of belonging. It is a feature of Ainslie classrooms.
Susan Hill
Integrated Inquiry learning
In order to make learning more authentic for students the separate key learning areas are integrated into connected units/questions of inquiry. It is important that these be based on significant content. The content must enable students to develop 'big ideas' about the world. Significant content is selected from the key learning areas of SoSE, Science, Health and some aspects of Technology and PE. English, Mathematics and the Arts are key learning areas where students express and process their learning and understandings.
Inquiry is an integral element of teaching and learning.
We have developed a set of Organizers and 'Throughlines' to guide our inquiry.
o Learning to learn
o Learning to understand and care for ourselves
o Learning to live well with others
o Learning to live well with the environment
o Learning to understand the physical world
We have identified the following key perspectives which inform and enrich our planning, resourcing, and teaching of inquiry units: Indigenous, Asian, gender, culture, creative expression, global, past and futures, social justice and harmony.
Students and teachers pose investigations and questions of inquiry based on student and class interest in the content areas related to the integrated inquiry. We have identified units of work for each stage of schooling to support teacher selection of units and ensure a balance of inquiry as a student progresses through the school.
Students actively participate in the construction of learning experiences. This provides opportunities for personalised deep learning and promotes responsibility and independence in learning.
We have developed a framework for integrated inquiry at Ainslie that sits within the ACT's curriculum Every Chance to Learn and incorporates the new ACT Essential Learning Achievements (ELAs).
Ainslie School Framework for Integrated Inquiry Learning
Kath Murdoch- various titles
Every Chance to Learn ACT Curriculum Renewal
Embedding Learning Technologies
At Ainslie we are working towards effective use of learning technologies to support the process of learning and teaching. We are adding to the range of computer-based technologies that are accessible to teachers and students. Teaching teams use Myclasses as an online organizing tool which includes the use of Learning Objects. They plan for a range of learning technologies in their daily teaching and learning. We have introduced Interactive Whiteboards into some learning areas. We support teachers with professional learning to enhance their ICT skills. Embedding Learning Technologies is an ongoing school focus.
Thinking Skills
We focus at Ainslie, on student performance that 'demands strategic reasoning, insightfulness, perseverance, creativity and craftsmanship to solve a complex problem.'(Costa &Kallick) Teachers across the school are encouraged to draw upon a dynamic repertoire of strategies and frameworks to foster the development by our students of effective higher order thinking skills. These include: Multiple Intelligences (Howard Gardiner), Bloom's Taxonomy, De Bono's Six Hats, Habits of Mind (Costa & Kallick). We offer senior students the opportunity to participate in the Tournament of Minds and the Maths Olympiad. Years 3-6 have the opportunity to participate in chess.
Reflective Learning
Reflective and metacognitive learners are efficient and effective learners because they analyse and make judgements about their learning, monitoring and regulating their thinking processes and strategies. Self- assessment encourages meaningful reflection, gives students greater responsibility and commitment to their learning, and helps to create a supportive classroom environment. The information gleaned from self-assessment enables students to establish personal learning goals and thus improve their own learning. It also enables teachers to plan appropriate learning experiences.
At Ainslie we value reflective learning practices and the teacher has a key role in developing the student's reflective skills. It is essential that teachers model reflection of their own practice and make time for students to practise reflection and self-assessment.
teachers use the STELLA standards materials as a valued framework for reflection on their practice. Teachers meet with a mentor in small groups and teams to facillitate reflection and develop their practice.
Jeni Wilson, Lesley Wing Jan
STELLA materials
Assessment and Reporting
The following teaching and learning principles as outlined by Kath Murdoch and Jeni Wilson underpin assessment at Ainslie:
*Assessment strategies should lead to improved learning
*Assessment data should inform ongoing planning and feedback to students
*Assessment is more authentic and powerful when it is embedded within everyday learning experiences
*A range of assessment strategies should be planned to allow all students to demonstrate what we know and can do
*When learners are involved in the assessment process they can assume more responsibility for their learning
*Assessment results should provide guidance and information to various stakeholders and inform teacher decision making
*Assessment processes should demonstrate what is valued
*Assessment can impact on students and their learning in positive and negative ways
*Assessment should recognise prior learning and celebrate student achievements and progress
teachers administer and analyse a Rich Task and a Read and Retell for each student at the start of each semester. All students are tracked on the First Steps Writing and Reading maps.
Portfolios
At Ainslie portfolios form an important part of the assessment and reporting process. Both students and teachers select work samples to add to the portfolio that show improvement, success and demonstrations of student learning. Most importantly portfolios show evidence of learning. Digital files are incorporated into the student's portfolio.
Learning Journeys and Student Led Conferences
These occur in the second half of Term 3. The Learning Journey provides an opportunity for students to share their learning, reflections and goal setting with a parent or other family member or special friend. Portfolios, class displays, student workbooks, digital presentations and demonstrations of learning form the Learning Journey.
'Together is Better' Davies, Cameron, Politano, Gregory
Ainslie Music program
All students participate in a distinctive music program in partnership with the ANU School of Music. The Music team consists of Ainslie music staff and SoM staff who co-teach. The Outreach Hand-in-Hand program is an important component of music at Ainslie. While primarily a voice program students at Ainslie are exposed to a broad range of inclusive musical experiences. The school choir 'Voices of Ainslie' is offered to students in Years 4-6. Instrumental ensembles are also available for senior students and private music tuition is available in strings and piano. Music is celebrated at Ainslie School.
Susan West - various articles
Ainslie School Music Curriculum
Student Support
We believe all students can be successful learners and productive, effective members of society. At Ainslie there are a range of ways we support students. We provide:
*A Learning Support Class for students with special learning needs. These students also have a mainstream class and have an individual learning plan
*Integration Support for students in the mainstream who have a special need
*A part-time school counsellor
Learning Assistance for students who have been identified as requiring additional literacy and/or numeracy support. Support could be in-class resourcing or small group withdrawal
*Reading Recovery for students in Year 1 who require literacy support
*English as a Second Language support(inclass and small group withdrawal)
*Indigenous Support in conjunction with the Indigenous Student Unit. Each Indigenous student has a Personal Learning Plan to support their learning
We value student-to-student support and the following are features at Ainslie:
Peer mentoring
Cross-age tutoring
Peer support
Buddies
Student leadership is an important feature of Ainslie and we have active leadership through:
Student Representative Council and Regular Class Meetings
School and House Captains
Sports Leaders
Playground Mediators
Valued Strategies for enhancing learning in our classrooms
Create a pro-learning, pro-reading, pro-writing ethos
Make explicit (bring to conscious awareness) reasons, purposes, processes
Let kids in on the secrets of how learning 'works'
Model, demonstrate, think aloud
Set up conditions which allow kids to 'talk their way to meaning'
Provide authentic learning contexts-real learning for real purposes
Value learners. Value their beliefs, knowledge and the language they bring with them
Create a safe environment where students are encouraged to take risks with their learning
The following three frameworks are compatible and enhance each other. They underpin the pedagogy and the teaching and learning environment at Ainslie School:
Conditions for Learning
The following conditions enable optimum learning to occur;
Immersion
Demonstration
Expectations
Responsibility
Practice
Approximation
Response and feedback
Engagement
Teachers use these conditions to both organise and reflect on the teaching and learning in their classroom. Teachers at Ainslie value the cycle of demonstration, practice and feedback as a regular part of lessons.
Brian Cambourne Various Titles
STELLA
Standards for teachers of English Language anf literacy in Australia
1. Professional Knowledge
Teachers know their students
Teachers know their subjects
Teachers know how students learn to be powerfully literate
2. Professional Practice
Teachers plan for effective learning
Teachers create and maintain a challenging learning environment
Teachers assess and review student learning and plan for future learning
3. Professional engagement
Teachers demonstrate commitment
Teahcers continue to learn
Teachers are active members of the professional and wider community
www.stella.org.au
Dimensions and elements of Quality Teaching model
1. Intellectual quality
Deep knowledge
Deep understanding
Problematic knowledge
Higher order thinking
metalanguage
Substantive communication
2. Quality learning environment
Explicit quality criteria
Engagement
High expectations
Social support
Student's self regulation
Student direction
3. Significance
Background knowledge
Cultural knowledge
Knowledge integration
Connectedness
Narrative
Jennifer Gore, James Ladwig: The Quality Teaching Model
What makes Ainslie an inclusive school?
