LEARNING+WALK+EVIDENCE+24th+MARCH

** Learning Walk ** ** 24th March 24, 2009 ** // NZC // “Learning is inseparable from its social and cultural context. Students learn best when they feel accepted, when they enjoy positive relationships with their fellow students and teachers, and when they are able to be active, visible members of the learning community. Effective teachers foster positive relationships within environments that are caring, inclusive, nondiscriminatory, and cohesive. They also build good relationships with the wider school community, working with parents and caregivers as key partners who have unique knowledge of their children and countless opportunities to advance their children’s learning. Effective teachers attend to the cultural and linguistic diversity of all their students. The classroom culture exists within and alongside many other cultures, including the cultures of the wider school and the local community, the students’ peer culture, and the teacher’s professional culture.” Students are happy and keen to contribute to discussion Positive classroom atmosphere – teacher warm and welcoming Students happy in their work – know what to do and how to do it Evidence of well managed resources and materials Topic walls, posters related to specific subject knowledge Teacher enthusiastic in voice and gesture Teacher inclusive of all students – using individual names regularly Wall charts – student work in classrooms – inclusive – carefully displayed (students proud of the work on the walls). Rich displays – pictures, words, art and diagrams Friendly dialogue with students – small class size Students know what to do and how to get there – confident Evidence of listening with respect Wall displays/artworks link to the local physical environment – there is a sense of place Homework sent out and checked by parents and rechecked by classroom teachers Wider community opportunities for learning – ballet, outdoor education, camps, Gateway, SPEC, field trips……………. Community consultation // NZC // “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. Effective teachers stimulate the curiosity of their students, require them to search for relevant information and ideas, and challenge them to use or apply what they discover in new contexts or in new ways. They look for opportunities to involve students directly in decisions relating to their own learning. This encourages them to see what they are doing as relevant and to take greater ownership of their own learning.” Learning intention on whiteboard – referred to by teacher at the start of the lesson and to conclude the lesson Connecting subject knowledge with ‘real world’ Students able to talk about ‘what they are doing and learning’ Students able to make connections with previous ‘year’ of study and how it supports current work Students have a choice of what to explore Students want to take ownership of their learning Links to prior learning made explicit through teacher talk // NZC // “Students learn as they engage in shared activities and conversations with other people, including family members and people in the wider community. Teachers encourage this process by cultivating the class as a learning community. In such a community, everyone, including the teacher, is a learner; learning conversations and learning partnerships are encouraged; and challenge, support, and feedback are always available. As they engage in reflective discourse with others, students build the language that they need to take their learning further.” Group work which has a focus on common tasks Students learning from each other – using buddies or learning partners to check work Student work on the walls – teacher connects to learning outcomes and recent activities Students helping others through informal dialogue Using student exemplars – promotes inclusion Teacher acknowledges student ‘knowledge’ and knowing Students acknowledge others who can contribute to class collective ‘knowledge’ // NZC // “Students learn best when they are able to integrate new learning with what they already understand. When teachers deliberately build on what their students know and have experienced, they maximise the use of learning time, anticipate students’ learning needs, and avoid unnecessary duplication of content. Teachers can help students to make connections across learning areas as well as to home practices and the wider world. Connecting to previous lesson – on the whiteboard and verbally Reviewing previous examples – build learning through structured sequence within a lesson (demonstration, explanation, review, exemplars, trial and review) Foreshadowing assessment episode with Q and A, plus visual examples Several examples of making connections to field trips – build specific skills around local field trip Using students personal experiences to connect with subject knowledge – Students provide honest responses Students want to talk and present their opinion Connecting writing exercises to personal experiences Using homework to connect with prior learning // NZC // “Students learn most effectively when they have time and opportunity to engage with, practise, and transfer new learning. This means that they need to encounter new learning a number of times and in a variety of different tasks or contexts. It also means that when curriculum coverage and student understanding are in competition, the teacher may decide to cover less but cover it in greater depth. Appropriate assessment helps the teacher to determine what “sufficient” opportunities mean for an individual student and to sequence students’ learning experiences over time.” Students working independently on standards – given time to work through the tasks Theory explained through video and class discussion – followed by practical demonstration Planning evident which includes time for students to finish and move onto another task Listening and writing – following by class discussion and individual student work. Review of teacher talk – seeking clarification of meaning Homework checked and individuals acknowledged for using this opportunity Opportunity for students to work interdependently Practical demonstration by teacher followed by examples for students to complete Practical connections to ‘theory’ Linking field trips with classroom activities to embed skills and knowledge Classes well managed to allow for opportunities to learn Teacher using multiple opportunities to engage in the same learning outcome // NZC // “Students learn most effectively when they develop the ability to stand back from the information or ideas that they have engaged with and think about these objectively. Reflective learners assimilate new learning, relate it to what they already know, adapt it for their own purposes, and translate thought into action. Over time, they develop their creativity, their ability to think critically about information and ideas, and their metacognitive ability (that is, their ability to think about their own thinking). Teachers encourage such thinking when they design tasks and opportunities that require students to critically evaluate the material they use and consider the purposes for which it was originally created.” Questioning by the teacher – to get students to ‘think’ outside the square Student questioning and dialogue – teacher acknowledging higher order questioning by students Teacher acknowledging ‘thinking’ time Students asked to clarify answer Students informally review work Students use a buddy to critique work
 * TWIZEL **** AREA SCHOOL **
 * Observations **
 * (Listed under the Effective Pedagogies – recognizing that observable pedagogy can be placed in more than one EP) **
 * // Creating a supportive learning environment //**
 * // Enhancing the relevance of new learning //**
 * // Facilitating shared learning //**
 * // Making connections to prior learning and experience //**
 * // Provide sufficient opportunities to learn //**
 * // Encouraging reflective thought and action //**