Learning and Teaching Policy

September 2012

Introduction and Rationale The first thing to state about our Learning and Teaching Policy at Whitworth Park School is that it is a learning and teaching policy rather than a teaching and learning policy. Learning is placed first as this is our highest priority and our key focus. It is not intended that our Learning and Teaching Policy be a document that once completed sits on a bookshelf and never be returned to. It is a working document that should be used and referred to. It is a document to support us in our day to day work in promoting learning. This is our policy as of the date indicated, but this is not something that is ‘set in stone’. Indeed, the document should never be seen as finished and final. Learning and Teaching is something that an effective school should always be developing. Whilst it may be the responsibility of one individual or a small group of staff to take the lead in writing the policy, it then needs to be agreed and implemented by all members of the staff. Consultation processes will always be in place around the time of the policy being reviewed and it will therefore be possible for all to have an input in the final document. The concept of The Learning Tree is so crucial to out Learning and Teaching that it is right that it is referenced during this introduction. The Learning and Teaching Policy touches upon the rationale behind The Learning Tree and specific details about the operation of individual strategies are provided in The Learning Tree Handbook. The Learning Tree is the way that we are going about the ongoing development of Learning and Teaching strategies across the school.

Basic Lesson Expectations Later in the Learning and Teaching Policy, details about how we ensure our basic lesson expectations are met are provided. These basic lesson expectations set out the minimum standard for all lessons at our school and which all members of staff must ensure are adhered to at all time.

Before the Lesson

The lesson has been planned to meet the specific needs of the class.

The teacher has a seating plan in place.

All materials for the lesson are pre-prepared and ready to use.

The classroom is well-ordered and the displays support learning.

At the Beginning of the Lesson

The teacher greets students as they enter the room.

Planners are on desks and bags are on the floor.

The objectives and success criteria for the lesson are clearly communicated.

Learning begins promptly without any dead time.

Throughout the Lesson

Knowledge is made interesting, relevant and exciting for students.

There is evidence of Learning Box strategies being used when appropriate.

Work is challenging for all students and maintains their engagement.

A good pace is maintained and time is well used.

A variety of different learning activities are employed during the lesson.

Students are praised for their effort and achievement using a range of strategies.

High standards of effort, accuracy and presentation are encouraged.

Teachers use the BFL system in order to praise students for their performance.

Prompt action is taken to address poor behaviour using a range of strategies.

Teachers use the BFL system to tackle poor behaviour when appropriate.

Students are encouraged to review and reflect on their learning as it takes place.

At the End of the Lesson

Objectives are returned to in order to review the learning that has taken place.

There is a plenary activity that assesses the learning / evaluates the learning.

Students are supervised as they are dismissed in an orderly manner.

After the Lesson

Any issues arising from the lesson are dealt with promptly before the next lesson.

Any work that is appropriate to mark is marked in a timely manner.

Learning and Teaching Framework

Learning and Teaching Framework Our basic lesson expectations, as with all of our practice relating to Learning and Teaching, is underpinned by our Learning and Teaching Framework. Key points to draw attention to relating to the Learning and Teaching Framework are:

The Learning and Teaching Framework identifies that learning is a cyclical process. It is always important for the Big Picture to be established to enable students to fully engage with the Main Learning. Reflection on Learning is a crucial stage in the learning process and should always take place.

In most cases, the three stages in this cyclical process will take place within one lesson. However, there will be occasions when this is not the case and there needs to be flexibility that allows this to happen. Feeding into this cyclical process is a positive Climate for Learning that promotes effective learning and which enables this to take place.

Within each stage of the cyclical learning process, key messages are identified that support teachers in considering key issues relating to Learning and Teaching. These are intended to prompt teachers to reflect upon the importance of these as they are planning and delivering their lessons.

These key messages will change and evolve as our developments in Learning and Teaching continue, but the cyclical learning process will remain.

Placed at the centre of the Learning and Teaching Framework is The Learning Tree. The Learning Tree is used to bring together the different learning strategies that we have began to introduce from January 2011 onwards in order to improve the quality of Learning and Teaching in the school.

The Learning Tree strategies should be used within the learning process whenever they are appropriate and further detail about the rationale behind The Learning Tree and what it means for learning in practice are provided later in this document.

As with the Learning and Teaching Policy, it should never be seen that the Framework is the finished article. Instead, it is something that we must continue to review and develop on a regular basis, to reflect the developments that we are continuing to make to Learning and Teaching.

Lesson Planning It is one of our basic expectations that all lessons must be planned in order to meet the specific needs of each individual class. Effective planning of lessons can ensure high quality Learning and Teaching takes place and supports our students to aspire to succeed. Key principles of lesson planning at our school are:

A written plan should be completed for every lesson that is taught. This does not mean that a full school lesson plan should be completed!

A standard school weekly planning document is available that can be used or individual Departments may choose to use their own format providing the following key information is included:

o Learning Objectives for the lesson. o Details relating to the Big Picture / Lesson Starter / Learning Hooks. o Details relating to the Main Learning that is to take place. o Details relating to the Reflection on Learning that is to take place.

Provided that all of the information listed above is included, lesson details of this kind would be suitable to be left if another member of staff were to be covering your lesson.

The school lesson plan format is designed to support teachers to plan effectively. It is a planning tool and can be used as such, even when a full school lesson plan is not being completed.

The school lesson plan format should be used on the following occasions:

o Any lesson that is being observed by a colleague with prior arrangement. o Any instances when there is a possibility of a full lesson observation

taking place, such as during a school inspection. o Any other occasions as determined as necessary by the Subject Leader /

Senior Leader who is working with a member of staff. The school lesson plan format is reviewed regularly in order to ensure it continues to support staff in planning lessons that promote effective learning. The following pages provide detail on the design of the lesson plan format and serve as a guide as to how the lesson plan format might be completed.

I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.

Albert Einstein

Lesson Plan Format

The Learning Objectives for the lesson should use the language of The Three Storey Intellect and the question matrix whenever possible to help students see the links between learning in different subjects.

The prior knowledge of the students should be considered as should the future progression – the teacher needs to be clear how each lesson fits into a learning sequence of lessons.

Effective Success Criteria should make it explicit to the students what they need to do to be successful in the learning that is taking place in order that they can make progress in learning whatever their ability.

Links to wider learning provide opportunities to show how learning is related to cross curricular learning such as RWCM and ICT.

The structure of the Learning Framework is seen in the lesson plan with the three key stages in the cyclical learning process (Big Picture, Main Learning and Reflection on Learning) all included. The Main Learning is broken down into two sub-sections, encouraging teachers to ensure students move beyond simple ‘Gathering’ learning tasks and move towards more complex learning tasks of ‘Processing’ and ‘Applying’. Planning should include how differentiation will be managed and the sort of questions which will bring this out.

The plenary (which can take place at any time in the lesson and more than once) should show how the learning has met the objectives set at the start of the lesson. It is also worth noting that Homework is taken out of the learning sequence to avoid it simply being to ‘finish off’ work. Information about SEN students should be given separately.

Differentiation

At Whitworth Park we believe that all lessons should be planned in a way that differentiates to support all students to learn to their maximum potential. It is not the case that all students or groups of students learn in the same way and we do not, therefore, expect to see them being taught in the same way. As a starting point for differentiation, many classes are organised into different ability pathways. We would expect that the lessons planned for each pathway would reflect the differences in each class and correspondingly support all students to achieve. Even within each class, it is important that teachers still plan for differentiation. Unless every student in that class is identical, different students will have different needs and at WPS we account for these. Differentiation is necessary for students at all ends of the ability spectrum. For students with identified SEN, class teachers must ensure that they are fully familiar with these needs and that they have planned for them accordingly. For more able students in a class, including those identified on the Most Able and Talented register, the planning must demonstrate that these students are being challenged. Differentiation for the most able does not simply mean these students completing more of the same.

Learning Objectives and Success Criteria Further details regarding Learning Objectives at Whitworth Park are provided within the section of the policy relating to the Learning Tree strategy of The Three Storey Intellect. As Learning Objectives are such a crucial aspect of an effective lesson, it is important to make clear the key principles of how they must be used at our school:

The Learning Objectives indicate the learning that will take place in the lesson and do not simply describe the task that is being completed.

The Learning Objectives should be shared with students at the start of the lesson and reviewed at the end of the lesson. It is good practice to return to these objectives during the course of the lesson.

The effectiveness of a lesson is largely determined by the extent to which students achieve their learning objectives. The tasks that students undertake in the lesson should enable student to make progress in relation to these.

Success criteria serve the function of making explicit to the student what they need to do in order to be successful. The success criteria should not simply list the tasks that students will complete during a lesson, but explicitly identify what they need to do to be successful in relation to these tasks. We use a structure of high, middle and low ability so that the learning of all students will be challenged to progress. By using this structure teachers can plan what they expect all the students to achieve in the lesson.

The Learning Tree The Learning Tree has already been referred to on a number of occasions in the Learning and Teaching Policy. The concept of the Learning Tree is to provide learning strategies which teachers and students are then able to use in their lessons as and when it is appropriate. Throughout the 2012-13 academic year and beyond, The Learning Tree will be a major focus of our staff CPD and the other development work that is taking place across the college. One advantage of the concept of the Learning tree is that it will continue to grow as we continue our ongoing development of Learning and Teaching. Initially, a range of learning strategies will be provided to use. Eventually, the intention is that it will be the staff at Whitworth Park who will identify further strategies that may be added. The strategies are designed to clarify thinking and learning, to build a common language to communicate learning and to provide a model of how we can learn to learn which students and teachers will be encouraged to develop further in line with their own needs. The main strategies are: Learning to think – Question matrix, thinking maps and thinking hats Communicating learning – Branches of intellect, question matrix Learning habits – Habits of mind Specific detail about each of these strategies is provided in The Learning Tree handbook and these details have not been reproduced here. What does follow on the coming pages is a brief introduction to each of the sections of The Learning Tree, focusing on the rationale behind their development.

The Learning Tree – Learning to Think The Learning to Think section of our Learning Tree focuses on providing students with a range of strategies that are intended to support students in thinking with increasing independence and thinking in more complex ways. The strategies within the Learning to Think section of The Learning Tree are not subject specific. Once a student is familiar and confident in using a strategy within one curriculum area, they can then transfer this to all curriculum areas. By using the same strategies, teachers support students in learning these strategies through the increased consistency in our practice. The key strategies within this section of our Learning Tree are:

Thinking Hats The six Thinking Hats relate to different types of thinking. The six Thinking Hats are:

Blue Hat – Planning – Used to organise which other Thinking Hats should be used (in what order) and also for determining what further action will be needed.

White Hat – Facts – Used to think about the information that you know about the subject or identify further information that you would like to know.

Red Hat – Emotions – Used to think about feelings and gives students license to voice an emotional response without needing to justify it.

Yellow Hat – Benefits – Used to think about the positive aspects or benefits relating to the issue that is being thought about.

Black Hat – Problems – Used to think about the negative aspects or potential negative aspects to the issue that is being thought about.

Green Hat – Ideas – Used to encourage creative thinking and generate new ideas relating to the issue that is being thought about.

Using the Thinking Hats encourages students to think fully about an issue, rather than only considering one aspect of it. Students use the same Thinking Hat at the same time and this means that students are ‘thinking in the same direction’, rather than being in opposition to one another and this leads to less conflict. Some or all of the Thinking Hats can be used for a task as is appropriate and initially, it will often be the teacher who directs students towards using a particular Thinking Hat at a particular time. Ultimately, students will plan their own use of Thinking Hats and identify when and how they should use them.

Thinking Maps The eight Thinking Maps relate to eight different thinking processes that students will complete across all curriculum areas. These Thinking Maps help students to organise their thinking visually and in a consistent manner with which they become increasingly familiar.

The eight different Thinking Maps and their corresponding type of thinking are:

Circle Map – defining in context – used for establishing what you already know or think you know about a particular subject.

For example, create a Circle Map to identify what you already know about the subject of social networking sites in an ICT lesson.

Bubble Map – describing with adjectives – used for gathering together information that would be used to describe a person, place, event, object, etc.

For example, complete a Bubble Map for the main character in a play, identifying what we have learnt about them in a Drama lesson.

Flow Map – sequencing and ordering – used for putting a series of events, ideas, etc into the correct sequence or most appropriate order.

For example, complete a Flow Map in order to identify the stages in the process of making a cake in a Food Technology lesson.

Brace Map – analysing whole objects and parts – used for taking one subject and breaking it down into its constituent parts.

For example, complete a Brace Map to break down the different parts of a plant in a Science lesson.

Tree Map – classifying and grouping – used for organising lots of different things into different categories.

For example, complete a Tree Map in Maths to organise a series of fractions into which are equivalents of one another.

Double Bubble Map – comparing and contrasting – used for identifying the similarities and differences between two people, places, evens, etc.

For example, complete a Double Bubble Map in History to identify the similarities and differences between WW1 and WW2.

Multi-Flow Map – causes and effects – used for identifying the causes of a happening and the likely consequences of it.

For example, complete a Multi-Flow Map in a Geography lesson to identify the causes of an earthquake and the likely effects of such an event.

Bridge Map – seeing analogies – used for identifying similarities between different relationships.

For example, complete a Bridge Map in a Music lesson to identify the different parts of several musical instruments that are used to make noise.

Question Matrix

Using the Question Matrix encourages teachers to plan their questioning more effectively, thinking more carefully about when it is appropriate to ask a more challenging higher order question. In addition to encouraging teachers to develop their questioning strategies, the Question Matrix also encourages students to pose their own questions that they want to address during their learning.

The Question Matrix is a learning strategy that is designed to encourage our classrooms to become places where more questions and more interesting questions are posed. The Matrix identifies which question words are likely to lead to lower order questioning and which lend themselves to higher order questioning.

The Learning Tree – Communicating Learning

The Communicating Learning section of our Learning Tree focuses on increasing the consistency and precision in the language that we use in order to discuss learning. The strategies within the Communicating Learning section of The Learning Tree are not subject specific. As well as this, these strategies are intended to provide a common language of learning that is spoken both by teachers and students. The key strategies within this section of our Learning Tree are: Branches of Intellect The Branches of Intellect refers to a series of words that are used to refer to the learning that takes place in lessons. These words are presented visually in the form of a tree which is organised into three levels and these are:

Gathering – the first level that corresponds to the most straightforward learning processes that simply involve ‘gathering’ information.

The challenge for teachers is to plan lessons that deal with the ‘gathering’ process as effectively as possible, allowing opportunities to the move to the higher branches where there are more complex learning processes.

Processing – the second level corresponds to more complex learning processes where students begin to make use of the information that they have gathered.

Applying – the third level corresponds to the most complex learning processes where students have fully engaged with the subject matter and are using it accordingly.

The language of Branches of Intellect should be used whenever possible in order to share the learning objectives with students. As well as using this language, explicit attention should be drawn to the fact that this is the language from the Branches of Intellect. Over time, students will begin to recognise that the content may differ from one subject area to the next, but the learning processes are the same. For example, students are using the same learning processes in P.E. to evaluate an athlete’s performance as they are in Technology to evaluate a completed product.

The Learning Tree – Learning Habits The Learning Habits section of our Learning Tree focuses on supporting students to develop a series of ‘habits’ that will help them to be more effective learners in our school and then beyond. ‘Habits of Mind’ refers to a body of research by Professor Art Costa that identified 16 ‘habits’ that were exhibited by the most successful people across a wide series of disciplines. As a school, we are using this research by identifying our priority ‘habits’ to support our students to develop. From November 2012 onwards, the school will begin to launch a focus on a series of these, developing our practice in school to reflect this. In order to develop these habits, we do the following:

Link our priority habits to our school vision. Ensuring that these priority habits are high profile across the school through display of posters.

Speak to students regularly about these priority habits, ensuring students are very aware of them and can appreciate their importance. One aspect of this includes these habits regularly being addressed during our school assembly rota.

Encourage teachers to plan for the development of these priority habits by reflecting their importance in the school lesson plan, lesson observation and learning walk documents.

Specific strategies being identified both across the school and also within each Faculty area to effectively address each identified habit.

During the 2012-13 academic year, the Learning Habit of ‘Persistence’ will become a focus for development.

As we move into the 2013 – 14 academic year, we will increase the focus on the full range of 16 Habits of Mind and how these can be support us to further develop our practice in learning and teaching. 16 Habits of Mind – to be launched September 2013

After introducing the idea of ‘Habits of Mind’ through ‘Persistence’, a focus on raising the profile of the full range of 16 habits will take place during the course of the 2013-14 academic year. In every lesson, teachers will be asked to refer to the idea of ‘Habits of Mind’ in some way during the lesson. Amongst the possible approaches teachers might adopt would be:

Identifying for students a crucial Habit to demonstrate during the course of the lesson in order to achieve success with the learning.

Asking students to discuss and identify which Habits it will be most important for them to employ in a lesson and how best they will be able to

demonstrate these.

Persistence – The first habit that will focus on in the ‘Learning Habits’ section of The Learning Tree is that of ‘Persistence’. Key messages that we will look to promote as we develop this learning habit will be:

Enjoying the challenge of a task.

Keeping going and staying focused on what we want to achieve.

How else might I go about the task?

Why is it important I complete the task?

Learning Box – Planning Grid The Learning Box planning grid is displayed below and is an additional planning tool that teachers may choose to use to support them in using Learning Box strategies effectively. Each Learning Box tool is linked to a specific thinking and learning process. Teachers look ahead to the learning that they want their classes to undertake during the following week and then select the appropriate learning strategy that will best enable them to do this. Alternatively, teachers may also choose to use this planning grid to help them to keep a record of which Learning Box strategies they have used with each of their classes over a period of time. In this way, it enables them to identify particular learning and thinking processes that there may be a particular need to address and develop further.

Learning Tree – Classroom Display In order to support the use of Learning Tree tools in lessons, all learning spaces within the school should prominently display a series of posters relating to these. These posters are intended to play an active role in the learning process and this should be reflected in them being placed prominently within the classroom – teachers need to be able to refer to them.

The following Learning and Teaching posters should be found in all classrooms:

The Three Storey Intellect

The Question Matrix

Six Thinking Hats

Eight Thinking Maps

Habits of Mind – Persistence

The most recent version of our school Learning and Teaching framework

In addition to these posters, whenever possible, learning spaces should also have at least one display board of student work. As most learning spaces are used by multiple teachers, those teachers who most frequently use a learning space should ensure that this is the case. Consistent with our focus on the learning process, classroom displays of student work should not only feature the finished work, but also the process that has resulted in this being produced. Whenever possible, evidence of the way in which students have employed Learning Tree tools should be shown through the display – helping students to understand the way in which these can be used.

Learning Hooks In the ‘Big Picture’ stage of our school’s learning framework there is a reference to the use of “starters to kick off learning”. Learning Hooks are a way of engaging students, to compel them to want or need to know and learn the content of the lesson. As the quote above demonstrates, ‘hooking’ students is not as straightforward as it sounds. While it can serve to grab the students’ attention and make them want to be involved in the learning that is taking place, over-use or an ineffective hook can “allow them to drift off or turn them off completely”. While a learning hook can appear anywhere in the lesson, it is placed within the ‘Big Picture’ section as it typically occurs within this period and is most effective when introducing a new topic or the learning that is going to take place within the particular session. A learning hook can and should take a variety of different forms which can include a video clip, a link to real life, music, a story or showing an outstanding finished example would all be an effective way of grabbing the student’s attention and getting them involved in the learning. We should use novelty and surprise to the brain but keep it short as the students are still passive at this stage of the lesson. The engagement, or hook, overcomes resistance to a particular subject. The more clever or valuable to the student the hook is the more effective it is in engaging the student.

A hook is what gets their attention, what sustains it, what allows them to drift off and what turns them off completely.

Timpson, Burgoyne, Jones & Jones

Whilst by no means being a definitive list, the following directory provides some suggestions about possible learning hooks for teachers to consider, adapt and employ. Examples of Learning Hooks

Video clips – showing students a video clip that obviously relates to the learning that will take place. Alternatively, showing students a video clip that is less obviously connected and which begins to make the students think.

Audio clips – playing an audio clip such as an excerpt of a radio programme or a song to introduce a concept and encourage students to begin thinking about it.

Cryptic question – displaying an open-ended question that in some way relates to the learning that is taking place. Opportunity for students to discuss and disagree about the answer as a way of engaging them in the lesson.

Cryptic image – displaying a picture or series of pictures that in some way relate to the subject that is being studied and discussion of how this might be the case. This learning hook can be extended by gradually revealing the image(s) to students.

Competition – introducing a piece of work with an element of a competition such as a quiz between two halves of the class being used as a way of establishing the prior knowledge of students.

Outstanding example – Students to be shown an example of the final piece of work that they are looking to produce – enabling them to appreciate why it will be worthwhile for them to work hard during the unit.

Establish the relevance – Communicate to students the range of applications beyond school where students will be able to apply the skills that they are learning.

Wordle – Display a ‘wordle’ (www.wordle.net) relating to the subject to be studied. Based on the jumble of words, students to piece together what they feel the subject might be that they will be studying.

Generate questions – Using the Question Matrix, students to develop their own bank of questions that they would like to have answered during the unit of work. Students to be able to set an element of the agenda for what they will study.

Make it real – Provide students with a ‘real’ stimulus such as a letter or email to the class that provides them with a task to complete and students then to engage in this. There is an element here of students working in role.

Work towards a real goal – Offer students a ‘real goal’ to work towards at the end of the work being undertaken. For example, if letter writing skills are being studied in English, actually lead up to writing a real letter to someone.

Get out of the classroom – Introduce the unit of work in a new location. Perhaps gather together several classes to speak to them together. Alternatively, go elsewhere to launch the work in a new location.

Different voices – Have someone else launch the new work to be studied. This might be an arrangement for a different teacher to speak to the class or a guest speaker to talk to several groups of students.

Student led - Is there the potential to use students to launch a unit of work? This might be students in the class primed for this, or older students who studied the work last year.

Memory challenge – Briefly, show students a series of items relating to the unit to be studied. Task for students of remembering as many items as they can and then considering how they link to the unit.

The Starter Generator – Found in the staff resources area this provides a large number of strategies which can be adapted as required.

The plenary The plenary is the element of the lesson which has been identified as the hardest to get right by teachers and Ofsted alike. However, the plenary plays a major role in successful learning because they:

help students to consolidate, understand and remember what has been learned refer back to lesson objectives create a sense of achievement, progress and completion help students to see where they have reached in the overall learning set out by

the subject provide an opportunity for teachers to assess learning to help them to plan recognise and value achievement by individuals and class promote deeper thinking skills by examining strategies for learning to help to

recognise transferable skills as well as promoting learning between members of the class

develop the habit of reflection on learning stimulate curiosity and anticipation about the next steps in learning draw out applications of learning highlight and alter any misconceptions which there may be develop Assessment for Learning

The development of Thinking Skills has also boosted the importance of the plenary because it is there that students should be asked to debrief their thinking strategies and to look at how they could use those strategies in other areas of learning (metacognition). It is important to give a dedicated period of time to a plenary in the lesson to review learning and to act as a bridge to future learning. Some of the strategies provided by the Learning Tree such as Thinking Maps and Hats should provide tools with which to lead effectice reviews of learning, which may be of part of a lesson or the whole lesson. Other examples of plenaries can be found in the handbook as well a copy of The Plenary Generator which is to be found in the Staff Resources Area.

Assessment for Learning Underpinning all our work on learning is Assessment for Learning. In setting objectives for lessons, in main learning activities such as group work, practical or written work and in reviewing learning AfL shares the Learning Framework.

‘Assessment for learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there’ Assessment Reform Group, 2002 The use of AfL in the classroom should involve setting time aside in the classroom to ensure that:

1. What is to be learned is made clear to the learners 2. The standards aimed at are made clear to the students (success criteria) 3. Feedback given is such that it helps learners recognise where they have met

criteria and what else need to do 4. The learners are involved in peer and self-assessment 5. Every learner’s confidence is improved

These are the important elements. Some teachers use them all the time – DO YOU?

share the learning objectives of the lesson with the pupils plan and encourage periods of reflection on what learning has taken place and

how the learning has taken place encourage students to assess their own work strive to build a positive climate inside the classroom so that making errors is

seen as a way of improvement, not a record of an individual’s failure incorporate curriculum targets into discussions with students support students to recognise their next steps and share the criteria that outline

the standards at which they are aiming experiment with giving feedback that supports, motivates and enables the

students to improve. All these elements are interlinked. Sharing the learning objectives helps in the process of self-assessment, as does having a clear curriculum target; receiving positive and informative feedback enables pupils to decide their next steps; being confident that progress can be achieved is a necessary precursor to taking a risk. Each is a different way into encouraging self-assessment by the learners themselves. Teachers should implement AfL through

objective led lessons, sharing the objectives so that students know what they are to learn and what is expected of them

questioning and discussing work with students so that they are familiar with the next steps in their learning and the language of the subject

opportunities for self and peer assessment to demonstrate and share learning

feedback through oral and written comments which recognise achievement and offer guidance for progress with an expectation of student response

What does this mean for the teacher? Teachers at Whitworth Park are expected to be involved in developing AfL methods to boost learning. The research is overwhelming that AfL makes a difference to learning and, so, staff should try to adopt best practice. Objective led lessons are discussed earlier in this document. As part of AfL and the Learning Framework it is an expectation that objective setting is an integral part of all lessons at Whitworth Park.

All Subject Areas have been asked to show students ways of making progress in their subject. This could be through level descriptors in student friendly language, modelling of work or assessing pieces of work. Subject Areas have found a variety of ways of achieving this and staff are encouraged to look at the work of others through informal discussion, more formal settings such as cross Subject Area meetings or through bodies such as the Learning Working Group. The research of Black and Wiliam says that to be effective marking:

leads to recognition of next steps and how to take them

assesses quality not quantity

gives advice on how to improve

focuses on learning

involves the student It is recommended that key pieces of work should be marked using one of the AfL marking methods identified by Shirley Clarke, ie highlighting, PEN, Praise or PIE. However, the key element is to offer students time to respond to the marking suggestions. Give them an opportunity to respond so that they can absorb the learning point from the marking and apply it, thus reinforcing the learning. Research and findings from work samples in 2011 – 12 has now shown that this is the key to success in using AfL marking techniques.

Use of ICT to support learning As a school we understand the importance and advantage of being able to use ICT effectively and are developing this area in two main ways.

1. To enhance student learning. All of our classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards enabling us to make full use of ICT to support learning. We understand our students are growing up in a world surrounded by technology which will only continue to grow and develop. The use of a range of technology, not only the interactive whiteboards, can be used by students and teachers to enhance learning and teaching.

2. Sharing of resources. ICT is also playing a part in sharing a lot of the outstanding resources being produced when delivering and including the concepts of The Learning Tree within a lesson.

Lesson Observations and Learning Walks At Whitworth Park School and Sixth Form College, lesson observations and learning walks have a primary function of supporting us to ensure ongoing development in our Learning and Teaching, raising the standards of both of these. Lesson observations and learning walks help us to achieve this purpose by:

Ensuring that there is a clear understanding of the current standard of Learning and Teaching at a whole school, Subject Area and teacher level.

Identifying effective practice to ensure that this is built upon effectively.

Identifying areas that require further development and ensuring that whatever support is required is in place to enable this to happen.

During the course of each academic year, lesson observations and learning walks take place as follows:

Lesson Observations – There will be lesson observations of teaching staff during each academic year and these will be carried out by the appropriate Subject Leader, line manager or SLT.

Each lesson observation will require the member of staff being observed to complete a full school lesson plan in advance of the observation and there will be a full debrief meeting afterwards with the observer. A copy of each lesson observation is kept by the teacher observed and also the Subject Leader. In addition to this, a third copy of the observation is provided to the Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for Learning & Teaching who keeps a record of all observations across the school.

Learning Walks – a learning walk may occur where information about key areas within a Subject Area such as Learning and Teaching or Literacy is required. During the course of the learning walk process, it would be expected that each member of a Subject Area would be visited during one lesson for a period of no less than 15 and 20 minutes.

Subject Leaders or SLT will coordinate these learning walks and it would not be expected for a full lesson plan format to be completed. Instead, the Subject Area agreed planning process for the lesson should be in place. Prior notice of a period during which the learning walk will take place might be given, but it would not be expected that a specific lesson would be identified. As with lesson observations, one copy of the learning walk form is to be given to the teacher seen, one copy would remain in the Subject Area and a third copy would go to the Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for Learning & Teaching who keeps a record of all learning walks across the school.

In order to support the ongoing development of high quality Learning and Teaching across the school, members of the school’s SLT will periodically undertake ‘SLT QAs’. The primary purpose of these ‘QAs’ is to ensure that the SLT spend time in as many classrooms as possible, demonstrating their support for high quality Learning and Teaching. The school staff have regularly expressed a desire for the school SLT to be a high profile presence across the school and through the ‘SLT QA’ process, this is achieved. During the course of these ‘SLT QAs’ a record will always be made of the practice that is seen. Through undertaking this process, it ensures that our school understanding of

our current practice is always current and we are able to focus our future development on the correct priorities. There is no specific common format for members of the SLT to record notes during a ‘QA’. Note frames will periodically be designed to access the information that is needed at that time. The nature of ‘SLT QAs’ is likely to result in a short period of time being spent in a large number of learning spaces within the course of an hour. However, dependent on what is taking place in a lesson, the member of SLT may choose to spend longer in a lesson. Unlike lesson observations or learning walks, no feedback is given to teachers who are seen during the ‘SLT QAs’ – often the period of time spent in a lesson would be so short that it would mean that it would be inappropriate to provide feedback. However, if there is ever an instance when it is deemed that feedback would be beneficial, it would then be provided. When appropriate, feedback will be provided to the full teaching staff about the implications of practice seen during ‘SLT QAs’. This feedback may be intended to share good practice and also to identify elements of our current Learning and Teaching practice that need further development.

Work Samples

In order to ensure excellent Learning and Teaching, it is essential that the work that students produce is regularly reviewed and the quality of this work and its linked feedback monitored. Work samples enable Subject Areas to consider the quality of learning sequences over a number of lessons and to look particularly at the continuity of learning and links between learning.

The process of work samples is crucial to the successful embedding of Learning Tree strategies. Each strategy links to a particular thinking or learning process and we would not expect to see strategies in a lesson when they are not appropriate to the learning that is taking place. Work samples will help Subject Areas to monitor the learning that is taking place over time and that Learning Tree strategies are being used when appropriate in a way that is not possible with lesson observations or learning walks.

As with the format of all other new documents produced this academic year, the design of the work sample pro-forma is a support to teachers in reminding them of the Learning Tree strategies that they should be looking to use.

A system of regular work samples will begin during the Autumn Term with further samples set out in the Progress Evaluation Calendar.

The operation of each work sample will be managed by the Subject Leader and over the course of the six half-terms in an academic year, a sample of work from each year group from Y7 to Y11 should be viewed on at least one occasion.

The focus of these work samples is not a large scale ‘check’ of a large number of students, but a small sample of work. Work produced in each identified class within the sample should be seen and unless the Subject Leader has a specific

reason for it being otherwise, a maximum of the work of three students per class would be viewed.

The level of prior notice that would be given of a work scrutiny is at the discretion of the Subject Leader. Also, whether or not the students whose work is seen have been identified by the Subject Leader or selected by the class teacher can be determined for the needs of each individual work scrutiny.

The actual process of scrutinising the work of students could be carried out in a variety of ways. It may be that the Subject Leader or their Assistant Leader undertake the scrutiny using their management time. Alternatively, elements of the work scrutiny process might be undertaken during the course of a meeting.

Coaching and Mentoring With so many developments occurring and being embedded within our learning and teaching ethos we also recognise the importance that coaching and mentoring can bring to the process. All new staff will be fully informed and supported with the developments through the induction process but the support does not end there as we will have a fully operational coaching and mentoring process in place to support and professionally develop every member of staff. The coaching and mentoring process has three main elements. 1. Learning & Teaching Group

2. One2One Coaching & Mentoring

3. Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Mentors

The Learning Tree – Ongoing Development As has been indicated, the intention of The Learning Tree is that it is a concept that serves to bring together our ongoing development in Learning and Teaching practices. By the very nature of its design, this version of our Learning and Teaching policy does not provide a definitive explanation of the strategies that are to be found within our Learning Tree. Further details about the strategies currently employed are provided within our Learning Tree Handbook. Our intention is to ensure that we continue to develop the strategies already contained within our Learning Tree and identify further strategies as a school staff. With this in mind, our Learning and Teaching Policy will be updated on an annual basis during the course of the summer term. In addition to this, the final pages of the policy will provide a record of any changes to Learning and Teaching processes within the school that will ultimately be placed into the main policy. Alan March September 2012