Teaching and learning goals

In 2016, the Scotch College Junior School staff focused their teaching and learning goals around three areas: assessment for learning, trans-disciplinary learning and inclusivity. Below, I have provided further information on the first of these three goals and I will elaborate on the other two goals in following newsletter articles:

Assessment for Learning:

This was the focus of our professional development and planning programme in 2015, however, in 2016 we fully imbedded these practices into our teaching and learning programme as well as into our written curriculum. Assessment for Learning incorporates:

Learning Intentions: A lesson, or series of lessons that tell students what they should know, understand and be able to do.

Success criteria: Helps teachers to decide whether their students have in fact achieved the learning intention. Importantly, the success criteria also answer the same question from the point of view of the student: How will I know whether I've achieved the learning intention?

Formative Assessment: (clear, concise and immediate) feedback provided for successes and areas for improvement, referenced against the Success Criteria. It is important to align supportive comments with the Success Criteria and the Learning Intention so the focus remains on the learning.

Differentiation: A differentiated curriculum is a programme of activities that offers a variety of entry points for students who differ in abilities, knowledge and skills. In a differentiated curriculum teachers offer different approaches to what students learn (content), how students learn (process) and how students demonstrate what they have learned (product).

Mr Warwick Norman

Junior School Dean of Teaching & Learning