Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

At the start of the year, I spoke to students about this poster, which is displayed in all classrooms. One of the goals we have for students at the College is for them to become active and reflective learners during their time here so that they can have future success. We have high expectations for the learning of all our students. They would have noticed that during some of their lessons, the school leaders or other teachers come into classrooms and ask them these five questions.

At the start of the year, students are shown this image and asked what their goals for the year are. Teachers then assist students with their learning goals by being intentional about what they teach.

Students are provided with small goals to maximise their learning and achieve success. In our classrooms, we call these Learning Intentions and Success Criteria.  At the start of every lesson, teachers will explain WHAT you are doing, WHY it is important in your Learning Intention, and how you can achieve it through the Success Criteria.

Learning Intention -

• • • • • • WHAT you are learning and

          • WHY it is important to understand.

Success Criteria -

• • • • • • HOW you are going to do this?

Teachers have ensured that everyone is very clear with the first two questions: what you are learning and why. If students are asked these, they should be able to respond with an understanding of the Learning Intention and Success Criteria

Now that students are competent with the first two questions, it is time to consider how they know if they are achieving the Learning Intention.

Question 3.
What feedback have you received from your teacher, your peers, or from a self-assessment?
Have you had a formal assessment, formative assessments, homework.
How do you know how you are going?
Question 4:
How can you improve?
What needs to change in your current actions to improve?
This might involve adding details to your answers or reflecting on your behaviour in the classroom.
Question 5:
Where in the classroom can you go for help?
Are there learning walls, bump-it-up charts, or anchor charts in your room?
Can you ask your learning buddy?
Teachers are here to teach, help and support learning and are more than happy to answer questions. However, to create critical thinkers, think about before you ask the teacher: where else can you get help, or do you already have the skills and knowledge to find the answer?

These five questions will continue to be asked. Students are asked to listen to and engage with the Learning Intentions and Success Criteria in every lesson so that they know how to answer them.