How can it not be the best pedagogy?

Gaynor Steele
Noarlunga Downs Primary School
Noarlunga Cluster

Finding 6.8: Research
Develop pedagogy through site-based, whole-school, collegial, data-driven professional learning that builds on a strong established research base. For teachers, lesson observation and feedback is at the heart of sharing professional knowledge.

In observing teachers using the framework and giving feedback using the observation tool, l I have seen significant change in teaching.

As a follow on I also have seen significant improvement in children understanding ‘teacher intentionality’ in the lessons that follow. Helping teachers grasp the importance of questioning to gauge students’ understanding of learning and using ‘backward planning’ as a reflective tool to improve teaching processes and targets is paramount.

Having both a learning goal and a behaviour goal helps teachers focus on the core of what they need to do to assist the class to learn. The whole process becomes explicit in a way that takes the stress out of the teaching and learning for both the teacher and the student. It revisits the learning and builds in a supported way.

How can it not be the best of pedagogy?

Some questions to prompt discussions with your colleagues:

1. Gaynor mentions the importance of questioning to gauge students’ understanding and giving teachers feed back about this. What might be the implications for questioning in the mathematics classroom for Aboriginal learners and why is this important?
2. How does your school share and grow knowledge and how does this impact pedagogy that is responsive to the learning needs of Aboriginal students?
3. What other interesting or important aspects are in this Signficant Episode?

Want to hear more from Gaynor?

• See two more of her signficant episodes from Gaynor:
  • Peer to peer
  • Whole of site commitment
• Check out her inspiring story Whole of site commitment I written with Cluster Coordinator Marie Wright.