Tarbert Academy

Learning and Teaching Policy

The curriculum comprises of the totality of the learner’s school experience. The provision of a high quality curriculum depends on a number of features with learning and teaching a fundamental feature. The aims of learning and teaching are coherent with Curriculum for Excellence and include promoting the four capacities:

• Successful Learners
• Confidents Individuals
• Responsible Citizens
• Effective Contributors

Learning and Teaching is also underpinned by Tarbert Academy values:

• Respect
• Unity
• Achievement
• Nurture
• Kindness

The Good Lesson Cycle

A good lesson is one that meets the needs of all learners and is where all learners are engaged and focused on making progress. Effective learning and teaching results from following the Good Lesson Cycle.

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

• Short term and long term Learning Intentions should be shared and explained to maximise learner motivation.
• Display Learning Intentions visually or verbally at the start of a lesson and refer back to during lesson.
• Include Literacy, Numeracy and HWB Experiences and Outcomes, where applicable.
• Ensure they are clear, concise and in ‘pupil language’ focused on learning i.e. ‘be able to’, ‘know’, ‘understand’ etc. and include, what we are learning and why we are learning.
• Success Criteria should be co-constructed and will explain how learners will be successful and how their work will be judged.
• Success Criteria should facilitate meaningful feedback.
• Learning Intentions and Success Criteria should encourage learners to become more independent learners and take increasing responsibility for their learning.

Making Connections

• Ensure there is a link to previous learning and terminology, where applicable.
• Establish previous knowledge.
• Recognise transferable skills and knowledge. Learners should be able to identify and experience, where possible, other areas the learning could be used and applied.

Variety of Learning

• Lessons should be active, collaborative and cognitive. Good use of Assessment is for Learning techniques should be made as should the use of skilful, high order questioning techniques.
• Learners should be positively engaged, listen and explain to others, take responsibility and solve problems. They should be able to work as a team where they can share ideas, contribute, take turns and show respect. Learners should ask increasingly more challenging questions and answer high order questions.
• Learners should be able to reflect on their learning and build on constructive feedback.
• Personalisation and choice should be evident.

Demonstrate Understanding

• Opportunities to demonstrate understanding should be appropriately challenging and varied. They should include both summative and formative assessment.
• Instruments of assessment may include: self and peer assessment, presentation, demonstration, end product, debate, questioning etc.

Review and Recall

• Time should always be allocated at the end of a lesson to review learning. Refer back to Learning Intentions and Success Criteria. However, feedback should be provided throughout the lesson which relates back to the Success Criteria.
• Ensure key questions have been answered and explored. Key vocabulary and concepts should be recapped.
• Ensure constructive feedback and clear next steps are agreed. Reference should be made to the next lesson.
• Ensure variety in review and feedback. The process should not always be teacher led. Learners should be encouraged to work collaboratively and be actively involved.

To support overall learning:

Personalisation and Choice

• Displays re current, being used, attractive with evidence of learner ownership.
• There is evidence of differentiation. The needs are being met of the individual learner. Account has been taken of the more and less able.
• Learners should be able to discuss their next steps and can fully engage in the review process.

Evaluation

• Learners meet with Learning Coordinators on a regular basis.
• Pupil Support is evaluated in accordance with the Monitoring and Evaluation calendar.
• Learners are involved in departmental and whole school Monitoring and Evaluation procedures.
• Tracking and Monitoring is completed regularly and discussed with the learner.