Leader of Pedagogy

Learning independence is a vital skill that all of our students are encouraged to develop throughout all of their key learning areas. This requires students at times to work independently to achieve their goals and seek feedback from teachers on how they can move their learning forward. In the Year 7 Middle School, there is an opportunity for students to explore their learning strategies and learning goals in a larger, more fluid space. This large space allows for co-teachers to create learning zones. 

These zones are designed so that students are able to extend their learning, use their peers for support and receive guided instruction from their teachers to assist them in completing their tasks to a high standard. Social learning is an integral part of developing understanding and applying knowledge to key learning tasks. For many students, social learning is having conversations that are focused through metalanguage or subject specific language, and are used to encourage each other to complete the activities to a higher standard. If students are able to explain a key concept to one another it becomes part of their repertoire of knowledge and more ingrained into their own skills. Activities such as think-pair-share, are a valuable tool that is used in the classroom in order to provide students with the necessary time to have conversations about the learning, and articulate their own knowledge. So instead of one expert teacher in the classroom guiding the learning, there become many more teachers in the space who can help one another to become competent in the skills required for the course. 

It is these valuable skills that the Year 7 Middle School, and all teaching areas of O’Connor Catholic College encourage our students to thrive in. Learning to work in teams and help one another is a core aspect of who we are and how we develop. 

Ms Lauren Donnelly

Acting Leader of Pedagogy