Learning Spotlight
From the CPS Learning Specialist Team: Kate Lawerson & Genevieve Murtagh
Carnegie Primary School
At Carnegie Primary School, we believe teachers are lifelong learners. Just like students, they continue to build their knowledge and skills to ensure every child receives high-quality, evidence-based teaching.
As Learning Specialists, our role is to support this growth. We work alongside teachers by demonstrating effective teaching strategies, providing feedback, and leading school-based professional learning to build excellence in teaching across the school.
Each week, teachers have dedicated time to collaborate in a Professional Learning Team. During this time, they analyse student learning data, engage in professional reading, and plan for improvement. To guide this process, CPS has adopted the Teaching Sprints model.
What is a Teaching Sprint?
Teaching Sprints is a structured approach that helps teachers improve their practice in short, focused cycles. It has three clear phases:
- Prepare: Identify a focus based on student learning needs, choose an evidence-informed strategy, and set success criteria.
- Sprint: Implement the strategy over 1–4 weeks, monitor progress, and adjust teaching as needed.
- Review: Reflect on the impact, celebrate successes, and decide on next steps.
Focus for This Term:
This term, teachers focused on: “Increasing student active participation by using choral response techniques consistently.”
This goal aligns with our Annual Implementation Plan, which includes:
- Enhancing teacher curriculum knowledge through the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) 2.0, and
- Increasing opportunities for all learners to actively respond and engage in lessons.
What Did This Look Like?
Throughout the sprint cycle, teachers:
- Engaged in professional reading about student engagement and opportunities to respond,
- Rehearsed and planned for classroom practice, and
- Observed their peers and gathered evidence of the strategy in action.
By participating in Teaching Sprints, our teachers continue to grow as professionals—ensuring every student benefits from effective, engaging, and evidence-based teaching.
We look forward to sharing more updates about teaching and learning at CPS in future newsletters.
