Leader of Pedagogy

Empowering Learning Through Data-Informed Practice

In today's world of education, using data isn't just helpful, it's essential! As educators, our goal is to ensure that every student has the opportunity to be safe, valued, respected and cared for and be a learner at O'Connor Catholic College. One of the main ways which staff can ensure these outcomes is by really understanding the information that we have about our students. 

Data isn't just about numbers or reports, it encompasses a wide variety of formats that help us to get to know our students better. When we collect and reflect on the right data, we are able to gain a clearer picture of where students are, what they need, and how we can support them to move forward with their learning. 

Here at O'Connor, we are committed to making data use a meaningful part of our culture. Using it to inform our teaching practice through looking at a variety of information, such as learning tasks, external testing, class discussions, attendance etc, we are able to ask ourselves important questions to identify the progress that our students are making:

• What is this telling us about what our students truly understand?
• How can we adjust our teaching to support the needs of our learners?
• Are the strategies we're using making a positive difference?

This term, the staff are continuing to embed data conversations and utilise these in our professional learning to guide our teaching. Using tools such as NAPLAN, PAT and e-Write data, amongst attendance and wellbeing data will ensure that we have a comprehensive understanding of our students' needs, allowing us to tailor our instruction, provide support and create learning environments that are positive for all.

Through embracing a data-informed approach, we not only strengthen our teaching practice, but also reaffirm our commitment to every student to support them in achieving. At O'Connor Catholic College, our collective focus is clear: we aim to know our students well. 

Ms Natalie Mellowship

Leader of Pedagogy