Teaching and Learning

Engage, Learn, Succeed: Enhancing our Classrooms with an Effective Learning Environment

The year has begun with great energy and focus at Berwick College, with staff and students working together to create an Effective Learning Environment (ELE) in every classroom. At the beginning of the year, staff engaged in a session unpacking the key elements of an effective learning space, ensuring that our classrooms are places where all students can succeed. Students have also unpacked the stages in the ELE in their Homegroups and classes, committing to behaviours and strategies that support their own learning and that of their peers. 

In addition to this focus on the learning environment, staff are continuing to implement the new Instructional Model (IM): Engage, Guide, Apply, and Reflect. This model ensures that each lesson provides a clear structure, helping students stay engaged and understand the purpose of their learning. Parents and students can see the lesson plans on Compass, and we encourage families to check these regularly. Reviewing lesson plans can help students stay on track, revisit key concepts, and reinforce their learning throughout the term.

This week also marks the beginning of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) for our teaching staff. PLCs provide a structured opportunity for staff to collaborate, share best practices, and reflect on student learning. This term, the focus will be on Engage or Guide in the Effective Learning Environments, with teachers sharing classroom work samples and conducting peer observations to enhance their teaching. We are excited to have Colleen Graham, a new leader at Berwick College, facilitating these sessions. Supporting this work in classrooms are our Learning Specialists, who are actively engaging with staff and students to strengthen teaching and learning practices. Their work aligns with the ELE focus and will help guide the development of demonstration lessons that showcase best-practice teaching. They are also available to mentor staff who want to refine their practice. We are excited to see these leaders in action, Alex Rees, Eve Eddison, Pinya Senevirathne, Linda Bourke, Gavin Watson, and we welcome Monica Morscheck to the leadership team.

To further support student learning, we have introduced Microsoft Teams as a key platform for online collaboration. Students can now access online learning resources, discussions, and collaborative apps in one place. Parents should remind their child to check their Berwick College email for a message from Leigh Sloggett, which includes their login details for both MS Teams and their school email. If students have trouble accessing Teams, they should search for this email to retrieve their details.

It has been a busy and productive start to the year, setting the foundation for an exciting and successful year of teaching and learning at Berwick College. We look forward to seeing our students continue to grow and thrive in their learning journey.

Claire Hanley

Assistant Principal - 

Teaching & Learning