Learning & Teaching

High Expectations of Learners

Our High Expectations of Learning Behaviours processes are well embedded now and the following graph of Compass chronicles reveals the areas we need to target for the remainder of the Term. Our aim is to work with individuals, classes and year levels to reduce this data over the coming weeks, however we need your assistance as parents/guardians to reinforce positive learning behaviours with your children.

The most successful learners come to class on time, prepared for learning, with the required equipment to engage meaningfully in the lesson.  This means having a fully charged laptop, fully equipped pencil case (pens, pencils, sharpener, ruler, calculator), access to the learning platforms (E.G. Mathspace, Education Perfect and Edrolo), workbooks, and textbooks (as required). 

Parents can support our strong focus on expectations by ensuring their child has the right equipment for every lesson, they get to school on time, their laptops are charged and that that they have purchased the textbooks. It is also important that student wear the correct uniform. If there are financial barriers to purchasing equipment, please contact Peter Cameron (Business Manager) or Sanela Avdic (Student Wellbeing Counsellor).

Coming Soon:

End of Semester Assessments - New and Noteworthy 

Developmental Assessment prioritises short, in-class, formative assessment activities that give teachers and students timely and specific feedback on what they can do and what they need to do next. 

Overwhelmingly, the research evidence shows that this form of assessment is much more impactful on learning than other summative forms. Teachers also need to periodically assess students using other common assessment tasks in the form of Learning Checkpoints (checking on learning progress) and other more Summative Tasks (measuring student performance at a point in time). In VCE these summative tasks, in the form of SACs and SATs, receive comment feedback and a letter grade on the semester reports. 

In 2024, we have decided to introduce Summative Learning Task assessment in line with the way we assess in VCE for students in Years 7-10. For each subject in Years 7-10, teachers will create one common Summative Assessment Task per semester and the performance or Letter Grade will be reported in the end of semester reports. Teaching teams are currently planning these assessments to be undertaken in scheduled classes towards the end of the semester. 

In preparation for these tasks, students may need to start to revise their skills and knowledge at home. 

Maestro Developmental Rubrics 7-10

A easy as learning to juggle. 

When we attempt to learn a new skill, we all start with a beginner’s mindset and skillset, and with practice and coaching we improve overtime. Learning in schools is no different. 

The empowering thing about learning new things using a developmental approach is that the acquisition of the skill is scaffolded and sequenced from foundational basic skills to increasingly more difficult levels of skill and knowledge. If, for example, if you were learning to juggle, you would not start with 3 balls, but one. You would practice throwing and catching one ball before you progressed. 

Learning a skill in English, Humanities or Performing Arts is no different, with students starting their learning with what they can already do and then working on acquiring the next step, with teacher guidance. 

Maestro has mapped the skill progressions for nearly 500 learning skills in our learning continuum and Developmental Rubrics in every subject from Year 7-10.  Here is an example of a skills/knowledge progression for Science when learning about chemical bonding. It starts at Level 3 and moves to beyond Year 10. Even though these concepts are challenging, every student can demonstrate understanding of what they know and what they need to learn about next. 

Next time you want to learn something new, break it down in this way to accelerate your learning progress towards mastery. Learning in this way is very motivating as you can see the incremental improvements you are making. 

Maestro Dashboards

Want to know what's happening for your child in a snapshot? Log into Maestro and check out the Student Dashboard for details about learning tasks, learning behaviours and performance data. 

Natalie Manser 

Assistant Principal

mar@wantirnacollege.vic.gov.au