Learning at APS

This year the teachers at APS have been continuing to build understanding of the science of learning and refining our Instructional Model - the framework that guides how we design, sequence and teach units of learning for our students. Having a whole school Instructional Model provides consistency from class to class, ensuring we have shared language and learning routines across the school.

You might notice that even though we are working on content at different year levels, what you see on the teachers’ whiteboards in different classrooms looks similar. We are all using a sequence of learning that is predictable for the students and allows them to follow routines and meet expectations in familiar ways. If students feel comfortable about what to expect, this helps reduce anxiety and supports readiness to learn.

In any given classroom on any day of the week, you will find the teachers reviewing previous learning at the start of their lessons. This helps the students to make sense of what they have previously learned, bring it to the front of mind, and by explaining it or using it again, it reinforces the learning and helps build stronger knowledge.

You might see students across the school using mini-whiteboards in class. Using these allows all the students to respond to a question or prompt at the same time, in a quick and low-pressure way. Teachers can quickly and easily check the students’ thinking or understanding of the task and adapt their teaching or feedback based on the students’ responses.

Another key area of our teaching and learning is guiding students through the learning with examples. Teachers across the school will be demonstrating how the task works, then working through the learning step-by-step with the students, before asking them to work together or independently, to show their understanding.

Our routines and expectations are consistent and our teaching and learning builds in depth and context, as the students move through the years at Aspendale Primary School.

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