From the Director of 

Teaching & Learning 

As we finish Week 5 and prepare for Week 6 Remote Learning, I feel like it is now becoming our “new normal”. Whilst our daily routines are very different to a few weeks ago, we need to remind ourselves that our focus continues to be the “Learning Outcomes” of the students that we teach and the support we can offer them, not just academic support. 

I was fortunate enough to join a ZOOM meeting this week with CSNSW, where Dr Michelle Cotter, Principal of Avila College, Victoria, shared her experiences from the 2020 Victorian lockdown, which went for approx. 17 weeks, as well as the fact they have experienced a total of 8 lockdown periods to date. The advice and support offered reinforced many of the processes that we have already employed at St Gregory’s which was reassuring that we are doing the best for our students (and our staff and families). A few key points I would like to share:

Key Points:

• Realistic expectations
• Sustainable structures
• Empathetic communications
• Transparent information
• Find some joy
• Plan for balance
• Students need time to “do, apply, show”
• Understand that “homes” are not classrooms
• Celebrate community spirit – Catholic Identity, reaching out
• Non-screen time for both staff and students is highly important, especially the longer the lockdown goes
• Differentiated assessment
• Professional Learning – important to continue / opportunities offered / given to staff

The Leadership Team continue to use feedback from Students, Parents, Staff, Schools, and Sectors to ensure that we are planning for and implementing supportive structures for both students and staff, and this is reflected in the College Educational Continuity Plan. 

We recognise that homes are not classrooms, often making explicit and timely feedback opportunities more difficult. Feedback now more than ever is needed to support students in their learning and development. Check-in questions and exit questions are a perfect assessment for learning activity and provide feedback re student understanding and progression along with their engagement in the learning environment. Feedback to students provides explicit strategies for improvement.

I am sure as you were watching the Olympic Games recently, and the success of our athletes, it would have been obvious the impact that coaches (and their feedback) have on an athlete’s success, likened to the impact Feedback has on student growth and achievement. Stephen Dineham talks about feedback and the “4 Questions that students require answers to if their learning is to move forward”…

1. What can I do?
2. What can’t I do?
3. How does my work compare to that of others?
4. How can I do better?

I believe the most important question (and answer) is “How can I do better?”. Constructive feedback that assists the student to improve their own performance is provided. Feedback should not just be grades or marks, rather than dialogue and visual examples of “what” is needed and “how” to improve. 

Monday 23 August, we continue our engagement with James Anderson and the Agile Learner. The focus of the day is to engage with and explore the “Learner Landscape”. Staff will look at the importance of a Growth Mindset in developing more skilful learners, and explore common misconceptions about Mindsets, why most interventions don’t work, and how to adopt a “style guide” to help develop more growth-oriented mindsets in students. Staff will examine the Learning Landscape and how the metaphor of the Learning Landscape can help students begin to understand themselves as active, skilful learners, paying particular attention to the nature of challenges and how students equip themselves with Habits of Mind to prepare them to succeed at increasingly difficult challenges. The final part of the day will see staff engage with the concept of Learnership - the skill of learning. Teachers will be asked to complete a Learnership Diagnostic related to the students they teach and identify the degree of skilfulness with which their students are engaging in the learning process.

Teachers are asked to continue to provide learning overviews at the commencement of the week to support students as they navigate through their own weekly timetables. 

Overviews will provide a lesson-by-lesson overview that highlights the Learning Intention and Success Criteria, outlines the learning activities planned and describes any other resources or links needed for the lesson. Video conferencing is used to support lesson activities and provide students with a forum to discuss, ask questions, seek clarification, and apply knowledge of content and theory being taught. Lessons provide enough time for students to “do, apply, show” their understanding. 

Lessons continue to be student centred and teacher-facilitated where possible, as we would see normally in a face to face lesson setting. Video conferencing (Teams / ZOOM etc) provides an opportunity to engage with students, answer questions, provide explicit instructions and guide learning opportunities. This would not exceed 50% of the lesson time, enabling teacher support via GOOGLE classroom, Teams chat or email for the duration of the lesson. 

True learning doesn’t happen without a challenge. We must stretch (not strain) ourselves to increase our standards and abilities. As the world’s expert on expertise, Anders Ericsson, points out, 

“If you never push yourself beyond your current best, you will never improve.” 

Ms Judith Tolomeo

Director of Teaching and Learning