Deputy Principal

There are a great many factors that influence the outcomes of students. Much research has been undertaken over the last decade to guide teacher practice to ensure high impact pedagogy. In some ways therefore, teaching is a science and there exists ‘scientific’ evidence around impact. 

While this is true, nothing in the world will convince me that teaching isn’t an act that ‘transcends’ science. In other words, a teacher can reflect across their lessons a series of high impacts strategies, but not be a ‘great’ teacher. Throughout 2022, the College wrestled with this question of what makes a great teacher, and how can we ensure a more coherent understanding of such, without undermining our unique Franciscan identity, or indeed, the unique and important relational ‘art’ of teaching and learning. 

With that in mind, the College has resolved a new ‘Teaching Framework’ to guide the practice of each of our teaching staff. This framework does not seek to replace the subject specific pedagogies that sit alongside broader pedagogies of high impact. It does however, seek to be intentional and explicit about what we expect to see from each of our teacher practitioners. 

What are the key features of the Mount Alvernia Teaching Framework? 

• All stakeholders across the College are working towards an explicit ‘graduate vision’ that is shared across the community (student, parent, teachers, leaders)
• Teachers must design lessons with a gradual release of responsibility in mind – eventually transferring the ‘doing’ to students. This may result in periods of ‘productive struggle’ but learning cannot happen without ‘doing’.
• Teachers are accountable to specific ‘high impact pedagogies’ and this guides lesson and resource design and lesson delivery. Chief amongst these ‘high impact pedagogies’ include:
  • Explicit learning intentions and deconstruction of success criteria
  • Explicit modelling to an A and C standard in order to guide student ‘next learning steps’
  • Explicit feedback around areas for improvement 
  • Multiple opportunities for content and skills to be practiced and reinforced in the classroom and at home 

Please see the Teaching Framework below, or click here to view. 

The Learning Framework

Teaching and learning are symbiotic acts that are highly related, but not identical. The College has therefore also invested its efforts into answering the question: what do the most successful students do well in order to achieve the best outcomes? Understanding that not all strategies will work equally well for all students, and that learning is both a science and an art, the College has developed a learning framework that encapsulates the following:

• The key dispositions we wish to emphasise with our students: readiness, aspiration, persistence, agency and scholarship. 
• High impact in class and at home behaviours including: 
  • consciousness and automaticity of success criteria (the ability to bring the criteria to the forefront when working)
  • purposeful talk (to open up strengthen neural pathways and connections)
  • routine meaning making – through the use of Cornell Notes and Dual Coding and regular practice in the mode of the assessment 
  • self marking against the success criteria and honest reflection about strengths and areas for development with a willingness to make corrections and refinement 
• Acceptance of gradual release of responsibility – embracing the ‘doing’ and not being a passenger in the learning 

Please see the Learning Framework below, or click here to view. 

The Teaching and Learning Frameworks are more than just documents which clarify the College’s approach to what we do and how we do it. They are foundational documents that guide our structures, conversations, professional development of staff, agendas, appraisals and ongoing work with students. It is our sincere hope that the publication of these core ‘frameworks’ for teaching and learning will enable a better quality of partnership between home and school so that all stakeholders see and understand the graduate vision and the steps we are taking to action it. 

Parents as Partners and Responding Appropriately to Teacher Feedback

At Mount Alvernia we recognise the value of parent investment in student outcomes and learning. Our continuous reporting cycle and academic communication policy, is intended to assist parents to engage in conversations with students and teachers about student learning and outcomes. When your child receives feedback, how you respond as a parent, will model how your child reacts, hears and prioritises their next learning steps. 

While we recognise that it may be appropriate to clarify feedback, we would encourage parents to do so in a way that is respectful and constructive to partnership. At the end of last term, some teachers received communications from parents that were damaging to partnership. 

 Examples of inappropriate behaviours included:

• Calls to College Reception, demanding a meeting with the Principal or the Deputy, without first having spoken to the teacher or Head of Faculty
• Emails received immediately after a piece of feedback had been returned, demanding an immediate meeting or response in a period very busy for teachers
• Emails sent late at night, written in a highly accusatory tone and heightened language 
• Conversations with other parents and students about a situation, without first having engaged in communication with staff.

These sorts of behaviours do not represent the majority of our parents by any means, but they have become a little more frequent of late. 

Teaching is an all-encompassing profession. Many of our teachers invest emotionally in our students and give their all to ensure they do their very best. When your children don’t get the grade they are seeking, this can also be disheartening to teachers as well as to students and parents. Importantly, however, set backs are part of life. 

What is important is how we respond to those set backs. There is often tremendous learning that can come. Respectfully, we would ask all parents and carers to be sure that they have taken sufficient time to process teacher feedback before they immediately respond. Further, we would ask all parents and carers to ensure that any response, is respectful of the professionalism of staff as well as their personhood. 

We thank you in advance for continuing to work with us, understanding the importance of partnership in ensuring the best possible outcomes for students. 

Peace and all good, 

Kath Little

Deputy Principal - Teaching & Learning