Classroom Practices -  Continuous Improvement 

Positive Classroom Practices that 

Engage All Students

At BSC we unwaveringly pursue improvement by consulting current educational research on best practice for effectively teaching our students. This involves undertaking professional reading, learning from each other’s practices and participating in professional learning from the experts. 

On our Professional Learning day (Wednesday 24 May) we were privileged to share a day with renowned educational consultant, Glen Pearsall, undertaking a workshop on Positive Classroom Practices that Engage All Students.

Glen Pearsall was a Lead Teacher at Eltham High School and board member of the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority. Glen works throughout the world as an educational consultant, specialising in instructional strategies, and positive behaviour and school change. He was a Cambridge Education associate, a master class presenter for Teacher Training Australia and a research fellow at the Centre for Youth Research, University of Melbourne. 

Glen has a long association with the Teacher Learning Network and was the founding presenter of the widely popular PD in the Pub series. He is also co-creator of Toon Teach, an animated series on classroom management, and has authored many best-selling books on teaching practice: And Gladly Teach (2010), Fast and Effective Assessment (2019), Tilting Your Teaching (2020), The Top Ten Strategic Questions for Teachers (2011), and Classroom Dynamics (2021). He is the co-author of Literature for Life (2005) and Work Right (2011).

We chose to consult with Glen because we observed increasing difficulty in engaging students in their learning as we continue to recover from lockdowns and online learning. On the day, Glen shared his extensive experience and expertise in instructional practices for engaging all students. He commenced by sharing routines for engagement and practical strategies for pivoting students towards learning when they wander off-task or refuse to complete set work. He shared simple tools for fast, in the moment assessments of engagement. He then shared how to structure learning experiences for students so that all students are engaged through autonomy, mastery and choice. Glen also revealed the educational research and literature that support the effectiveness of these strategies along the way.

Staff were asked for their feedback about this professional learning. They gave an average rating of 4.78 out of 5 for usefulness, and 91 percent of staff responded that they were very likely to implement the professional learning undertaken. In follow up staff meetings, all staff could explain a teaching experience where they had used one of Glen’s strategies, and they could also explain how students’ learning was enhanced or furthered from using those strategies. Our leadership teams are also considering how some of Glen’s strategies could become part of our classroom routines at BSC, to further support students to focus and deepen their learning. It certainly was a day well spent, and we are very grateful to Glen for his significant contribution to our improvement journey.