#2 Teaching and Learning
In 2021 our school used the ‘Perspectives: Your School in Focus’ suite of surveys developed by AISNSW to support independent school improvement endeavours. The information gathered continues to assist us in furthering the growth and development of our school and school community. We are using the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and development strategies.
The Perspectives surveys have been specifically designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of stakeholders’ perceptions of five important areas: School Environment, Teaching and Learning, Student Wellbeing, Leadership and Community. All staff, Y5/6 students, parents/guardians, school leaders and board members were invited to participate. The input and contribution from all stakeholders have been important as we continue to understand and improve the learning experience for everyone at our school.
Last year we presented a summary of the findings in the 29 October 21 newsletter, linked here.
The first instalment of the AISNSW Perspectives School Data (#1 The School Environment) can be found in the 18 March Newsletter 22, linked here or on the school website.
Teaching and Learning
Our overall aggregate score in each component is as follows. In this paper the specific focus is on the second component of the suite of survey data, Teaching and Learning.
Teaching and Learning is made up of four focus areas and is subdivided into the various aspects noted in the following table.
Together these aggregate scores give our School Environment a mean score of 5.08, compared to a score of 4.45 (based on a six-point Likert scale) for the 60 other Independent Schools who participated in the surveys.
Teaching and Learning is what we/schools are all about – it is the bread and butter of an educational experience, but it is not just about the bread and butter for us, it is about all the fillings that we add that make the experience so special for the students at Claremont College. For the learners to thrive, the teachers and teaching needs to thrive too, so the sub-categories listed above are all factored into the learner experience for all the stars to align.
It is difficult to know how much our Collaborative Teaching Models (Co-Teaching) impact the strong data we received at the end of last year, however we do know that collaborative teaching enables many intangible aspects of teaching and learning to thrive.
For teachers in a collaborative teaching and learning environment, they:
- Collectively make decisions about student learning;
- Explicitly collaborate to discuss student achievement;
- Work together on whole grade assessments; and
- Learn from each other and provide feedback to each other daily.
For students in a collaborative teaching and learning environment, they:
- Are afforded a creative environment where a variety of teaching strategies are possible;
- Learn by working in both a structured explicit teaching environment as well as a flexible independent environment according to the curriculum and/or the student needs;
- Enjoy student groupings that are flexible across the grade; and
- Have opportunities to connect with more than one adult throughout every school day.
We will continue to aim to sustain the excellent efforts of past years, and to continue to achieve Teaching and Learning experiences that are so highly regarded by so many.
Janelle Ford, Co-Principal
