Shared Instructional Framework (Cathy Watson)
Howdy folks!
You have probably noticed that Shared Instructional Framework magnets have magically appeared on the whiteboards in your classrooms. Thank you to staff that ordered multiple sets and are using them regularly, people who have welcomed their use or have been curious about how to use them. A big shout out to the Science Department that have decided to use the magnets as part of their next teaching sprint.
History of the SIF:
The SIF started in 2017/18 as a PLC journey in Instructional Design. The overarching 5-year goal was to improve instructional practice across the school. The initial team started as a group trained by Barrie Bennet in Instructional Strategies with a plan to roll these strategies out to the school. The SIF was research based, staff led, designed and adopted.
Please see the PowerPoint that shares the history of the SIF. Have a read of the notes section - it tells the story of how the ILT (Instructional Leadership team, now called the HQTT) led staff in development of the SIF.
Students are starting to ask what the magnets are for, which is exciting! I've been telling the students that they are there so: you know what you are supposed to be doing in class, a reminder about what you should be doing if you forget where you are up to and a tool to keep on track with your work in class time. This will help them to manage the workload and provide a visual timetable in the room. The students I spoke to thought that was actually a good idea because they know where they need to look in each room.
On a teaching note, it may save you the headache of having to answer, "so what are we supposed to do?" a million times a lesson. If you are anything like me and are brain fried already, it keeps me on track for what I have planned in the lesson or sequence of lessons. They do not have to be new all the time, I run weekly SIF magnets for each class. It also helps me put the accountability back on the students to complete our independent tasks for the week to avoid having homework.
If you would like to know more about the SIF and how you could us it in your classroom, please see Cathy Watson (Room 30) or any other member of the HQTT.
