Deputy Principal (Andrew Healey)
Excursions
Staff can download a C2G app on their phone to help manage their excursions. The app will show contact and medical details of the students attending an excursion. Attendance can also be done through the app instead of contacting Ann each time, particularly if out or normal school hours.
When managing an excursion it is good practice to push out to all staff a list of potential students attending the excursion. This should be done at least the week before the date of an excursion to minimise the interruption to other classes.
Knowledge of best practice -Instructional Tactics
Think-pair-share
The most classic of instructional tactics to use in a classroom – it’s the first strategy explained to anyone new in the game as it very flexible to use. It is an instructional technique where the teacher stops lecturing and asks their students a question (think), turn to a partner (pair), and discuss their thoughts (share). The positive, other than this being a very simple technique, is:
- It breaks content into bite size bits
- Students are active participants; rather than ‘absorbing’ it makes them verbalise their thoughts and helps process the material covered
- Allows for informal assessment; listening to students talking allows teachers to gauge how well the class as a whole may understand a concept
The think-pair-share can be formalised by providing a template to make students write their responses; improve literacy. The share may also be expanded to share the final response of the pair to the rest of the class. You can vary this strategy in response to the students, the content being covered or as a personal goal for a peer to observe your lesson.
Peer Observations
Over the last two years we have had a number of teachers participate in the Coffee Club. The Coffee Club, brilliantly led by enthusiastic staff, helped lay a foundation for teachers to participate in peer observation. Peer observation helps strengthen teaching as you are in control of what you wish your peer to observe, what type of feedback you want and all done in a safe manner.