Teaching FundementalsFundamental to academic success is outstanding teaching. Our teachers are given confidence to take risks in their pedagogy in order to bring out the best in their students. We ask three simple questions of every lesson: were all students engaged? Were all students challenged? Did all students make progress?
The quality of teaching and learning at Desborough is underpinned by on going CPD and an openness of all staff to the sharing of good practice. Many of our staff are experienced examiners at A level and GCSE and this wider knowledge is brought into the classroom. Our staff reflect on their teaching as they move towards becoming expert practitioners. Engagement & Inspiration
Passion Passion. Passion is demonstrated and developed by staff through their infectious joy, interest and curiosity in their subject. Students are inspired and engaged by how much staff know and care about their subject. Relationships Positive relationships between all members of the school community are forged and sustained through mutual respect, compassion, kindness, consideration and humour. Students and staff are never shouted at, belittled or humiliated. Staff maintain clear boundaries and control at all times, with disciplinary issues resolved by expressing dislike and dissatisfaction for the behaviour rather than the individual. Relationships are enhanced by staff who are self-effacing and have a sense of fun. The impact on learning by relationships developed outside the classroom through extra-curricular activities and through friendly conversations is evident. Students care about their learning because they know that staff care about them as individuals. Creativity Creativity, innovation and resourcefulness are encouraged by staff to enable students to develop more independence and autonomy in their learning. Staff provide students with opportunities to develop solutions and strategies using their own strengths. Critical thinking, taking risks, and making mistakes without fear of failure are promoted by staff and applied by students. A growth mindset of what could be and what can be is modelled by staff and demonstrated by students. Purpose Staff structure learning with real meaning, relevance and purpose. Lessons are characterised by clear objectives, differentiated success criteria and a connection to the ‘real’ world. Students understand how their prior learning fits into the big picture of the curriculum and their lives. Staff provide students with clear goals and targets to effectively engage them in their learning and achievement. This will often involve ‘chunking’ lessons to enable students to engage in their progress with feedback against objectives and goals. Staff also recognise when there is flow in the classroom and understand when to allow the learning to develop without interference. Collaboration Staff encourage collaboration through paired work, group work and competitive team games to develop teamwork and enjoyment. All students actively collaborate, with staff modelling and developing leadership, active listening, empathy, respect, sharing and consideration. Students learn with each other and from each other, joining together to enhance their learning. Aspiration & Challenge
Ambition Staff expectations about what students can achieve are aspirational and challenging. Students are aware of their target grades and what they need to demonstrate and develop in each subject to make further progress and reach their target. Staff inspire students to have high expectations of themselves and students demonstrate this through their language and actions in lessons. Staff encourage students to compete with themselves or engage in good natured competition with each other. Differentiation Staff deliver lessons which challenge all learners appropriately. This is reflected in the tasks and activities planned for students. Staff provide choices for students to enable them to take risks and demonstrate their growth mindset. Knowledge The importance of acquiring and applying knowledge is emphasised by staff, who regularly and repeatedly test students to ensure knowledge, understanding and skills are secure. Students are given adequate time to practice applying their knowledge, understanding and skills to achieve mastery. Staff inspire a competitive thirst for knowledge. Resilience Students are encouraged to take pride in their effort and adopt a growth mindset to become the best version of themselves. Students are encouraged to take risks and experience managed failure, to build an appreciation that achievement is borne out of honest, repeated failure and a positive approach. Staff model grit, determination and a desire to engage in the process of improvement to inspire competitive greatness. Students exhibit the emotional resilience to meet challenges head on and bounce back from mistakes. Stretch Students are stretched to be better than they think they can be through effectively differentiated, challenging, goal driven learning. Staff recognise when to allow the lesson to move ‘off piste’ to develop, enrich and deepen knowledge and understanding. Students demonstrate a willingness to competitively stretch themselves. Staff set homework, which is relevant, challenging and manageable. LEarning & Progress
Pace Learning proceeds at an appropriate pace. Staff are able to sustain enjoyment and engagement through the appropriate use of visual cues and movement. Staff use a variety of activities, aided by smooth transitions, which reinforce and further develop learning. Lesson routines are slick and there is no low level disruption. Maximum use is made of every minute of lesson time to achieve progress over time. Questioning Questioning is used to assess, probe and develop learning. All learners are held to account through questioning, with a variety of techniques used to elicit responses through closed and open questions. Students are given thinking time to consider their answers and to collaborate with others before providing answers. Teachers skilfully ‘bounce’ ideas and around the room to ‘stretch’ answers and develop deeper understanding amongst all learners. Questioning is used to determine what students know and understand; to inform the impact of previous learning; the direction of real time learning; and the planning for future learning. Retrieval Retrieval is used regularly and repeatedly to strengthen and exercise the memory and to determine what students know and are able to do. Low stakes formative retrieval testing is used to build, embed and master knowledge, understanding and skills. Retrieval should involve interleaving of previous knowledge and skills and is characterised by immediate feedback to inform gaps in knowledge and skills. Retrieval should be used as a learning strategy rather than an assessment tool. Assessment Teachers assess learning through testing, questioning and observing students. Teachers use various forms of assessment to inform their planning and any additional booster, catch up or intervention sessions to ensure that all students achieve their potential. Feedback Regular, quick and informative feedback is provided for students to enable them to reflect on their progress and respond in a timely manner. Staff use WWW, EBI and DIRT, self and peer assessment, together with a range of smart marking techniques to encourage students to build effective habits of review, improvement and mastery. No written word, no spoken plea, can teach our youth what they should be, nor all the books on the shelves, it is what the teachers are themselves. |