The Pedagogical Services Department is committed to supporting professional growth in teaching and learning. At the heart of effective teaching and learning practice is what we have called ‘The Big 6’.
These are;
- 1-Classroom Management
The strategies and skills that teachers use to create and sustain an orderly, safe environment that is conducive to learning and student well-being. - 2-Inclusive Practices
Pedagogical practices designed to make learning accessible to all students. - 3-Learning Goals
Planned explicit statements describing outcomes of learning (i.e. what the students will know, understand and be able to do) by the end of a specified time. These are set by teachers to guide their teaching and are explicitly shared with students. - 4-Questioning & Discussion Techniques
These are techniques used to elicit and share students thinking. They allow teachers and students to gain insights into the learning that is taking place. In addition, they promote reflection and collaboration between students in order to increase comprehension. - 5-Assessment for Learning
This is assessment for the purpose of making timely interventions to improve student learning during the process of learning itself. It is formative in the sense that teachers can use the information gathered to guide the subsequent approach to instruction and, through reflection, make necessary alterations in their teaching. - 6-Professional Learning Communities
A professional learning community (PLC) is a group of educators that meets regularly, shares expertise, and works collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students
As a reflective practitioner, you may wish to privately audit your own skill level with each of these components and use this reflection as a basis for planning your own professional development.
To do this, please refer to the document below.