De La Salle College

Teaching & Learning Policy

In this College we believe in the concept of lifelong learning. While we are professional teachers, we are also learners and as such should be striving to improve our practice.  This means understanding better, the teaching and learning process and being committed to continual professional development.

We believe that learning should be a rewarding and enjoyable experience for everyone.  Through our teaching we equip our students with the knowledge, skills and understanding that will enable them to make informed choices about the important things in their lives and to contribute to their community, to society as a whole and the economy.

We believe that with effective and enjoyable teaching and learning experiences we can help our students lead happy, healthy and rewarding lives.

Rationale

The purpose of this policy is:

•   To establish a shared understanding of what constitutes quality Learning and Teaching.
•   To state, clearly, the expectations of the College with regard to Learning and Teaching.
•   To provide a framework against which we can evidence our own performance as Teachers.
•   To monitor the effectiveness of Learning and Teaching across the College.
•   To provide Departments with a framework for determining their own Quality Indicators.

Our Aims for our Students.  These are the values, skills and attributes we wish our students to have when they leave De La Salle College to make their way in the world:

We wish our students to:

• Communicate effectively, talk confidently and listen sympathetically.
• Respect themselves and others.
• Have a self belief that they have the ability to achieve something in their lives.
• Be good friends to others.
• Be people who can be trusted to do the right thing.
• Have a sense of humour.
• Embrace Gospel values of love, honesty, forgiveness and justice.
• Have an understanding and appreciation of their faith heritage.
• Be aware of their own history, language, culture and have a sense of their global identity.
• Be young men of courage, understanding and wisdom with a sense of justice and fair play.
• Be proud of themselves and their achievements be they Academic, Sporting, Cultural and Artistic, and be proud of their school and where they come from.
• Be generous, compassionate, kind and caring young men.
• Be lifelong learners.

The Learning Environment

In order that students achieve as learners to their full potential, their learning must take place in an appropriate environment.  Such an environment is characterised by:

• A welcoming atmosphere, positive relationships between teachers and students and between students and students in  relaxed, comfortable surroundings that stimulate and inspire.
• A high level of mutual respect based on our Lasallian ethos and values.
• Clean, tidy, litter free classrooms and corridors where pupil work is displayed, celebrated and refreshed regularly.
• High quality, stimulating resources including ICT to enhance learning.

Characteristics of Effective Teaching

Teaching can be said to be effective when:

• There are good, positive working relationships between teachers and students
• Lessons are well planned and prepared
• A wide variety of teaching styles and methodologies are employed in a productive learning environment.
• Teachers have realistic and challenging expectations of their students.
• Teachers differentiate in terms of student ability, progress and preferred learning styles.
• Appropriate resources, including ICT, are used to stimulate and enhance the learning.
• Students are responsive, enthusiastic and motivated and are given opportunities to work individually, in pairs and in groups.
• Students are given opportunities to engage in open ended problem-solving activities.
• Students are encouraged to improve on previous best performance.
• The experience is enjoyed by both teacher and student.

Characteristics of Effective Learning

Learning can be said to have been effective when:

• The learning intentions have been shared and the success criteria met.
• Students succeed in public exams in line with predictions based on baseline testing.
• Students are able to apply learning to different contexts.
• Students are able to take increasing responsibility for their learning.
• Students complete tasks appropriate to their potential.
• Students display confidence and pride in their work and their achievements.
• Students set and meet or exceed their own learning targets.
• Students demonstrate competence in all of the Key Skills areas.
• Students are equipped to use ICT and emerging technologies to progress their own learning beyond the confines of a classroom in an e-learning world.
• Students acquire knowledge and skills through activities other than classroom teaching.

Assessment for Learning

We understand that Assessment for Learning is a strategy to improve pupil learning and raise achievement.  It is a cyclical process to establish where the learner is now, where he needs to go and what he has to do in order to get there.  It helps learners know how to improve.

Characteristics of Assessment for Learning:

• Sharing the learning intentions.
• Establishing and sharing success criteria.
• Using effective questioning strategies.
• Students are encouraged to demonstrate their learning in a variety of circumstances.
• Using a range of feedback instruments to stimulate and motivate the learner and to affirm what learning has taken place.
• It encourages self-assessment and peer assessment.
• It has an emotional impact by promoting self-esteem.
• A planned plenary at the end of lessons to review the learning intentions and assess levels of understanding.

In De La Salle College we achieve our Aims for our Students as all teachers understand we have a Pastoral role as well as an Academic role to play.  We demonstrate this:

• By creating a College atmosphere based on strong values, mutual respect, openness and trust.
• By presenting ourselves as role models for our students in our values, words and actions.
• By being a genuine, dedicated, caring staff who value their students and are happy to listen, talk to and work with our young people.
• By having unconditional positive regard for our students and by forgiving their misdemeanours and guiding them once again in the right direction.
• By empathising, understanding and knowing our students.
• By working hard to help each student reach their full potential.
• Through quality leadership and working together as a Staff to achieve shared goals.
• By recruiting and retaining high quality, committed, well qualified teachers.
• By demonstrating our belief in and commitment to Continuing Professional Development.
• By striving to create and maintain good working relationships with parents and guardians, our partners, community and parishes.
• By giving of ourselves and our time both in and beyond the classroom and the school day.
• By providing support for those students who need extra help, when they need it.
• By giving our students the knowledge of their faith and the experience of the practice of their faith.
• By demonstrating that we are all still learning and by having a sense of fun.
• By regularly celebrating achievement and praising our students.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Review:

• During Tuesday Staff Development time, Heads of Department take Learning and Teaching Policy and discuss each area in relation to their subject and agree monitoring strategies with Department members.  Departmental feedback using proforma  provided copied to SLT.
• Throughout the year: Teacher self-evaluation, HOD Meetings, Departmental Meetings and Departmental Development work, Annual Review, Faculty Heads, SIT (School Improvement Team), SLT and Principal will discuss, determine, monitor and evaluate the extent of implementation of the College Learning and Teaching Policy in terms of the characteristics of a stimulating learning environment and effective teaching and learning.  This will be carried out through formal and informal observation and use of other auditing tools and a range of data.
• Throughout the year: Teacher self-evaluation, HOD Meetings, Departmental Meetings and Departmental Development work, Annual Review, Faculty Heads, SIT (School Improvement Team), SLT and Principal will discuss, determine, monitor and evaluate the extent of implementation of the College Learning and Teaching Policy in terms of Aims for our Students and our College Ethos Statement,.  This will be carried out through formal and informal observation and use of other auditing tools set out in Pastoral Care Action Plan to determine the extent of our Ethos in action.
• The Learning and Teaching Policy will be reviewed on an annual basis.