Eagle Vale High School
Key features
Using the Quality Teaching framework to enhance teaching and learning
School context
Eagle Vale High School is a comprehensive school in the Campbelltown area. The school draws students from the suburbs of Kearns, Eagle Vale, Claymore, Blair Athol, Woodbine, Eschol Park and Blairmount. There are 766 students including five student support classes and a diverse English as a Second Language (ESL) population with Pacific Community students being the largest group.
The school has four main feeder primary schools, Eschol Park, Claymore, Blairmount and Kearns. The principals from all five schools meet on a regular basis and are committed to improving the learning transition of students from primary school to high school. In 2004 the five schools received a joint Director-General’s Achievement Award that recognised the collaborative approach to promoting quality teaching and learning across a learning community. The five schools have developed close links in both numeracy and literacy with teachers meeting on a regular basis to share ideas and develop improved learning programs.
The main focus of the school over the past 10 years has been a commitment to improving learning opportunities for students at all academic levels. The school also has a well deserved reputation for excellence in sport, debating and public speaking and promoting the leadership capabilities of students.
What was the school aiming to achieve?
The PAS program enabled the school to resource the implementation of new and improved teaching and learning processes and structures. The additional support provided the school with a significantly enhanced capacity to access the academic and professional support required for the development, implementation and evaluation of projects to bring about measurable change.
The school wanted to improve learning opportunities for all students, so they could develop the knowledge and skills to live productively and responsively in an increasingly complex society. Equally the PAS program at Eagle Vale High School is grounded on the premise of the primary importance of teacher learning in sustaining and building quality student learning outcomes.
The school aimed to maintain a strong focus on the development and support of a learning community culture that is characterised by clear school goals and targets and a systematic approach to teacher and student learning. The school identified as priorities the opportunities for professional interaction, discourse focused on learning and learners and the support and celebration for teachers, students and community learning.
The improvement process
The nature of the school as a workplace and the importance of sustainability of such a large project led the school to focus as much on the management of the projects as on the project design. Under the guidance of the academic mentor Dr Neville Johnson from the University of Melbourne, executive staff developed a project structure that was manageable. The structure took into account departmental expectations, the daily demands of teaching and the personal and professional needs of staff.
The school aimed to build staff and student learning in a dynamic and intense school context. The school also believed that significant success would eventuate as the culture, structures and relationships within the school environment developed and matured.
Dr Johnson proposed a school improvement strategy based on four interrelated actions to assist in the management and sustainability of the school’s project. The key features were:
- identifying the learning and teaching challenges facing the school
- planning a coherent year’s program to address these challenges
- choosing both work based and special projects that directly enhanced learning and teaching and contributed to the achievement of program goals
- supporting staff to work in professional action learning teams with a project focus.
A work-based project is identified as a shared task addressing learning and teaching challenges faced in common by a small, self selected team of teachers. The challenge is embedded in the teachers’ normal daily work and impacts on their work with students. The work aims to sustain and build upon current work with a view to improvement of learning and teaching.
Special projects are identified as substantially new and different initiatives that require considerable effort and commitment. It is expected that the action which results from the work based projects will provide the motivation and dedication for significant structural, cultural and relationship changes. To achieve this, the school included the following processes:
- the adoption of an action learning team structure based on faculty learning teams. These teams established procedures and protocols that acknowledged the importance of staff professional development to enhance student learning
- an action inquiry model was adopted
- the school systematically and incrementally introduced the use of the Quality Teaching framework (QTF) as the design model to supply the foundation for staff renewal in understanding, practising and delivering improved learning outcomes for students
- the school developed a structured improvement process that utilised as its starting point current teacher thinking and practice. To achieve this the school:
- moved teachers slowly, starting from their current practice
- employed small steps of development with the slogan think big, but act small
- provided teachers with manageable challenges
- ensured that the tasks were achievable with a high probability of success
- encouraged teachers by building confidence and effectiveness
- established lighthouse staff and teams that provided practical models and support for staff.
The PAS program provided specific time that was built into the school organisation for teacher professional learning. This included timetabled weekly project planning and sharing sessions, block teacher release from classroom teaching to work as a team with the learning consultant and regular opportunities to share and evaluate progress.
Faculty-based teaching and learning projects have been refined and developed over a period of four years. These projects are drawing on the QTF with a particular focus on the elements of deep knowledge and deep understanding, higher order thinking, high expectations and explicit quality criteria.
Over the past two years the school has moved to align the literacy focus with the learning project. Intensive professional learning has provided teachers with the support required to effect long term change in teaching practice and student learning outcomes. The school has refocused the PAS program initiative towards an action inquiry model. Over the next two years the school will move to the implementation level to focus on improved classroom practice.
What were the results?
Evidence of professional learning
The action inquiry process and working as a collegial team have required teachers to think critically when reflecting on teaching and learning challenges and student improvement. Teachers have provided considerable positive feedback on their professional learning. The following is a collection of teacher comments:
- "I felt vulnerable to have my work taken apart and professionally analysed but really good in the final outcome for teachers and students."
- "I asked myself more questions related to student learning, such as, How can I change what they didn't understand? How can I improve the learning."
- "I use the QTF when writing lessons."
- "Teachers are now using a broad range of new classroom strategies."
- "I now have a clearer link between the assessment task, pedagogy and student work."
The school improvement data has shown consistent positive results over the past two years. The school believes that the significance of the improvements in student performance in School Certificate subjects can be attributed to the early adoption of the Queensland Productive Pedagogy frameworks and in turn the early adoption of the NSW QTF.
Essential resources
Academic partner and mentor
Dr Johnson has trained the staff in the application of work based action learning and supported the staff to maintain focus and to ensure that the important goals were on target. He supported the executive team to analyse the school’s progress towards the targets. Dr Johnson was used regularly in the early stages of the project and maintains contact with the school.
Learning consultant
Janice Koester works with faculty learning teams to assist them to maintain the focus on the QTF as a tool for the planning and implementation of quality learning experiences. She challenges staff to address the need to improve student literacy skills in line with the QTF as a vehicle for improving student success rates. Janice is employed two days each fortnight.
Teacher time
The allocation of teacher time has taken different forms throughout the project to ensure the staff maintains a fresh focus. This support equates to three full time teaching staff each year. Every two years the allocation of teacher time has been reorganised to take on a new focus. The school has provided teachers with time and team teaching support to develop, implement and reflect on their teaching and student learning
Reflections
The main directions of the project would not be changed. In the first year the school tried to take on too many projects. Both consultants were very helpful in focusing the school on what was achievable.
Future directions
The school has found that it is very important to work with the whole staff to ensure the focus of the PAS program remains on improving student learning. With this in mind, the school has reviewed its support structures and resource support every two years. For the next two years the school will focus on the implementation level of teacher learning resulting in improved classroom practice.
Contact: Evelyn Hazzard, Deputy Principal
