Brisbane Catholic Education Office

Delivering Excellent Learning and Teaching 2014 - 2016 Strategy

Purpose The Delivering Excellent Learning and Teaching, 2014 -2016 Strategy seeks to inspire high expectations for learning that maximises engagement, progress and achievement for each student across our community of schools.

Context Our expectation for learners and learning is activated within a Catholic worldview of each learner, created in the image and likeness of God, a whole person inspired by the spirit to respond with passion and creativity to the integral challenge of learning and living. (BCE Learning & Teaching Framework, 2012) Pope Francis challenges us to work to change our thinking towards leadership. This leadership requires ethical imagination to engage with and be challenged by those whose continuing vulnerability is an affront to the Gospel. We are called in our educational mission to bring ‘a revolution of tenderness’ (Evangelli Guardium [EG] 88) finding and forging ‘new paths of creativity’ (EG 11) as our young people synthesise faith, life and culture through their learning.

Response The Delivering Excellent Learning and Teaching Strategy is responsive to the stories of our learners. It seeks to improve the progress and achievement of each student, particularly those who are not achieving at standards that enable them to move successfully onto further learning; those whose progress has halted or regressed; those who leave our schools before the final years of their schooling and; those whose schooling does not contribute to viable post school pathways or life outcomes.

Connection Delivering Excellent Learning and Teaching aligns explicitly with all pillars of the BCEO Strategy Map 2013-2016 (Figure 1) and activates the strategic intents and strategies of the first pillar, Deliver Excellent Learning and Teaching. Figure 1: Brisbane Catholic Education Office Strategy Map 2013-2016 BRISBANE CATHOLIC EDUCATION OFFICE STRATEGY MAP 2013 - 2016 Leaders in authentic, inclusive and contemporary Catholic schooling Ensure the sustainability of high quality Catholic schooling enabled by the commitment of staff, partnerships across Catholic school communities and responsible stewardship of our collective resources

Deliver Excellent Learning and Teaching

Strengthen Catholic Identity

Drive Responsible Stewardship

Strategic Intents Form and sustain leadership for quality learning.

Support staff and students to develop a personal relationship with Jesus.

Ensure decision making processes are collaborative, transparent and reflect strong leadership and accountability.

Provide learning environments that focus on the individual student as a person and a learner.

Develop socially just citizens who embrace sustainability and make positive contributions to our world.

Adopt a culture of continual improvement.

Ensure high quality curriculum and pedagogy using contemporary research, practice and technology.

Ensure authentic experiences of Catholic traditions and values relevant to the modern world.

Leverage BCE’s collective resources to promote innovation and achieve equitable, effective and efficient delivery of our Catholic mission.

Key Strategies 1. Build the capability of school leaders to enhance quality pedagogy.

1. Create a cohesive and integrated approach to the religious life of the school and the faith formation of students.

1. Enable best value service delivery for schools to optimise student learning.

2. Build the capability of teachers to adapt pedagogy using data, evidence and contemporary research.

2. Deliver a planned and integrated approach to the development and formation of staff for mission.

2. Ensure corporate systems and processes are equitable, efficient and sustainable.

3. Enhance student participation in the curriculum through improved achievement in literacy and numeracy.

3. Enhance high quality learning and teaching of religion.

3. Build organisational capacity with a particular focus on leadership, professional capability and collaborative technology.

4. Optimise engagement of the student as both person and learner.

4. Embed a performance culture that inspires and supports continuous improvement.

5. Enhance creativity and excellence in the arts.

5. Enable innovation in design to facilitate learning.

Being creative and innovative in all our endeavours …

It aligns the BCE Learning and Teaching, Leadership and Strategic Renewal Frameworks to focus on excellent learning and teaching.

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Delivering Excellent Learning and Teaching

The BCEO Delivering Excellent Learning and Teaching, 2014 - 2016 Strategy The Delivering Excellent Learning and Teaching, 2014-2016 Strategy describes the actions BCEO will take to create optimum conditions to deliver excellent learning and teaching for each of our students, in every classroom across all schools in BCE. It combines three high yield strategies to connect the LEAD, LEARN and TEACH elements of the Strategy aligning practices and support across BCEO and our schools. These strategies focus on the effective use of data at system, school and classroom levels; the effective monitoring of student progress and achievement; and the collaborative practices required to ensure teaching has a responsive and positive impact on each student’s learning progress. The Strategy aims to develop system-wide understanding and language to guide effective practice in engagement for learning, and innovation in learning and teaching. All elements of the Strategy are informed by the work of Michael Fullan (2011) who provides evidence of a set of drivers that are effective in creating positive change and improvement at a system level: i)

Collective capacity building around the learning-teaching-assessment nexus;

ii)

Team and group development practices that build social and professional capacity of the profession;

iii)

Strong pedagogy supported by enabling technologies and

iv)

Developing synergies that result in systematic rather than fragmented actions.

Implementation Two dispositions are critical to the successful implementation of the Delivering Excellent Learning and Teaching Strategy. The first is high expectations, which Brisbane Catholic Education names as applicable to outcomes for each student; the engagement and commitment of all involved in implementing the Strategy; and the overall expectation in relation to the Strategy’s success. The second disposition is that of a prevailing culture of learning. All involved in delivering excellent learning and teaching contribute their own knowledge, skills and understandings and with a view that each continues to learn with and from others. John Hattie’s insight into this culture of learning shared by students and teachers alike is thought provoking: The greatest effects on student LEARNing occur when TEACHers become LEARNers of their own TEACHing and when students become their own TEACHers. (Visible Learning, 2009) The successful implementation of this Strategy will benefit from active, regular and structured nurturing of these dispositions.

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LEAD Goal: Establish a system wide culture of learning built on high expectations for each student.

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Purposefully engaging with students about the use of expected literacy practices and student learning

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Renewed and collective focus to: 1. Develop common and shared language about the interdependent cognitive, emotional and behavioural elements of engagement that lead to successful access and participation in learning for each student.

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2. Establish processes, practices and tools to establish a culture for learning and high impact teaching in schools.

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1. Connect and align pedagogy, quality teaching practices and professional learning that further develop each teacher’s capacity to respond to the impact of their teaching on each student’s progress and achievement.



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Goal: Establish practices and processes to identify evidence of the positive impact of teaching on each student’s learning.

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2. Establish processes and tools for the effective monitoring of each student’s progress.

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1. Communicate with clarity and support the use of effective and expected practices for teaching Literacy.

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Renewed and collective focus to:

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Goal: Establish visible evidence of progress in Literacy for each student.

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Goal: Establish shared understanding and common language about the factors that lead to effective engagement for learning for each student.

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2. Develop systemic leadership for improved learning by training in and implementing the effective use of data at system, school and classroom levels, protocols and processes for effective Review and Response Cycles for improved progress, and Learning Walks and Talks.1

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1. Develop collective capacity to implement the principles and drivers for effective system-wide action for improved learning and teaching.

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Renewed and collective focus to:

2. Develop a holistic approach to the implementation of the HPE curriculum and Relationship and Sexuality Education with an explicit Catholic worldview and context.

INNOVATE

Goal: Establish shared understanding and common language to guide innovation in learning and teaching.

BCEO renewed and collective focus to:

1. Develop and communicate principles to frame innovation to the pedagogical core2 to improve learning and teaching.

2. Develop resource-rich environments that enable connected, real life and real time learning and teaching.

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The attributes of the Learner, Teaching, Curriculum and Resourcing and the interaction of each with the other (OECD, 2013)

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Theory of Action Implementation of the Strategy requires more than the mere naming and nurturing of dispositions and culture. This Strategy warrants a clear conceptual model to clarify who will be involved in implementation and the characteristics of relationships amongst these participants. The Theory of Action, consistent with the intent of the Delivering Excellent Learning and Teaching Strategy, positions the student as its focus. All engaged in delivering excellent learning and teaching are supported as they build their collective capacity to impact positively on student outcomes. In addition, all who receive this support provide feedback on progress to inform future action. At school level, teachers deliver quality teaching to students and through assessment practices, receive feedback on the impact of their teaching. Teachers are collectively supported by Learning Leaders within their school to further develop and refine their professional practice, knowledge and skills. They undertake work in collaboration with school peers, and often with peer networks beyond the school. Access is open to BCEO Learning Leaders who are trained and poised to provide a range of services such as data identification and use, coaching, action learning, modelling, partnering and professional learning. The term Learning Leaders describes the variety of role holders who have responsibility to lead capacity building in others to deliver excellent learning and teaching. In schools, it includes role holders such as the principal, curriculum leaders, support teachers, teacher coaches and mentors. Learning Leaders receive structured support to build their own capacity and collaborate with peer leaders within the school and beyond. BCEO Learning Leaders, be they members of the Leadership Team, Senior Staff, or those who are traditionally seen as providing education-oriented services to schools, also receive structured support. They work collaboratively with peers across BCEO and external networks.

Figure 2: Theory of Action

Teaching and assessing student learning

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Professional learning and implementation support

School Learning Leaders

Teacher

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Teacher professional learning and peer support

Feedback

Professional support through building capacity and expertise & ongoing formation in strategy implementation

BCEO Learning Leaders

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Resourcing of strategy

Subject Matter Experts (BCE or external)

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Delivering Excellent Learning and Teaching

Leadership Team

Subsidiarity and Leadership The Theory of Action aims to build collective capacity across all levels of Brisbane Catholic Education. It does this so those closest to students (teachers and school Learning Leaders) are well prepared to use highly effective teaching practices that impact positively on student progress, assess student progress and use the evidence of such to inform planning of future teaching to maximise progress. This represents subsidiarity in action and aligns with a long-held and valued operational principle employed by Brisbane Catholic Education. The Theory of Action positions leadership function across the organisation as a) Setting strategic directions by connecting learning practices with research-based evidence; b) Aligning resourcing and professional support for all with the strategic directions; c) Demonstrating effective stewardship of all resources, especially the focused effort of all staff over a specific period; d) Aimed at achieving inherently important targets which will deliver excellent learning and teaching (transformation). This leadership function, expressed in terms of setting strategic directions, stands apart from the delivery of routine services as detailed in a catalogue of services. Routine services continue in parallel to strategic activity, providing a firm base for the delivery of functions required to sustain the mission of Brisbane Catholic Education. The Theory of Action supports the implementation of the Delivering Excellent Learning and Teaching Strategy and defines relationships amongst participants within BCEO and schools. It also provides insight into how each participant contributes to the success of the Strategy and two underlying dispositions critical for success – culture of learning and high expectations.

Monitoring and Evaluation The process for monitoring and evaluating our effectiveness during the strategy period will be established through the development process for each element of the strategy. Data will be drawn from relevant learning and teaching data sources including but not restricted to NAPLAN, SRS reporting data, Visible Learning Matrix, Student Voice, Effective size data, survey data, and classroom literacy data. Information from the monitoring and evaluation process will inform refinements to the current strategy as well as future planning cycles.

References Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium of the Holy Father Francis to the Bishops, Clergy, Consecrated Persons and the Lay Faithful on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World. (November 2013). Retrieved 1 July 2014, from http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/ papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html Brisbane Catholic Education, (2012), Learning & Teaching Framework. Fullan, M., (2011), Choosing the wrong drivers for whole system reform, Centre for Strategic Education Seminar Series Paper No. 204, May 2011 OECD, (2013), Innovative Learning Environments, Educational Research and Innovation, Retrieved 1 July 2014, from http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/innovativelearningenvironmentspublication.htm Sharratt, Lyn, Fullan, Michael, Learning Forward, Ontario Principals’ Council 2012, Putting FACES on the data: what great leaders do! Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, California.

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