OAKHILL DRIVE PS TERM 2, 2024

PROBLEM OF PRACTICE:  Is the learning rigorous for all our students?
  • Do students know what they are supposed to learn, why that learning is important, and how they know they have learnt it?
  • Who is carrying the cognitive load?
  • Are students required to explain,analyse, generalise and justify their thinking?
BACKGROUND: In the descriptive classroom observations we undertake for our rounds we often find that lessons have clarity, but there is insufficient challenge both to truly engage students in the learning, and to deepen their understanding. In response to this the network has started to explore the concept of rigour.

We first delved into this in 2020, with a problem of practice from Oakhill Drive PS: "How are we providing rigour for our students?" The pre-reading for this round was an introduction to Barbara Blackburn's book, "Rigor is NOT a Four Letter Word".  After the round, participants reflected on what they now understood rigour to be.  Check out the resources for this round here: Ensuring Rigor ODPS

In Term 3, 2023 John Purchase PS chose to highlight the place of productive struggle in mathematics learning.  Their PoP was, "Are our students engaged in complex problem-solving tasks?"  Teachers collaborated to develop charts that represented their thinking about how teachers could ensure that the mathematical learning is challenging and accessible for all students. Check out the resources for this round here: JPPS PS 2023 Maths

In Term 1 2024 we focussed on applying the concept of rigour to the teaching and learning of mathematics.  Berowra PS set the following problem of practice: "Are our mathematics lessons rigorous?" We revisited the concepts embedded in the Barbara Blackburn framework, and small groups collaborated to identify what rigorous mathematics lessons should entail. Check out the resources for this round here: Berowra PS 2023 & 2024 Maths
THE PRE-READING TERM 2, 2024
The pre-reading for this round, compiled by Carolyn Wallace-Whelan,  expands on the three key aspects of the Blackburn model: expectations, scaffolding and performance of understanding. It also expands on the key roles that questioning plays as a basic and critical component in classrooms that enables rigorous learning.  Download the reading here:   oakhill_drive_ps_reading.pdf
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THE PRESENTATION:  One of the main goals of the professional learning sessions for this round was to: identify rigour in the instructional core, specifically making connections between  questioning and accountable talk and ensuring rigour for all students. A second goal was to apply this understanding to the lesson observations at our host school - to identify rigorous teaching and learning and to propose possible next steps in the learning of teachers and leaders at Oakhill Drive PS. Download the presentation here: oakhill_drive_2024_br.pdf
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