QUALITY TEACHING
What exactly is 'Quality Teaching'?
How does a TL ensure what they teach is quality?
To answer these questions, have a look at the links and ideas on this webpage, which aims to collate information about quality teaching and some ideas about its delivery to our students.
Quality Teaching Explained:
What exactly is 'Quality Teaching'?
How does a TL ensure what they teach is quality?
To answer these questions, have a look at the links and ideas on this webpage, which aims to collate information about quality teaching and some ideas about its delivery to our students.
Quality Teaching Explained:
- Quality Teaching Power Point (scroll down once you reach the page)
- Quality Teaching (both sites are DET)
There are 3 main areas within the QT framework, with six elements within each.
1. Intellectual Quality- the pedagogy used to produce deep understanding of a topic and how a student communicates their learning about that topic.
2. Quality Learning Environment- producing the ideal environment in which learning may be achieved.
3. Significance- making a student's learning meaningful outside the classroom.
CLICK here to read a summary of the QT elements, written by Jan Poona of Newcastle University (a former TL).
What does this mean to me as a Teacher Librarian?
We play a crucial role as the information process and the skills needed to become information literate can be identified within the QT framework. Higher order thinking skills, how a student learns to apply the information and transform that into deep knowlegde and understanding are skills a teacher librarian delivers through the teaching of information literacy.
If we look at the definition of information literacy, it is easy to make the connection:
"Information literate learners are able to access, process, organise, create and present information in a range of ways that make meaning for them and all the construction of personal knowledge. " (ASLA)
Click HERE to locate a powerpoint presentation, from the DET 'Scan' journal linking the information process, QT and literature circles.
Click HERE to locate a matrix linking COGs syllabus outcomes, the information process, QT and ICT.
Where do I start?
QT and lesson design....in plain English!
When designing tasks for your students, look at the three main areas. Consider: What do I want the students to learn, How will I teach to ensure engagement and Why do the students need to learn this? Look at the sub groups and ensure you are considering them when designing your lessons. if you have planned to include them, it's more likely to happen.
CLICK here and HERE for QT proformas to use in lesson design.
Consider also this 'Thinking Skills Checklist byJan Poona of Newcastle University.
SOME IDEAS FOR ENGAGING LESSONS & PROJECTS
1. WRITING, BOOK RAPS and BLOGS
The following links are excellent projects/tools with which to focus on writing and/or literature. They can be linked easily to English outcomes and will engage your students!
Travel Buddies
ePALS
Flat Stanley Project (2 new projects - one is science based)
Google Lit Trips (NEW!) Great way to map literature journeys.
Writing & publishing e-books
GiggleIT
Book raps are an engaging way to focus on a text and share student responses. HERE you will find past and future raps from the DET, in which you can participate or use past teaching notes. These are fantastic resources!
Why not start one of your own with a class from another school - nearby, interstate or even overseas? Set up your own BLOG to conduct it and the students will enjoy either jointly or individually constructing posts and comments, THEN being able to read them on the site.
2. STOP MOTION ANIMATION
This is a great way to focus on visual literacy, CAPA, English and ICT! Students work in groups to develop a simple story, which is then written up and illustrated using a storyboard. Claymation figures and scenes are made by students within the group. Roles can be defined such as Director, Character Developer, Cameraperson, Sound Effects etc to ensure each student performs a task.
You can use Movie Maker (Windows), but iMovie is also popular.
3. ONLINE RESEARCH TASKS
Either develop your own, or use one developed by someone else. Ensure their research is aimed at solving a problem or answering an open ended question, not just repeating facts. Let them create a class WIKI or ONLINE POSTER to present their findings.
4. TEACHING and LEARNING EXCHANGE (TaLe)
Excellent interactive 'Learning Objects' written with the QT framework in mind. The TaLe site enables you to locate specific activities by both stage and KLA.
5. TOOLS, TOOLS and MORE TOOLS!
Use Delicious to bookmark sites and use tags specific to KLAs and unit titles to allow teachers to access. I use this as an alternative to cataloguing websites.
I've used Voicethread for a local history project for Stage 1. Students can create their own projects, using voice, images and documents.
I'm keen to use Glogster.edu as an alternative to PowerPoint.
I find Edublogs very easy to use and students can add comments. Great as a book review tool.
We have participated in the Junior Judges Project during Book Week. This is a great activity using critical thinking skills.
We are using Survey Monkey to conduct our own in-school annual judging of the Book Week shortlist.
Stuart Hasic is well known for his technology expertise. He has developed his own online game template Double Jeopardy where students make their own games. Simple to make AND play! Stu has also developed downloadable Clicker software, which allows students to 'click' on a multiple choice response to questions using a computer. This software is inexpensive, simple to install and is another tool to enhance teaching.
Here is a link to tools I haven't yet explored, but are designed to get our students thinking! Mind Tools
These ideas are just a sample. Each of us have our own interests and passions that can be used everyday in teaching - you just have to recognise it and not be afraid to explore - using it to your own and your student's advantage.
1. Intellectual Quality- the pedagogy used to produce deep understanding of a topic and how a student communicates their learning about that topic.
2. Quality Learning Environment- producing the ideal environment in which learning may be achieved.
3. Significance- making a student's learning meaningful outside the classroom.
CLICK here to read a summary of the QT elements, written by Jan Poona of Newcastle University (a former TL).
What does this mean to me as a Teacher Librarian?
We play a crucial role as the information process and the skills needed to become information literate can be identified within the QT framework. Higher order thinking skills, how a student learns to apply the information and transform that into deep knowlegde and understanding are skills a teacher librarian delivers through the teaching of information literacy.
If we look at the definition of information literacy, it is easy to make the connection:
"Information literate learners are able to access, process, organise, create and present information in a range of ways that make meaning for them and all the construction of personal knowledge. " (ASLA)
Click HERE to locate a powerpoint presentation, from the DET 'Scan' journal linking the information process, QT and literature circles.
Click HERE to locate a matrix linking COGs syllabus outcomes, the information process, QT and ICT.
Where do I start?
QT and lesson design....in plain English!
When designing tasks for your students, look at the three main areas. Consider: What do I want the students to learn, How will I teach to ensure engagement and Why do the students need to learn this? Look at the sub groups and ensure you are considering them when designing your lessons. if you have planned to include them, it's more likely to happen.
- Look at Bloom's Taxonomy to ensure you are incorporating higher order thinking into the students' learning tasks. Important verbs to remember are:
- analyse, compare, identify, survey,research, devise, conduct, design, invent, create, judge, determine, discuss, recommend, justify.
- Look at WHAT you want the students to learn via appropriate outcomes and work backwards in designing a lesson or task.(Intellectual Quality) Remember the verbs from above in task design!
- The students need to be engaged, so address HOW you are going to teach them (Intellectual Quality). This looks at pedagogy and the tools used to assist teaching and learning.
- Examine WHO you are teaching and the range of abilities, skills and cultures within the class (Quality Learning Environment)and plan levels within your teaching to accomodate all students.
- And of course WHY they need this skill /knowledge/understanding and link it with what the students already know or something outside the classroom and school. There must be some relevance to the learning.(Significance)
CLICK here and HERE for QT proformas to use in lesson design.
Consider also this 'Thinking Skills Checklist byJan Poona of Newcastle University.
SOME IDEAS FOR ENGAGING LESSONS & PROJECTS
1. WRITING, BOOK RAPS and BLOGS
The following links are excellent projects/tools with which to focus on writing and/or literature. They can be linked easily to English outcomes and will engage your students!
Travel Buddies
ePALS
Flat Stanley Project (2 new projects - one is science based)
Google Lit Trips (NEW!) Great way to map literature journeys.
Writing & publishing e-books
GiggleIT
Book raps are an engaging way to focus on a text and share student responses. HERE you will find past and future raps from the DET, in which you can participate or use past teaching notes. These are fantastic resources!
Why not start one of your own with a class from another school - nearby, interstate or even overseas? Set up your own BLOG to conduct it and the students will enjoy either jointly or individually constructing posts and comments, THEN being able to read them on the site.
2. STOP MOTION ANIMATION
This is a great way to focus on visual literacy, CAPA, English and ICT! Students work in groups to develop a simple story, which is then written up and illustrated using a storyboard. Claymation figures and scenes are made by students within the group. Roles can be defined such as Director, Character Developer, Cameraperson, Sound Effects etc to ensure each student performs a task.
You can use Movie Maker (Windows), but iMovie is also popular.
3. ONLINE RESEARCH TASKS
Either develop your own, or use one developed by someone else. Ensure their research is aimed at solving a problem or answering an open ended question, not just repeating facts. Let them create a class WIKI or ONLINE POSTER to present their findings.
4. TEACHING and LEARNING EXCHANGE (TaLe)
Excellent interactive 'Learning Objects' written with the QT framework in mind. The TaLe site enables you to locate specific activities by both stage and KLA.
5. TOOLS, TOOLS and MORE TOOLS!
Use Delicious to bookmark sites and use tags specific to KLAs and unit titles to allow teachers to access. I use this as an alternative to cataloguing websites.
I've used Voicethread for a local history project for Stage 1. Students can create their own projects, using voice, images and documents.
I'm keen to use Glogster.edu as an alternative to PowerPoint.
I find Edublogs very easy to use and students can add comments. Great as a book review tool.
We have participated in the Junior Judges Project during Book Week. This is a great activity using critical thinking skills.
We are using Survey Monkey to conduct our own in-school annual judging of the Book Week shortlist.
Stuart Hasic is well known for his technology expertise. He has developed his own online game template Double Jeopardy where students make their own games. Simple to make AND play! Stu has also developed downloadable Clicker software, which allows students to 'click' on a multiple choice response to questions using a computer. This software is inexpensive, simple to install and is another tool to enhance teaching.
Here is a link to tools I haven't yet explored, but are designed to get our students thinking! Mind Tools
These ideas are just a sample. Each of us have our own interests and passions that can be used everyday in teaching - you just have to recognise it and not be afraid to explore - using it to your own and your student's advantage.
