Head of Junior School
Grandparents’ Day–Term 1 A HUGE thank you to our parents and families for the delicious spread of goodies provided for Grandparents’ Day. We have a number platters and containers, without names left behind. We will set up a table outside Junior Admin with those items on it for you to collect this week please.
House Public Speaking Competition Years 1-6: In Week 2, classroom presentations will occur to select one semi-finalist, per year level, per House to go onto Semi-Finals where one finalist will be selected per Stage, Per House to compete on Tuesday 21 May during the Assembly. Please ensure you have read the letter sent home and your child is prepared.
Kindergarten and Year 1 – Change of Sports Uniform Days: Due to the large number of students playing sport and training on Wednesday afternoons, we have decided to move the wearing of sports uniforms to the following days:
| Kindergarten | Tuesdays and Wednesdays |
| Year 1 | Mondays and Wednesdays |
| Students will no longer wear sports uniform on Fridays | |
Staffing Update: Due to the growth of our Pre-K program, please join with me in welcoming Mrs Paula Pullen as a learning aide who will assist Mrs Kelly Lees on Wednesday – Friday.
Winter Uniform: A reminder to all families that it is expected students will return to school in Term 2 in winter uniform.
The Oxley Shop is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 8.30am -4.00pm.
The Winter Uniform requirements are listed on the school website under Shop and Uniform Booklet. Orders can also be emailed to nicky.moran@oxley.nsw.edu.au
Co-curricular Clubs: commence Week 2, Tuesday 7 and Thursday 9 May.
Labelling of Personal Items: As we move into a new term, it is important that all items of clothing and school equipment are clearly labelled. It is very difficult to return lost property if it is unnamed.
Key Dates:
| Wednesday 8 May | Year 6 Bradman Museum Excursion |
| Thursday 9 May | Mother’s Day Breakfast |
| Friday 17 May | Cake Stall (Provided by Year 5 Families) |
| Tuesday 21 May | House Public Speaking Final (During Assembly) |
| Thursday 23 May | Foundation Night (No Co-curricular Clubs) |
| Monday 9 June | King’s Birthday Public Holiday |
Everyone is Talking About Explicit Teaching.
Perhaps the most popular question in Education at the moment is this: “What is the best way to teach students?”
Research tells us that there is no one best way to teach. Instruction should be based on students’ needs and guided by research rather than by a personal philosophy. With that said, the debate about instruction hinges primarily on how students learn and on what degree of structure and support they need to acquire important skills and knowledge.
There is much talk in the media, at the moment, about Explicit Teaching and the implementation of it into Government schools.
What is Explicit teaching?
Explicit teaching is about making learning intentions and success criteria clear, with the teacher using clear examples and demonstrations when working though problems, setting relevant learning tasks and supporting students working through those tasks, checking student understanding and providing timely feedback.
Rosenshine (1987) described this form of instruction as “a systematic method of teaching with emphasis on proceeding in small steps, checking for student understanding, and achieving active and successful participation by all students” (p. 34).
We know that, particularly with new content, this approach is very effective across subjects with a heavy content load such as Mathematics and English.
Brophy and Good summarized their conclusions about effective teacher behaviours by stating: Students learn more efficiently when their teachers first structure new information for them and help them relate it to what they already know, and then monitor their performance and provide corrective feedback during recitation, drill, practice, or application activities. (1986, p. 366). The diagram below shows the sequence of an Explicitly taught lesson.
Here at Oxley College, we use a combination of strategies within our Visible Learning philosophy that combines Explicit teaching that includes the gradual release of support until mastery is achieved working alongside the more student-led approach of Inquiry-based learning which responds to student wonderment and respects what knowledge the student already has.
In a classroom what might that look like?
At the beginning of the lesson teacher explanations are clear; learning intentions for the lesson are shared; pace is engaging (not too much talking); teacher monitoring is continuous; teacher/peer feedback is positive, corrective, and immediate. Throughout the lesson, the teacher constantly elicits responses: students say answers together, share answers with their partners, solve problems on whiteboards and paper, use concrete materials, and draw diagrams to illustrate concepts and strategies. As students write responses or share with their partners, the teacher moves around the room examining written responses, listening to explanations, and otherwise connecting with the students. Most importantly, an examination of student responses indicates that learning, not just teaching, is occurring in this classroom. The feedback collected by the teacher can then be used to plan the next lesson and for the teacher, they have the evidence they need to support the ‘how’ and ‘what’.
Explicit teaching has been around since I began teaching over 30+ years ago – it has been called many different names – Drill and Practice, Teacher-directed to name but two.
What works for one student may not work as effectively for another. However, a combination of strategies ensure that teachers have an effective toolkit that they can use to connect with and engage their students in learning each and every day. Our students deserve to be given every opportunity to learn, in a safe and encouraging environment.
Explicit teaching is the current ‘buzz’ word in Education but here at Oxley the buzz word is ‘connection’ where students and teachers work alongside one another to navigate the learning journey.
I hope all our families had a lovely break and made some wonderful memories together. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new families to Oxley Junior School in our Year 3 and Pre-K classes.
Miss Jane Campion
Head of Junior School