What makes great teaching and learning? We believe these 10 principles contribute to great teaching and therefore underpin our teaching and learning strategy at St. Michael’s:

1. Use of assessment

2. Challenge

3. Quality explanation

4. Modelling success

5. Deliberate practice

6. Questioning

7. Feedback

8. Retrieval practice

9. Student teacher relationships

10. Reading, summarising and understanding texts

These 10 principles will give staff a common language when we talk about teaching. We know what we are talking about when we discuss modelling, practice etc. This creates a rich discourse about pedagogy within and between subjects. The principles apply to all subjects – so have meaning and purpose across the school. Whilst we will of course implement them differently across different subjects, the ideas and the thinking underlying them are the same. This means that we are all pulling in the same direction as teachers and because of this, students are getting a consistent approach across their lessons e.g. high levels of challenge; probing questions; time to engage with deliberate practice etc.

A ‘St. Michael’s Lesson’

We believe that all students at our school deserve an outstanding education, and this begins with outstanding teaching and learning across all of our classrooms. To ensure that every child gets this offer, at St Michael’s you will see certain practice that is commonplace in all of our classrooms. Below are the aspects of teaching you will see in all St. Michael’s lessons:

• Warm Up Routine
• Knowledge Goals
• I do, We do, You do
• Head-on Misconceptions
• Cool Down Routine

Please see our teaching and learning policy for further details on all of the above.

For all enquiries about teaching please contact Mrs C Witterick (Assistant Headteacher: Learning and Teaching)