Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership Impact Case Study
Leading Pedagogy
Small school thinking big Participants:
Cameron Landry Principal, Waubra Primary School
Participation in Bastow’s Leading Pedagogy course has led to a new pedagogical model for literacy at Waubra Primary School. Teachers are excited about the consistent approach, parents are happy with the school’s clear direction, and students are more engaged and achieving better results. As a small regional school team led by a new principal, dedicating time to focus on developing a new pedagogy, collaborating with teachers and principals from other schools, and accessing the latest research around successful pedagogical models, were key elements for success. After a 2015 review identified a strong need to develop a clear and consistent methodology for teaching literacy to improve student outcomes, the Leading Pedagogy course content and design was exactly what Principal Cameron Landry and his team needed to develop a new approach. ‘It’s possible that without the Bastow course, I may have found something and just said, “This is the way”, whereas with this course, we’ve been able to learn together and look at the variety of possible methods and the different ways to implement a model … it’s something we all understood and something we’ve all been a part of building,’ says Cameron.
Caroline Hurse Teacher, Waubra Primary School
Bastow | Leading Pedagogy
As a new principal at the school, Cameron felt it was important that he attend the course with two other teachers—Caroline Hurse and Sonya Hepburn—as a way for him to be closely involved in developing and
implementing the new approach, and to create the conditions that would sustain it. ‘It was really important that we learned together,’ says Cameron. ‘The course gave us the opportunity to be guided into the right approach, and the teachers were able to develop their leadership skills as well.’ From the outset, Cameron understood that introducing an integrated methodology for teaching literacy across all levels is a tall order, but participating in the course gave the team the support and commitment they needed to choose the right approach and then get the ball rolling. ‘Having those set dates and set times for projects is what kept us going,’ says Cameron. ‘We developed a timeline, looked at our meeting schedules and worked out what we would focus on each week. It was an ongoing process and it’s still happening now.’ The course, which is closely aligned with the Building Practice Excellence priority area of the Education State’s Framework for Improving Student Outcomes, takes participants on a pedagogical journey—from understanding how to establish goals and expectations and strategically allocate resources, through to how to improve the quality of teaching and lead teacher learning and develop a culture to sustain this.
All for one When Cameron first started as principal at Waubra three years ago, the school had multiple methods for teaching literacy across all year levels, which Cameron felt was having a negative impact on the students as they progressed.
He knew they needed to take a more consistent approach to enable students to grow and allow teachers to meaningfully measure this growth. ‘The course showed us how to refine our approach and how to implement the correct model for our needs,’ says Cameron. ‘It gave us the time to really unpack the curriculum and look at what we are doing at every level.’ Although initially concerned about the course workload, Cameron quickly realised that by delegating, each member of the team could ‘take ownership of a section of the research project’. ‘At first I thought, “Oh no, what have I got my staff into?” But in the end, it worked out perfectly because we aligned our research assignments to fit with the three main areas of our strategic plan.’ Taking this coordinated approach also meant that the new pedagogical model would be clearly documented in the school’s overall vision. ‘I researched the particular pedagogical model we would use. One of the other teachers looked at how the model would work for us, with a specific emphasis on making feedback and goal setting non-negotiable. And the other teacher looked at ways to implement the model,’ explains Cameron. ‘It wasn’t just another thing that you file away and never go back to. We were able to look at those three main areas … and be accountable for producing them.’ Pictured: Student from Waubra Primary School
‘One of the things I got out of it was the opportunity to put my learning into action and to take on a leadership role with the responsibility of implementing something that the school really needed.’ Caroline Hurse Pictured: Cameron Landry with student Bastow | Leading Pedagogy
Sharing the load For Cameron, a key benefit of attending the course as a team was learning the importance of distributing leadership responsibilities and not always ‘trying to be on top of everything’. ‘We’ve been able to learn together and I’ve been able to step out of the leader role and learn alongside the other teachers. The impact of working together has been huge.’ One advantage in Cameron being part of the team is that he has a clear picture of the teachers’ learning. ‘I was confident that I knew exactly what professional learning they had done and that they had the research to back up their decisions. And we were all able to support each other along the way.’ Teacher and course participant Caroline Hurse appreciated this chance to develop her leadership skills and to really step up. ‘One of the things I got out of it was the opportunity to put my learning into action and to take on a leadership role with the responsibility of implementing something that the school really needed,’ she says.
For Cameron, having enthusiastic teachers who were ready to learn made all the difference.
punctuation, which reinforces the prior learning. They then write in silence by themselves.
‘From the start, everyone was clear about the benefits and outcomes of doing the course, which motivated them to complete it.’
The results of this new approach have been very promising to date, with Caroline already noticing a real difference in her students.
He also recognised that the course was modelling the most effective way to teach students.
‘There’s been a lot more engagement and excitement about writing with my group. One of my students even said to their parents “I can’t have my doctor’s appointment on Thursday because we’ve got the Big Write!” ’
‘The course really practised what it preached. One of the main things we were taught was the importance of explaining to students why they were learning something and what the outcome of that learning would be, so they knew what was expected. This is exactly the way the Bastow course was taught to us.’
Thinking big With the chance to evaluate different approaches, the team chose to implement the Big Write teaching methodology, which focuses on four areas of writing improvement: vocabulary, connectives, openers and punctuation (VCOP). It is a differentiated approach suitable for pre-writers, all the way through to secondary school.
Having Cameron’s support, as well as backing from the school council and other teachers, was a bonus for Caroline, and a key reason why the new model has been so successful to date.
Created by UK educational expert Ros Wilson, the method takes a ‘back to basics’ approach to teaching the building blocks of writing. It is based on the idea that, ‘if they can’t say it, they can’t write it’. Learning is scaffolded to allow children to become articulate thinkers and speakers, who will then become articulate writers.
‘We’re really lucky here in that we’re all working towards a common greater good. There is no one here that isn’t on board or who is reluctant to change.’
The sessions require students to discuss their thoughts and ideas, plan their approach, and focus on correct use of vocabulary, connectives, sentence openers and
‘We didn’t have that kind of excitement before. The whole atmosphere of the room changes, it becomes a place of celebration. We celebrate the small wins for the kids that we wouldn’t normally celebrate and the effects of that are huge.’ She especially noticed that before the Big Write, boys were generally reluctant writers, and now ‘they’re really enjoying it and are showing great improvement’.
Kicking goals Regular and meaningful feedback and assessment and goal setting are key to implementing the Big Write. Cameron strongly believes that these elements are crucial for students to understand how they can drive their own learning and exactly what they need to do to reach the next level. ‘In our review, the data showed that our students were low in learning competence. They weren’t sure what they were learning and why.’ ‘So we recognised that we really needed to stimulate their learning by giving them feedback and helping them set goals.’
(explored in his book Visible Learning for Teachers), a theory that Cameron explored in greater depth at Bastow. Hattie believes that feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement, particularly feedback from the student to the teacher. He says that when a student gives feedback, it allows the teacher to see learning from the perspective of the student, which makes planning and goal setting for the teacher more targeted and realistic. When teachers listen closely to this feedback, they pick up themes and can find out more about how their students are learning and what they may be missing.
Speaking the same language
With the new approach, the teachers tell the students exactly what they’ll be learning – they give writing a purpose, while making it fun.
Cameron is also very aware of the importance of engaging parents in this shift in teaching and learning, and keeping them informed of how these are affecting the students.
‘We also let them know what they need to do to get there and what they need to do to take their learning even further,’ says Cameron.
‘We’ve really promoted what we’ve done in the course through newsletters, council meetings and in general conversation with parents. We’re encouraging parents to read our research projects and talk to us about it.’
The Big Write encourages students to be ambitious and work towards their own goals and self-appointed standards, instead of being compared to the wider group. ‘They’re cued to unpack their writing together,’ explains Caroline. ‘There’s a lot of talk during our writing time and then a lot of discussion about students writing feedback for each other, so it’s peer to peer, student to teacher, and teacher to student.’ This method is closely aligned with John Hattie’s work on the importance of feedback and transparency with learning goals
Bastow | Leading Pedagogy
Caroline has found it extremely helpful that parents have been involved from the start and there has been a complete transparency around the shift. ‘I know that parents have read my project and they’ve given me feedback on that, and that we’re all on board.’ Using the same language with families around literacy learning also means everyone has a clear picture of how and what their children are learning, which can help them support their child at home.
‘Most families want the best for their kids … and we’re working towards getting a good balance between what our role is as teachers and how they can participate in their children’s learning,’ says Cameron. With this strong community of learning and the positive changes to date, it’s clear that they are well on their way to achieving Cameron’s aspiration for substantial growth within the next two to three years.
‘We’ve really promoted what we’ve done in the course through newsletters, council meetings and in general conversation with parents. We’re encouraging parents to read our research projects and talk to us about it.’ Cameron Landry
Pictured: (L-R) Tim Haase, Soraya Hepburn, Cameron Landry and Caroline Hurse
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