3 (a)
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SUMMARY OF STUDENTS RESPONSES TO ENGAGEMENT IN LEARNING
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SUMMARY OF STUDENTS RESPONSES TO ATTITUDES TO LITERACY
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4 (a)
SUMMARY OF TEACHER SURVEY ON TEACHING APPROACHES
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Diagnostic Window Review Literacy
List the strengths 1. Learner outcomes Attainment of curriculum objectives 2. Learning experience Engagement in learning 3. Teachers’ practice Teaching approaches List your findings from the data
List the areas for improvement 1. Learner outcomes Attainment of curriculum objectives 2. Learning experience Engagement in learning 3. Teachers’ practice Teaching approaches What further questions do we have?
Sources of Evidence Used:
Source: adapted from Michael Fullan “School Self-‐Assessment The Road to School Effectiveness”
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Sample School Self-‐Evaluation Report for Post-‐Primary Literacy Worked Example
1. Introduction 1.1 The focus of the evaluation A school self-‐evaluation of teaching & learning in school X was undertaken during the first term of 2012. Literacy in L1 English and how the teaching and learning in all other subjects support the acquisition of literacy skills were reviewed in 1st Year. This is a report on the findings of the evaluation 1.2 School context This sample school is an urban, all girls voluntary secondary school under the trusteeship of CEIST. There are currently 700 students including 70 are EAL students. TY is well established and LCVP was recently introduced. 2. The Findings Learner outcomes • The student’s standardised test results and report cards from the primary school were gathered by the Career Guidance Counsellor and analysed. It was noted that the STen scores for reading for the cohort are slightly above the national norms. • All subject departments used the PDST tool for analysing results in the Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate exams. The majority of subjects compare favourably to national norms. • There are five mixed ability first year classes and samples of written work across the curriculum work were gathered and analysed for one of these classes. Findings: Consistent difficulty with sequencing and the development of answers was observed. Learning experience At a staff meeting, the staff scanned through the evaluation criteria in the SSE guidelines. The SSE core group designed a student questionnaire on attitudes to literacy & engagement in learning. This was conducted as an on-‐line questionnaire using Google forms and administered to 150 students taking three class periods in total. By using an on-‐line tool, results were instantly collated and analysis began immediately. Sample findings • 50% of students read for more that one hour per week for enjoyment. • The most popular reading materials are magazines/comics & fiction. • Very few students believe that their writing is legible and even fewer students edit their own work. • 17% of students stated that they do not like writing at all
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• •
More students prefer to write on a blog/facebook than in other genres. Students feel more comfortable sharing their ideas in pairs/small groups but only 18% said they feel comfortable sharing in whole-‐class discussions.
Teachers’ practice • In general, the focus of teaching is on knowledge and skills more so than literacy/numeracy or ICT. • Independent learning, listening to the teacher and taking notes are the dominant ways in which students are enabled to learn. • Many teachers use comprehension strategies in their teaching. • 10% of teachers use editing checklists or issue their own set of criteria for writing. Progress made on previously identified targets identified in the current SIP N/A for year one as SIP not in place yet. 4. Summary of school self-‐evaluation findings 4.1 Our school has strengths in the following areas: • STen scores of 1st Year students for reading are above the national norms. • Attainment in the majority of subjects at both JC & LC is above the national norms. • 60% of students are reading fiction for enjoyment. • There is a critical mass of teachers already using comprehension strategies and students teaching and presenting. • There is willingness to share good practice. • Students are getting some opportunities to develop oral language and are confident working in pairs and small groups. 4.2 The following areas are prioritised for improvement • Increased expectations and standards in writing across the curriculum. • The development of comprehension and group-‐work strategies across all subject areas. • Increase the number of students taking higher level in certain subjects for both JC and LC. • Teachers to focus on the development of literacy as well as knowledge and skills. 4.3 The following legislative and regulatory requirements need to be addressed.
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