Dromore High School

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Dromore High School

• Controlled
• Co-educational
• Non-selective
• 11-16 years
• 50th anniversary
• Pilot for revised curriculum

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Specialist status in Science

• The Key stage 3 aspect of our bid was based
  around the implementation of the new Northern
  Ireland or revised curriculum
• In Science, at a whole school level, with partner
  post-primary schools and with our 3 primary
  school partners

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New Science Schemes of Work
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An ICT/resource technician
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A presentation suite
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Specialist school targets at KS3

• Addressed classroom practice at department and
  whole school level
• Influenced school development plan and
  departmental action plans
• Addressed all aspects of the Big Picture

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Raising Standards at KS3 through the revised
curriculum

• An opportunity to teach the skills necessary to
  enable pupils to
• - be better thinkers and therefore
• improve understanding
• - manage themselves and their learning
• - apply their learning to everyday life

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REVISED CURRICULUM
Learning to Learn
Nearly 2 years on ..
ASK YOURSELF
How have my lessons changed? What am I doing
differently?
The Big Picture Your Subject Strand Breakdown of
Skills Assessment for Learning
CHECK!
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CONTEXT
To ENGAGE Learning
Apply a context for relevance
Is there an everyday application? Does the topic
address any of the Key Elements?
ASK YOURSELF
Is there anything more to be covered than there
would have been before?
CHECK!
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Curriculum Objectives

• To develop the young person as an individual
• To develop the young person as a contributor to
  society
• To develop the young person as a contributor to
  the economy and environment

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Some Key Elements

• Personal understanding
• Mutual understanding
• Personal health
• Cultural awareness
• Media awareness
• Economic awareness
• Education for sustainable development

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LEARNING INTENTIONS
To EXPLAIN Learning
We are learning to - WALT
ASK YOURSELF
What do you want the pupils to have learnt? Which
skills can be developed?
Not more than 3 learning intentions One involves
the acquisition of a skill
CHECK!
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Assessed skills

• Communication
• Using Maths
• ICT

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Thinking PersonalSkills
Capabilities

• Thinking, problem solving and decision making
• Being Creative

• Managing Information
• Self management
• Working with Others

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SKILLS
To ENHANCE Learning
Subject, TSPC, UM, Com, ICT
ASK YOURSELF
Are there opportunities to develop any skills? Do
I need to teach the skill first?
Which sub section of the skill area is being
addressed Is it a thinking or doing skill
CHECK!
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ACTIVITIES
To EMBED Learning
Active learning pupil thinking
What do I want the pupils to understand about
this topic? Are there ways to make them think
first and work it out before you tell them?
ASK YOURSELF
Prepare questions for effective
questioning Structure group work/paired work and
plan strategy for active learning
CHECK!
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SUCCESS CRITERIA
To ENSURE Learning
What Im looking for- WILF
ASK YOURSELF
What do I require of the pupils? How am I going
to make this known to the pupils?

• The more explicit you are about what you expect
  the students to do in terms of
• behaviour - methods of working
• what a good piece of work looks like
• The more likely the students are to deliver want
  you want
• Chris Baker

CHECK!
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ASSESSMENT
To EVALUATE Learning
Formative / Summative/ Peer
How will I know that learning has taken place? Is
there an opportunity for peer / self assessment?
ASK YOURSELF
Methods- work sheet, task completed, questioning,
observation, test Feedback comments?,
marks? Competency and Complexity
CHECK!
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Is it happening in the classroom?

• Schemes of work
• Whole school INSET on requirements
• Audit of cross-curricular skills
• Lesson observation during PRSD
• Pupil pursuit by senior managers or curriculum
  team

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Key points

• Teaching skills improves learning
• PRSD can be used as a monitoring tool
• There can be recognisable differences in lessons
• Classroom observation is necessary