Bringing Explicit Teaching to Life
Our Priority Practices in Action
Across Term 3, staff at Hampton Park Secondary College have been putting our Priority Practices into action every day in the classroom. From breaking learning into small, manageable steps to making thinking visible through modelling and think-alouds, teachers and support staff have generously shared how these strategies are lifting student confidence and understanding. Below, hear and see directly from the staff and students living out these practices this term.
“During a Year 8 Science lesson on the digestive system, I watched the teacher chunk the learning into smaller sections. A student remained engaged throughout and confidently demonstrated their understanding through a digestive system flowchart.”
– Maxie, Learning Support Officer
“I understood Legal Studies much better when my teacher used modelling and think-alouds. Instead of just giving us the answer, she worked through a question step by step and explained her thinking as she went. Seeing the process first made me feel more confident completing questions independently, and I could use the same strategies in my own work.”
– Azala Tata, Year 12 Student
Looking Ahead: The Practise Phase
As we move forward, our focus shifts to the ‘Practise’ phase of our Instructional Model. Thi
s is where students build confidence by practising new skills with support and scaffolds, which are gradually reduced as they become more independent. Through multiple exposures and scaffolding, students will have regular, low-stakes opportunities to practise and apply their learning.
Keep an eye out in our next edition as we showcase how staff are bringing the Practise phase to life across our classrooms.
Click the link below for further information:
Hand On Learning Program
As we come to the end of our second term running Hands on Learning, it is exciting to reflect on how far our program has come. We have been hearing some wonderful feedback from both staff and students about how much they are enjoying HoL and, even more importantly, how the impact of the program is being seen beyond the HoL Precinct and into students’ regular classrooms. This is something we are incredibly proud of and a great reminder of why Hands on Learning is so valuable for our young people.
This term looked a little different for us, with our HoL Coordinator, Dan, taking some well-deserved time away to spend with his wife as they welcomed their first baby — a very exciting time for their family! In Dan’s absence, Robson stepped in to help support the running of HoL, ensuring the program could continue to power on. And power on we did! Over the past few weeks, students have created outdoor storage crates and shelving for our timber, as well as begun building our HoL garden with some beautiful wicking beds that we are incredibly proud of. These projects have provided great opportunities to refine our hands-on skills through measuring, sawing, drilling, hammering and screwing, while also building teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills. We are looking forward to a well-deserved break and then getting stuck back into HoL next term, with some big and exciting projects planned!
