Somerville Rise Primary School, on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, boasts an engaged community of educators and supportive families committed to empowering all students to be their best.
Yet, when I joined as Principal almost 4 years ago, it was apparent that some of the instructional approaches we were using were not as effective as they could have been and teacher practice differed from classroom to classroom. As result, we were struggling to produce consistent learning outcomes across the school.
Fortunately, we were presented with the chance to take part in several highly recommended opportunities: one of them being AERO's Learning Partner Project to support the implementation of explicit instruction.
We opted to focus on writing as it was a part of the curriculum we had previously not prioritised, due to other needs of our students, and it showed in our academic learning data.
Since 2024, AERO has supported our leadership team as we implemented our instructional model across the school, providing professional learning for teachers, ongoing coaching, modelling and feedback.
Over time, the instructional model was reviewed and refined based on the feedback we received from AERO and, importantly, advice from our classroom teachers.
One of our observations from the early-stages of implementation was that students were benefitting from being explicitly taught new content, and having the chance to learn collaboratively as a group before practicing independently: The Gradual Release of Responsibility model, commonly referred to the 'I do, we do, you do' approach.
But we also discovered that we needed to check for understanding earlier in the process than we initially anticipated. As a result, we have now embedded certain 'stop' and 'pivot' points into our instructional model to ensure students are learning what is being taught. If not, the teacher takes a concerted step back and re-teaches the content, because there's no point moving students on to independent practice unless they have the knowledge or the tools to do so.
Taking part in the Learning Partner Project has enabled us to make a positive change across the school that may have taken much longer otherwise.
It has also helped to create a culture of professional pride and accountability among the teaching staff.
Even the most confident teacher can find the act of opening their classroom door to allow observers to come in and provide feedback extremely confronting. Nobody wants to expose themselves to the risk of being told they are no good!
However, throughout this project, Assistant Principal Lauren Jelleff, Learning Specialist Emily Harry and I would routinely step into the classroom to teach, inviting our colleagues to be the observers. After all, it was only fair that we, too, became proficient in the approach we were advocating!
A few of our lessons went terribly, but this enabled us to have frank yet necessary discussions about how to improve things. Opening ourselves up to be vulnerable as educators has made the process authentic.
Our coaching process also fostered a lot of trust among the staff: both in the leadership and the implementation process.
We are now at the point where teachers will come to my office and say, 'Hey, I'm teaching this new topic this afternoon, will you pop in, take a look and let me know if you've got any feedback?'. As a Principal, that's a real 'proud dad' moment!
It's a good sign that we are on the right track to implementing a viable and sustainable model of high-quality, effective teaching across the school. It shows our teachers are attuned to the needs of our students and ensure they continue to check in on their teaching practice, whether it continues to align with the evidence and our instructional model, and make refinements as needed.
And what about the students?
Although it's not just about test scores, our NAPLAN results in the writing domain have improved markedly over the past 2 years, and we're confident that will continue.
Beyond academics, teachers are reporting that classroom management has become easier as students have responded well to the rhythm of a familiar routine in their lessons. Consistent, predictable routines are crucial!
Our school motto, 'Keep Your Eyes on Somie Rise', might be a bit of fun, but our involvement in the Learning Partner Project has opened my eyes to the potential impact one school can have, and not just on its own students.
Insights from the collaboration are being collated by AERO to inform best-practice approaches for school-wide implementation of evidence-based teaching.
Knowing what went on inside our classroom walls is contributing to a body of knowledge that will support more schools, teachers and students is enormously gratifying.
I couldn't be prouder to lead such a talented and conscientious group of educators.
We want to thank Matt Jackson, Principal of Somerville Rise Primary School, for sharing his experience with AERO's Learning Partner Project.
To find out more about the implementation approach that Somerville Rise Primary School have been applying, take a look at AERO's guidance and resources for implementing evidence-based teaching practices in schools.