Teaching & Learning

Here are a few samples of teaching & learning briefings held at the Academy every Wednesday morning.

Please click on the images below to view some of the presentations given during briefings.

In its simplest form, Visible Learning can be described as learning that you can see and hear.

As an academy we have outlined some essential elements of lessons to ensure that learning is apparent.

When the teaching is visible the student knows what to do and how to do it.
When the learning is visible the teacher knows if learning is occurring, or not.
Learning goals (Objectives/Outcomes) are not only challenging, but they are explicit.
The classroom environment provides the correct climate for learning.
Visible learning may look different for differing age groups and abilities.
Both the teacher and the student work together to attain the goal, provide feedback, and ascertain whether the student has attained the goal.
Engagement should be immediate and sustained for the duration of the lesson.

As an example within this specific lesson it contained an investigation into the rate of photosynthesis, this may may be limited by:

shortage of light;
low temperature; and
shortage of carbon dioxide.
Light, temperature and the availability of carbon dioxide interact, and in practice, any one of them may be the factor that limits photosynthesis.

Students were expected to gather and interpret data showing how factors affect the rate of photosynthesis.

In order to make the learning visible, students carried out the following tasks:

Students placed sprigs ofElodeain the mouth of a glass funnel and placed the funnel in a beaker of water.
The level of the water should be above the funnel so that a test tube of water can be inverted over the opening of the funnel to collect the gas given off.
Students started with the light source close to the beaker (high light intensity) and counted the number of bubbles of gas given off in a set time (1 minute).
Vary the distance of the lamp from the beaker, allow time for the plant to adjust and then take more readings.