Teaching and Learning Policy

TEACHING AND LEARNING POLICY

RATIONALE

All students of Blackwater Integrated College will be exposed to learning experiences which will encourage them to strive to achieve their full potential in all aspects of their education and personal development. Our students will experience a broad, balanced, and relevant curriculum in a positive and supportive environment.  We will strive to provide equality of access to learning opportunities for all our students.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

• To provide a relevant curriculum based on the key principles of the (Northern Ireland) Revised Curriculum.
• To meet individual need through suitably differentiated tasks and learning experiences.
• To foster a sense of self-esteem and enable everyone to fulfil his or her potential in a safe, caring, positive and stimulating environment where talents and achievements are recognised and celebrated.
• To enable our students to become ICT competent, numerate and literate and to acquire essential skills, knowledge and attitudes relevant to their future lives.

QUALITY OF PLANNING AND ORGANISATION

All Department Teams will aim to ensure that:

• Teachers plan their teaching on the basis of well-developed schemes of work which indicate the content and teaching and learning styles to be used.
• The success of such schemes is regularly reviewed.
• Individual lessons and sequences of lessons have stated learning intentions and success criteria that are shared with the pupils.
• Teachers share good practice within and across departments

QUALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

All Department Teams will aim to ensure that:

• Teachers employ a wide variety of teaching methods and styles to ensure appropriateness for all students’ learning needs.
• Teachers have high but realistic expectations.
• Teachers set work appropriate to the range of abilities within the teaching group.
• Teachers give frequent feed back on students’ performance.
• Students make good progress through the application of appropriate skills, commitment and concentration. 
• Students are confident and are willing to seek assistance when they have difficulties.
• Students help each other in a supportive way.
• Students are not required to copy work from textbooks or boards.

THE TEACHING AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

All staff will aim to ensure that:

• Rooms are tidy, well decorated, orderly, safe and attractive.
• Stimulating and relevant wall displays are apparent, each department taking responsibility for displays in main corridor areas on a rota basis

EFFECTIVE LEARNING

People learn in many different ways and there is a need to develop strategies that allow all children to learn in ways that best suit them.   Different forms of intelligence are taken into account when planning teaching and learning styles.

We offer opportunities for students to learn in different ways.

Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning

EFFECTIVE TEACHING

There is a focus on motivating students and building on their skills, knowledge and understanding of the curriculum.  Curriculum plans set out the aims, objectives and details of what is to be taught to each year group.

Teaching is based on knowledge of the students’ level of attainment.  Due regard is given to information and targets contained in the students’ Individual Education Plans (IEPs). There are high expectations of all students.

All teachers try hard to establish positive working relationships with the students they teach. Good order and behaviour are required at all times.

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING:

Assessment exists to help the teacher to help the student. It ensures more effective teaching by providing the evidence for closer matching of tasks to the students’ needs.

Assessment for learning…

Promotes self esteem

Affects learner motivation

Promotes commitment to learning objectives and assessment criteria

Helps learners know how to improve