Teaching and Learning Strategy
At the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, we want great teaching and learning to take place in every learning setting so our curriculum aims can be met and our learners can fulfil their potential. We want to ensure that we are being as effective and as inclusive as possible. We want learning to transform the lives of our learners, and to leave a legacy of knowledge, skills and experience that enriches their future.
Castleford College
Selby College
Wakefield College
Purpose Statement
This strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve the overall aim of ensuring our curriculum delivery is high quality, inclusive and ambitious and that learners and apprentices truly excel and achieve their full potential.
We are focused on our learners gaining qualifications whilst acquiring new skills, experiences, values and attitudes, and being able to apply them effectively for their next step.
This strategy includes activities and methods that will help us to implement exceptional teaching and learning, tailored to individuals starting points and their needs, and assists teachers to demonstrate consistently high expectations for all learners, including those with SEND, setting ambitious outcomes to work towards.
This strategy also assists us to provide an outstanding experience for our learners by guiding, directing and supporting them to remain and progress in education, gain knowledge, understanding and skills, develop digital literacy skills for research, communication, and collaboration, and ultimately move on to great careers and independence.
The above statements link to key areas of the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group Strategic Objective 2.
The Heart of Yorkshire Education group has no preferred style of teaching. We believe that great teaching is measured by the ways in which learners acquire knowledge, develop skills and exhibit appropriate behaviours for work and success in life or their academic journey.
The Heart of What We Do
The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group’ teaching and learning strategy is informed using research by Coe et al (2014), Fiorella & Mayer (2020), Hattie (2023) and Rosenshine’s principles in action (2020). All have researched key ingredients of what makes great teaching. We encourage a Quality First Teaching approach which is a style of teaching that emphasises high quality, inclusive teaching for all learners in learning activities. Quality First Teaching includes differentiated learning, strategies to support SEND student’s learning in sessions.
The term 'Pedagogy' refers to how teachers teach young people. The term ‘Andragogy’ refers to how teachers teach adults. Teachers are expected to use the research-led approaches from both in their sessions. Their effective use is crucial for developing deep learning experiences and helping learners to learn more successfully.
Dual skilled teachers
Leaders want to ensure that all teachers are confident in not just understanding their content but confident in selecting appropriate strategies to teach the content effectively.
In 2014 Robert Coe et al. produced a report called ‘What makes great teaching’ where they mention that there are clear links to the teacher’s understanding of the content (and how it could be taught) and the gains learners made. The teacher brings their specialist subject knowledge and develop their skills in how to get this across to learners through their pedagogical content knowledge (knowing how to teach their subject to learners and what common mistakes learners make).
“The most effective teachers have deep knowledge of the subjects they teach, and when teachers' knowledge falls below a certain level it is a significant impediment to students’ learning.” Being able to impart subject content knowledge effectively is equally important.
PRISM Principles of Great Teaching
Teachers at The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group utilise the PRISM Principles of Great Teaching which provide nonprescriptive guidance that every teaching situation can utilise. They offer our teachers a simple way of taking ideas of practice into their own delivery to promote exceptional teaching and learning.
They are not meant to be seen as 'instructional straitjackets’ but guiding principles that can be embraced by teachers at all levels. It is important that the principles are not turned into a checklist to be ticked off during lesson observations. They are ‘a guide for professional learning’, rather than ‘a tick list for accountability’.
Some of the principles may not be beneficial in certain situations. For this reason, it is up to the professional judgement of the teacher to agree on how and when to use them within their sessions and in what order to meet the teaching demands they face.
Training can be provided to help teachers gain a better understanding of when to facilitate certain teaching principles and when to omit them. Support is available to assist an effective integration of technology where appropriate and to develop digital pedagogy skills
Probing Questioning and Checking Learning
We ask frequent questions to identify gaps in learning, to clarify understanding, to develop critical thinking, soft skills and employability. Questioning in lessons can be most effective when it prompts all learners to think as it strengthens their long-term memory.
At intermittent periods during the session, we stop and assess whether learners have understood what has been covered so far - so that they are all taking part in demanding thinking activity.
Why is this important to us?
Using questioning techniques and learning checks effectively is central to creating an interactive and compelling learning environment in which both teachers and learners are active in the process of learning.
Sherrington recommends that stronger progress is made when teachers ask more questions to more students in more depth. Teachers should ask ‘process type questions’ which are questions about how a learner worked something out.
How?
Our teachers have access to a range of engaging questioning strategies that can be adapted to a range of sessions and academic levels. A selection of these can be found by clicking on the following links.
Review and recall
We devote time daily, weekly and monthly, to review past learning.
Why is this important to us?
The way we present information to learners makes a big difference in whether they’ll learn it in the long term or forget it by the end of the week. As mentioned in cognitive load theory the amount of information our working memory can keep at one time is relatively small. Regular rehearsal of knowledge allows learners to make connections between new and old information, improving their understanding of a concept.
Providing new information to learners by linking it to their prior knowledge allows a quicker understanding, deeper retention and allows them to apply the knowledge to new situations and ultimately assists them to know more and remember more Regular developmental reviewing allows learners to build long-term memory and retrieval skills which lead to improvements in retention and achievement via the promotion of active learner engagement and consolidation of knowledge.
How?
Our teachers have access to a range of engaging activities based on previously taught information that promote spaced retrieval of knowledge (e.g. last lesson, last week, last term). A selection of these can be found within the Purple box teaching activity guide Purple box guide.docx and by clicking on the following links.
Introducing new information / chunking
We take the time to help learners understand the purpose of the upcoming session. We also ensure they see how it fits into a bigger picture of their learning journey. Where have I been? … Where am I going? … Where am I now? With further new information, we ensure it is introduced in manageable chunks.
Why is this important to us?
When we are asked to learn too much at one time, we can get overwhelmed. This can slow down or even stop the process as there is too much information to process at once.
Chunking information means teaching in small steps while checking for understanding along the way and it will reduce the likelihood that learners will experience cognitive overload. This is because it helps the transfer of new material from working memory to long-term memory and as a result, learners will show improvements in their ability to recall newly learned material.
How?
Our teachers have access to a range of engaging activities to orientate the learners’ knowledge and to ensure information is delivered in manageable chunks. A selection of these can be found by clicking on the following links.
Strong start to sessions
Sessions need to grab attention from the start. Learners need to feel welcomed and a sense of belonging as soon as they walk into the learning environment. We recommend that sessions begin with a starter activity that learners can complete quickly and independently as soon as they enter the classroom to help engage them, settle them into the lesson quickly and generate curiosity for what learners are about to learn. This also gives the teacher time to welcome all the students by name and complete the register.
Why is this important to us?
A strong start maximises the time between the moment learners walk through the door and when the main lesson begins, ensuring engagement in meaningful
academic work and building positive and productive habits. Sherrington and Caviglioli (2020) state: “Routines are bedrock of a positive behaviour management system – the key is to establish them and rehearse them so that they are known, understood and enacted consistently.”
How?
Each teacher has access to a purple box of teaching resources to support with starters. Purple box guide.docx Our teachers also have access to a range of engaging activities to ensure their sessions start with purpose and impact. A selection of these can be found by clicking on the following links.
Modelling and guided practice
‘Modelling’ is an instructional strategy where a teacher demonstrates or explains a new concept or approach and learners learn through observation. We carefully structure our demonstrations and guide learners’ practice time to achieve fluency and assist the transfer of their learning from short to long term memory, so learners know what they are aiming for.
Why is this important to us?
Building learners' knowledge through stages of practice builds understanding & confidence in a supportive and stimulating learning environment. Transferring the control of the learning from the teacher to the students encourages learners to be autonomous and to take an active role in the learning process (Vygotsky, 1978).
How?
Our teachers have access to a range of engaging activities to ensure their demonstrations are purposeful and meaningful. A selection of these can be found by clicking on the following links.
The 6-step model from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) Metacognition and Self-regulated Learning Guidance offers a useful framework to support teachers in developing their learner independence.
The 6-step model helps to explain the Prism principles in action
This 6- step model adapted from the Education Endowment Foundation’ (EEF) 7 step model is a scaffolding framework to deliberately shift responsibility for learning from the tutor to the learner and it draws together some of the key Prism principles. It assists the learner responsibility from dependence to independence, making students more successful in our classrooms and better equipped to face the challenges which life might throw at them outside of college.
The orange part of the bar represents the learner and the blue part represents the tutor input.
All 6 steps could take place in a single lesson, or it may be more appropriate for them to occur over a series of sessions.
Activating prior knowledge review and recall: Consider the key concepts that you have taught previously and what the students need to know. There will be differences in what and how much each student knows about the topic, but what is the essential knowledge and how will you ensure all have it before you move on?
Introduction of new knowledge and chunking: What is the new knowledge or new technique that you are teaching? Ensure you are not teaching too much in one go as you don’t want to overload students’ working memory.
Modelling: Think about how you will model the task, but also how you will model your thought processes as you do this.
Probing questions and checking learning: How will you check to see if students have understood what you have taught them? Ask more questions to more students to reflect the understanding of the whole class.
Guided practice: What support will you put in place for those in need of extra help in order to promote confidence and competence?
Independent practice: How will you plan for them all to have the opportunity to engage in independent practice, and what will this look like?
Supporting students and scaffolding their learning in this way can help every student move from dependence to independence. Not only that, but by improving student performance, we can develop their belief in their own competence and in turn, their motivation to achieve.
1. Activating prior knowledge review and recall
2. Introduction of new knowledge and chunking
3. Modelling
4. Probing questions and checking learning
5. Guided practice
6. Independent practice
StudentTeacher
Adapted from the 7-step model from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) Metacognition and Self-regulated Learning
Supporting Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Creating an inclusive learning environment
When we plan, we use a Quality First Teaching approach which is a style of teaching that promotes inclusive teaching for all learners. Quality first teaching includes differentiated learning strategies that particularly support SEND learners.
Materials
When designing materials, we aim to reduce the cognitive load on working memory through careful use of font size and colour, images, revealed sequence of information, and blank space ratio. Further guidance and ideas can be found below.
https://my.chartered.college/impact_article/using-cognitive-load-theory-toimprove-slideshow-presentations/
Ready to learn atmosphere
At The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group teachers and students adhere to ‘Ready To Learn’ (RTL) guidance. These are agreed principles that are displayed in every classroom and around the corridors that provide the basics for a respectful setting that promotes learning.
We have ‘tight’ expectations of some common language terms and approaches that we want all teachers to incorporate into their teaching. These are outlined below.
The Course Overview document
At The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group all courses will have a course overview document that highlights how each unit of study, English, Maths and tutorials are logically sequenced to meet the needs of the learners. It incorporates themes, concepts, assessments, and cultural capital activities that are embedded over the course of the curriculum. Teachers also incorporate their curriculum intent within this document. An example of this document template can be found here. Course Overview 2022-2023.docx
Why is this important to us?
Effective sequencing and modelling helps learners to aspire to reach the best outcomes on their study programme by building constructs which inspire motivation and ambition in our learners.
Student Group Profiles
Each learner will have support and stretch information documented. This information will include facts about all learners’ abilities, attitudes and behaviours within the learning environment with meaningful, specific strategies that our teachers recommend using to prepare them for academic success, for work and life and supports their mental health and wellbeing.
The profile will also clearly identify who the vulnerable learners are, such as: SEND, Young Adult Carers (YAC), High Needs (HN), and looked after learners. This Student Group Profile will better enable teachers to articulate their group’s specific needs with strategies to aid their independence.
Learner responsibility
Teachers have an expectation that learners will accept responsibility for their own learning and be able to work independently. Teachers also ensure our learners are able to articulate their target grades, intended destination, progress and how the session/course is enabling progress towards this outcome.
Assessment
The assessment journey features key milestones and actions that teachers will take in order to ensure that all learners are receiving frequent checks on learning, constructive feedback, and targets. This is designed as a generic expectation that is to be tailored within each area.
Prior learning and initial assessment
Learner starting points are captured on entry by an identified subject teacher.
• Initial assessment includes subject specific, English and Maths, assessment where appropriate
• Initial assessment is linked to the relevant qualifications on entry aligned to the programme of study.
Target setting
• All learners will have targets recorded in ProMonitor by identified subject teachers. These will be discussed and agreed with learners during Progress weeks or ILP sessions.
Teachers will work with their learners to monitor their SMART targets on an ongoing basis and learners will also give due consideration as to the progress they are making against these, along with support strategies to ensure they achieve them. Refer to the ILP guidance.
Feedback
Teachers know the importance of providing constructive feedback to learners, as it enables them to become reflective learners and helps them to close the gap between what they can currently do and what we would like them to be able to do. Our aim is to ensure that the feedback process aids learners in their quest to make progress over time.
Marking and feedback should:
• Be manageable for teachers and accessible to learners.
• Relate to the learning objectives and success criteria. Give recognition and praise for achievement, effort and presentation. Offer clear strategies for improvement.
Be regular and returned to learners promptly in order for the feedback to be relevant.
Allow specific time for learners to read, reflect and respond.
Marking frequency – Teachers are expected to use their own professional judgement when deciding on the regularity of their formative marking, depending on the number of sessions per week and nature of subject. However, every learner should have some form of documented feedback that relates to a recent piece of work they have completed.
Formative Assessment
• Includes checks for learning of every learner
• Promotes high expectations and ambition
• Features in every lesson
Answers the question "How can I improve my work?”
Summative Assessment
Complies with Awarding Body Regulations
Considers individual learner’s access requirements
Progress Reviews
Reviews progress against previous targets
• New targets are agreed with learners
• Assesses progress against course requirements
Behaviours and attitudes towards learning
Our approach to promoting positive behaviours and attitudes is embedded in getting the basics right to give us a solid foundation on which to build. Learner behavioural expectations are captured in the ‘Ready to Learn checklist’ (see appendix item X). This basic set of expectations, consistently reinforced, feeds into the bigger picture of nurturing respectful and collaborative relationships with learners whilst also ensuring that we provide our learners with an emotionally and psychologically safe learning environment.
Teachers are encouraged to model the behaviours and attitudes they expect of their learners and have a good understanding of the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group: Student Behaviour Regulations Policy and familiarise themselves with the procedure to follow that involves a restorative conversation to understand what happened, who was affected, and what needs to happen to resolve the situation when a student behaves in a way that is inconsistent with the Student Behaviour Regulation Policy.
Why is this important to us?
The most fundamental requirement of our learners is that they attend lessons on time, are respectful and are ready to learn. This base is essential to establish in order for us to fully explore our pedagogy and be ambitious in our teaching practice. This also helps prepare learners for success in their next steps to work or further study.
Classroom Areas
Continuing Professional Development
CPD is an integral part of a teacher's role. We teach in an ever-changing world and work with learners from rich and diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. Without development we risk stagnation and therefore we create a challenging but supportive and inclusive environment in which teachers are encouraged to take risks, be ambitious, develop their practice and model the high expectations we have of our learners.
By working collaboratively with High Performance and Heads of Curriculum, we provide staff development which directly impacts on the quality of Teaching, Learning and Assessment.
Development days
We are committed to supporting the continuous professional development of all colleagues. The Group allocates four days spread throughout the year where development will be prioritised. These days reflect the commitment by the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group in investing in all their staff and are one of many learning and development interventions we offer. Each of these events follow a particular theme depending on the outcome/s of the various quality assurances procedures. One Development Day focusses on a Teaching, Learning and Assessment theme.
Essential CPD
It is the College expectation that all staff participate in a minimum of 30 hours CPD (pro rata) per year.
• For our teaching staff CPD completed as part of this 30-hour requirement should include evidence-informed pedagogic strategies, and relevant and meaningful subject specialist training and upskilling.
• Individualised CPD
Teachers
new to the college
All teaching staff who are new to the College are required to undertake our teacher induction programme led by our High Performance Advisers. New teachers also have the opportunity to work closely alongside a High Performance Adviser to develop any specific teaching and learning needs they may have and participate in bespoke induction activities aimed at ensuring consistently high standards of teaching and learning across the group.
While these sessions are specifically targeted at new teachers (new meaning both newly qualified and new to the college) they are also open and promoted to existing staff who may wish to refresh.
Performance and Development Reviews
We are keen that the PDR process is not seen as a one off or tick box exercise and that regular one to ones are taking place which really help to embed wellbeing and performance review into day-to-day supervision.
The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group provides a range of CPD opportunities. Those with a specific focus on T&L centre on: Planning & Sequencing Learning Activities
Assessment & Feedback Behaviour Management Digital Learning
Needs
and priorities
CPD provision will be responsive to the needs of the Group as identified through:
• Learning walks and other quality assurance processes,
• The professional development needs of the individual as expressed through the PDR process
• Legislative and regulatory requirements and changes affecting the College.
A follow-up feedback procedure is carried out after all staff CPD/ training sessions to ascertain what impact the session has had and to review whether themes from the training session are reflected in teacher’s practice. This is to encourage staff to take ownership of their CPD but also to highlight where training design/ delivery has had little impact and to inform future CPD opportunities.
Measuring the performance and success of our strategy
Managers are accountable for the quality of Teaching, Learning in their area of responsibility. The success of our Teaching and Learning Strategy will be monitored and evaluated by measuring impact through:
Evidence used to judge the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and the impact of the strategic plan:
• Outcomes from Learning Walks
• Quality of Education Reviews (QER)
• Structured and recorded peer observations
• Success rate statistics, including monitoring of achievement gaps between groups
• Student experience reviews
• Outcomes of Course Area Reviews (CAR) and Self-Assessment Reviews (SAR)
• Outcome of reviews by external consultants, awarding organisations and OFSTED.
The strategy will be reviewed annually, in order to remain up to date and consistent with the overall group mission, strategic aims and vision.
Key related documents
Safeguarding Policy
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Health and Safety Policy
Student Behaviour Regulation Policy
Teaching Standards.pdf
Inclusive Teaching, Learning and Assessment Guidance
Digital Teaching and Learning Strategy
Teacher Continuing Professional Development Strategy
Teacher Expectations
ILP Guidance
ETF Professional Standards