Our teaching and learning at Outwood Academy Freeston focuses on our Five Pillars of Teaching and Learning approach. This approach is designed to both enhance effective teaching and support students’ learning and self-regulation. We believe clarity of shared learning intentions (including subject’s learning journeys), regular recap and recall, clear explanation of new information, opportunity to practice and apply new knowledge and skills and timely feedback are the key elements that underpin effective teaching and learning. Our teachers centre their planning and delivery around these Five Pillars. We promote the Five Pillars of Learning to students encouraging them to be active partners in their learning. Teachers support students’ learning and engagement by clearly signposting lesson activities, and home learning etc.
Clarity of Learning Intentions: Teachers clearly share with students what they are learning in their lesson and why they are learning it. Teachers share and review subject learning journeys with their students.
Re-cap and Recall: Teachers regularly go back over prior learning to make sure students remember key information from previous lessons.
New Information: Teachers clearly introduce and model new learning in lessons linked to the topic question shared with students at the start of their lesson. A variety of activities are devised to enable students to develop their new understanding.
Practice: Teachers devise regular opportunities to practice, apply and consolidate their understanding during the lesson; this may be answering an exam question, solving problems, carrying out an experiment, writing an essay, performing a skill in a practical subject etc.
Feedback: Teachers provide regular, timely feedback both during lessons and through written feedback. Feedback focuses how well students are doing, addresses misconceptions and gives clear guidance on how to develop further. Students are encouraged to engage with all feedback in dedicated Student Response Time (SRT) activities.
