Discovery places teaching and learning at the heart of all school improvement work.
The teaching and learning strategy is based upon the five elements of the Discovery learning wheel. The five spokes comprise of the key elements which lead to successful learning for all pupils. This teaching and learning strategy has been created in collaboration with leaders from each of the Discovery. Current research from a variety of sources has been used to help formulate the strategy.
Within Discovery we want every adult working with children to have the highest expectations. The highest expectations of themselves and of their pupils. Our aim is for all children to also have high expectations of themselves and others. We want our children to have positive approaches to challenge and risk. It is our priority to ensure all members of staff and children are supported in their academic development as well as their emotional and social well- being.
Discovery’s priority is for all children to have learning focused opportunities which enable the learner to become independent, self-reflective and self-directive within their learning. We want all our learners to think about their own learning more explicitly. It is our aim for all in Discovery to have learning at its heart, learning with no limits!
Metacognition and self-regulation approaches have consistently high levels of impact, with pupils making an average of eight months’ additional progress. (Education Endowment Foundation, March 2018).
We aim for all teachers to use specific strategies that enable pupils to talk about their learning, understand the key skills and knowledge they are using, set goals and monitor and evaluate the progress they are making.
Discovery’s priority is to ensure that each school has a purposeful learning environment which is stimulating and engaging. The environment of a school is a powerful resource in the promotion of learning. The environment we are in affects our moods, ability to form relationships, effectiveness in work or play—even our health. In addition, the learning environment has a very crucial role in children’s learning and development.
It is widely recognised that children from disadvantaged backgrounds or with SEND and EAL come into school with a different set of experiences than those of non-disadvantaged backgrounds. Research shows significant differences in the volume of vocabulary and words of encouragement children receive from disadvantaged backgrounds.
It is our priority to ensure that these experiences are put back for those children so that there is no attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. This will mean prioritising these children for specific events and experiences.
‘What happens in the classroom makes the biggest difference: improving the quality of teaching generally leads to greater improvements at lower cost than structural changes. There is particularly good evidence around the potential impact of teacher professional development.’ Education Endowment Foundation.
Our priority at Discovery Trust is for all children’s learning journeys to be memorable. In order for that to happen the planning of learning needs careful consideration. The teacher needs to give thought to each child’s needs whilst also considering their background and the context of which they live. We believe there is not one method to an effective lesson and one size does not fit all. What is paramount is the importance of the child, how is the lesson impacting on their progress, engagement and excitement! We want our children to be enthused and develop a thirst for learning. Teachers make that happen and as a Trust it is our priority to support teachers in developing their craft.
