Redlands Learning Platform

Redlands Learning Platform



From the Head of Teaching and Learning The Redlands Learning Platform is the educational philosophy and framework that underpins all teaching and learning at Redlands. It provides a common language and core foundation of what both excellent teaching and learning look like in action. The Redlands Learning Platform is Two questions were key in a bespoke model, designed for the this pursuit: Redlands context, based on world- recognised learning frameworks and 1. W hat might our children be, know and research. It was designed in 2007, in do when they graduate; and response to the emerging changes in the modern world and the resultant 2. How can we ensure that our teaching impacts on schooling and learning. and learning empowers and assists our Redlands acknowledged at the time children for these possibilities? that there needed to be a shift from traditional schooling methods to more Drawing upon more current international contemporary approaches to learning research, the School built on strong and teaching, in order to best prepare foundations and actively deepened our students for future life success. These understanding and practice of what changes affected how classrooms effective teaching and high quality operated, how teachers taught and the learning requires of teachers and learners. role students play in their own learning. The outcome of this process is the renewed Redlands Learning Platform. More recently, the School underwent a collaborative process of reviewing The renewed Redlands Learning Platform the Redlands Learning Platform. captures a learning journey that begins This process reflects Redlands with who we are as a learning community deep commitment to continuous and ends with our aspiration for Redlands improvement, to ensure the provision students to achieve life-readiness and of meaningful and challenging learning contribute to the world with compassion for all students, in order to give them and confidence. It is our pleasure to re- an exceptional advantage for life in a launch and share the renewed Redlands rapidly changing world. Learning Platform with you. -1-

Redlands Learning Platform 2. Our why We aim to give our students an exceptional advantage for life in a rapidly changing world, where both the ability and desire to think and learn are critical attributes. 7. Our place 3. Our beliefs in the world Real learning and deep understanding lie at the In nurturing the Three Pillars of heart of all that we do at Redlands. We believe Aspiration, Redlands students will that students experience learning success when have the opportunity to be equipped they are provided with excellent, futures with dispositions that will help them focused learning opportunities within an find their place in the world, support enriched culture of thinking and learning. future life success and promote active contribution to society. 6. Our learner attributes Students at Redlands are inspired to recognise and develop their unique potential whilst also acquiring distinctive learner attributes, dispositions and habits of mind, as embodied within the Three Pillars of Aspiration for Redlands Students. -2-

The Redlands Learning Platform is the educational foundation for all teaching and learning practices at Redlands. It captures a learning journey that begins with who we are as a learning community and ends with our aspiration for Redlands students to support future life-readiness, contribution and success. 1. Our identity Redlands is the leading contemporary coeducational school in Sydney, providing an international experience within a supportive community, where every student is known and individually nurtured. High quality teaching based upon a modern approach to thinking and learning enables students to make the most of a rich diversity of academic and co-curricular opportunities, achieve life readiness and let their light shine. 4. Our Teaching Guide We teach for deep understanding, where students are encouraged to make connections, to transfer their knowledge to new situations and to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways. Our Teaching Guide, based on a five year Harvard research program, emphasises in-depth learning and provides Redlands’ teachers with a common language and structure for planning and reflecting on the curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. 5. Our learning environment Our dynamic learning environment promotes thinking and collaboration. Active, meaningful and challenging learning is cultivated through the use of high quality teaching strategies such as differentiation, engagement, knowledge of students, visible thinking tools and feedback. -3-

1. Our identity Redlands is the leading contemporary coeducational school in Sydney, providing an international experience within a supportive community, where every student is known and individually nurtured. High quality teaching based upon a modern approach to thinking and learning enables students to make the most of a rich diversity of academic and co- curricular opportunities, achieve life readiness and let their light shine. Vision Redlands is a learning community that values: To inspire girls and boys to achieve life-readiness and to let their light H onesty– Being truthful and shine, through the provision of a world- trustworthy recognised, contemporary education Respect– Feeling confident in our own worth and abilities and valuing Mission our good character; treating others with courtesy, consideration and We aim to provide a diverse, co-educational understanding environment based on innovative, flexible Responsibility– Accepting that each and research-based teaching practice. In of us is answerable for our actions and this context, staff and parents will work being dependable together to instil sound values in the young Compassion– Recognizing the people in our care and to inspire them misfortunes of others and responding to recognise and develop their unique with empathy and purpose potential, and to use their knowledge and Fairness– Treating others justly abilities for the good of others. and impartially, according to their individual needs and the wider Motto circumstances Moral Courage– Facing ethical The School’s motto: ‘Let your light shine, challenges firmly and confidently, so that others will see the good that regardless of personal cost you do and praise your Father in heaven’ (Matthew 5:16) provides the foundation for our mission and values. Values Our ethics, standards and practices are based upon these established Christian values. -4-

2. Our why Our vision is to inspire girls and boys to achieve life-readiness and to let their light shine; this is why we do what we do. We aim to give our students an exceptional advantage for life in a rapidly changing world, where both the ability and desire to think and learn are critical attributes. To us, life-readiness is about developing the character, knowledge, skills, dispositions and habits of mind required for future life success. We are nurturing enduring characteristics or dispositions that will serve to motivate and equip students for life beyond Redlands. These dispositions include, but are not limited to: An ability to think Learn Create Relate Collaborate Communicate Innovate Problem Solve -5-

3. Our beliefs Real learning and deep understanding lie at the heart of all that we do at Redlands. Students experience learning success when they are provided with excellent, futures focused learning opportunities within an enriched culture of thinking and learning. We value thinking and believe that all learning is a consequence of effective thinking. At Redlands we: We believe effective learning is best achieved by creating a culture where Focus students on the learning versus individual and collective thinking is the work valued, visible and actively promoted Teach for understanding rather than in all learning areas. Fundamental to aiming to develop in students a Redlands unique culture of thinking discrete set of knowledge and learning are core cultural forces of E ncourage deep as opposed to surface expectations, language, time, modelling, learning strategies environment, routines, opportunities and Encourage independence versus expectations. Each cultural force, in turn, dependence in student learning shapes and defines the learning that Develop a growth mindset in contrast happens at Redlands. to a fixed mindset -6-

OpportunitiesProviding purposeful Time activities that require students to engage in Allocating time for thinking and the thinking by providing development of time for exploring understanding as part topics more in depth of their ongoing as well as time to experience of the formulate thoughtful classroom. responses. Expectations Language ModelingSetting an agenda for8 CulturalModeling of who we Routinesunderstanding andForces that are as thinkers and conveying clear Define our learners so that the expectations. Classrooms process of our Focusing on the value thinking is discussed, for thinking and shared, and made learning as outcomes visible. as opposed to mere Using a language of completion of “work.” thinking that Scaffolding students’ provides students thinking in the with the vocabulary moment as well as for describing and providing tools and reflecting on patterns of thinking. thinking that can be used independently. Showing a respect Making thinking visible for and valuing of by displaying the one another’s process of thinking and contributions of development of ideas. ideas and thinking in Arranging the space to a spirit of ongoing facilitate thoughtful interactions. Interactionscollaborative inquiry. Environment An adaptation of The Cultures of Thinking Project at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. -7-

4. O ur Teaching Guide Our Teaching Guide, based on a five year Harvard research program, emphasises in-depth learning and provides Redlands teachers with a common language and structure for planning and reflecting on the curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. Teachers at Redlands: We teach for deep understanding, where students are encouraged to make Help students master required connections, to transfer their knowledge course content, and to new situations and to apply their take them beyond that immediate level knowledge in meaningful ways. Deep of information and knowledge, leading understanding is an active process and them to deeper understanding of what requires learners to do something with they are learning their knowledge. teaching them the processes involved Carefully planned teaching units and in complex reasoning, so that they can teacher feedback utilising the Teaching apply their learning in meaningful ways Guide are designed to assist students (e.g. to problem solve, make reasoned to reflect upon their work, providing decisions, structure experiments, students with clear direction, structured conduct investigations and be guidance and support, and helpful, inventive), while timely feedback in their learning experiences. developing certain dispositions relevant to being effective learners. -8-

Our Overarching Understanding Goals: What big understanding goals will my students take away? Steps Key Questions Understanding What is most important for my students to understand about Thinking this topic? What understandings will students take with them from this Cultural forces particular unit of work? Visible thinking and learning What outcomes will support this understanding? What outcomes make this understanding goal accessible? Teaching and learning What questions will underpin this understanding? experiences Differentiation What thinking dispositions are required to support this Assessment and feedback understanding? Resources What cross curricular priorities will be addressed in this learning? Which general capabilities are required to support this understanding? What cultural forces will promote that thinking? What thinking will be made visible as students learn? How will students engage with their learning? What scaffolds will help make the desired thinking routine? What learning will be made visible? How will students show what they understand about this topic? What learning experiences will support thinking, learning and deep understanding? How am I differentiating the learning experiences to cater for students with additional needs? What criteria will help my students express what they understand, and how that understanding can be improved? What feedback will my students need so that they know where they are with their learning and how to realise growth? What resources will I need? -9-

5. Our learning environment Our dynamic learning environment promotes thinking and collaboration, which promotes deep understanding. Active, meaningful and challenging learning is cultivated through the use of high quality teaching strategies such as differentiation, engagement, knowledge of students, visible thinking tools and feedback. These strategies are supported by Such pedagogy sets high and explicit contemporary learning spaces where expectations and develops positive students and teachers work productively relationships between teachers and in a safe and supportive environment students and among students. clearly focused on learning. Reason with evidence Why do you think so? Consider different Make viewpoints connections What’s another angle How does this fit what on this? you already know? Wondering The Uncovering Understanding complexity What are you curious about here? Map What lies beneath the surface of this? Describe Build explanations what’s there Capture the What’s really going on here? heart & form What do you see conclusions and notice? What’s at the core or An adaptation of The Cultures of Thinking centre of this? Project at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. -10-

6. Our learner attributes Students at Redlands are inspired to recognise and develop their unique potential whilst also acquiring distinctive learner attributes, dispositions and habits of mind, as embodied within the Three Pillars of Aspiration for Redlands Students. Three Pillars of Aspiration for Redlands Students 21st Century 21st Century 21st Century Thinkers & Learners Attitudes Participants • Collaborative • Curious • Living their faith and values • Independent • Inquisitive • Community minded • Actively engaged • Reflective • Active, compassionate & • Critical • Persevering • Creative • Open-minded responsible citizens • Inventive • Responsible risk-taking • Locally & globally focused • Flexible • Empathetic • Leading & supporting others • Agile • Confident • Relationally capable • Innovative • Growth Mindset • Environmentally responsible • Truly understanding • Welcoming challenge • Honest & respectful • Applying knowledge & skills • Resilient • Morally courageous • Problem-solver/finder • Wholesome & healthy • Good communicator humans -11-

7. O ur place in the world In nurturing the Three Pillars of Aspiration, Redlands students will have the opportunity to be equipped with dispositions that will help them find their place in the world, support future life success and promote active contribution to society. “After the final test has been taken, when the students have long since left our doorways and the chalkboard has been erased for the last time, what will stay with our students isn’t the laundry list of names, dates, computations and procedures we have covered. What endures are the dispositions and habits of character we have been able to nurture. What stays with us, what sticks from our education, are the patterns of behaviour and thinking that have been engrained and encultured over time. These are the residuals of education. These are the foundations of intellectual character”. – Ron Ritchhart -12-



Redlands, Sydney Church of England Coeducational Grammar School A: 272 Military Road, Cremorne NSW Australia 2090 P: +61 2 9909 3133 F: +61 2 9909 3228 W: www.redlands.nsw.edu.au Operated by SCECGS Redlands Ltd ABN 96 001 336 269 CRICOS Provider Code – 00713M