The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) has partnered with three Brisbane Catholic Education primary schools to build capacity and improve student outcomes.
The collaboration is part of AERO’s ‘learning partner projects’ program that enables AERO and schools to work together to enhance the implementation of a selected evidence-based teaching practice.
Teachers from St William’s Primary School Grovely, St Elizabeth’s School Tarragindi, and Guardian Angels’ Primary School Wynnum worked intensively with AERO consultants throughout 2023 on explicit instructional teaching.
Guardian Angels’ Primary School Wynnum Principal, Veronica Tomerini-Smith said explicit teaching was a key focus area for the school.
“The opportunity to work with the experienced team from AERO aligned perfectly with our school goals, allowing us to access the most contemporary research in the area of explicit teaching,” Veronica said.
Explicit teaching instruction breaks down what students need to learn into smaller learning outcomes and models each step so they can process new information more effectively.
“We have seen a very positive impact on the children’s learning,” Veronica said.
“Their ability to identify and articulate where they’re at, and where they need to be next, is due to the explicit teaching.”
AERO focuses on sustainability and works closely with the schools to develop an implementation plan that is contextual to each school.
“Supporting us to embed explicit teaching instruction within our school context has enhanced the efficacy of the program and there is now a real sense of ownership across our school community - that ‘this is how we do it here’.”
St William’s Primary School Grovely Principal, Nick Fogarty said the partnership allowed school staff to dedicate the time and energy to implement explicit teaching in a targeted and deliberate way.
“We have a great team of teachers, and we wanted to use this opportunity to build capacity across the school, to strengthen the practice of explicit teaching, and ultimately demonstrate impact on our students,” Nick said.
Four teachers were chosen to formally engage in the program, working with AERO to better understand the science behind explicit instruction and gaining practical insights to translate this into the classroom with ongoing observation, coaching and mentoring.
“Explicit teaching gives teachers a very clear understanding of what their students understand in the classroom. Students are focused and engaged in the lessons and behaviour improves,” Nick said.
“We saw an average 15% improvement in the results of students in the classes with explicit teaching, across their subject areas, from Semester 1 to Semester 2 in 2023, which is a significant result.”
With such positive outcomes, St William’s and St Elizabeth’s moved into a BCE Innovative School for Impact Pilot to continue the work into 2024 and ensure that the mentoring of staff into the future is a sustainable practice.
Principal of St Elizabeth’s School Tarragindi, Jenna Webb said they were thankful for the ongoing remote support provided by AERO, which allowed for a tailored implementation journey and targeted assistance for teachers.
“The success of our explicit instruction implementation has had an incredibly positive impact on our school culture and demonstrated how evidence-based practices can support both staff and students in the future,” Jenna said.
“We have seen our students approach learning with a positive mindset and teachers collaborating with one another to enhance their professional practice,” Jenna said.
“The shift in pedagogy has truly reignited the joy of teaching and learning throughout the school community.”
BCE Senior Manager - School Progress and Performance, Trudi Lucas said the partnership with AERO is a valuable opportunity for BCE to gain insights that can be shared across the system, giving our teachers and students access to the most current research in best teaching practice.
“Throughout the project, BCE Learning and Pedagogy Education Officers worked in direct partnership with AERO, sharing insights, processes and learnings to inform ways of working collaboratively with schools to implement change,” Trudi said.
“This is the first time BCE has partnered with AERO and the positive outcomes seen at a school level, and at a broader system level, are a testament to the leadership and commitment of our Principals at each of the three schools.
“We look forward to establishing further partnerships with AERO in the near future.”