Templeton Instructional Model

Informed by the Victorian Curriculum, our Instructional Model is based on The Three Pillars. Our Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) meet weekly to analyse student data, identify student, group and cohort point of need, and plan lessons for The Three Pillars.

Our lessons are highly structured, with a clear Learning Intention, Success Criteria, tuning in and explicit instruction. Teachers monitor student progress with formative and summative assessment and anecdotal notes. Teacher and student reflection concludes each lesson, followed by assessment, feedback and Victorian Curriculum Reporting in June and December.

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

High Impact Learning Strategies (HITS)

The 10 HITS are a part of the repertoire of effective strategies that teachers can apply to the wide variety of learning needs students present with each day. HITS have emerged from the findings of tens of thousands of studies on what has worked in classrooms across Australia and the world. Although HITS are highly effective strategies for increasing student learning they do not provide a complete framework for professional practice. Instead, HITS form part of the full set of instructional practices that contribute to a comprehensive pedagogical model for teaching. For further information on the HITS, visit the following link:

Peer Observation

Our staff are continually refining their pedagogy through regular PLC Meetings, Data Analysis and Planning. Additionally, each team completes Peer Observation to deliver and receive feedback on their performance. Peer Observation is timetabled weekly, with a focus on specific areas of our instructional model, depending on point of need for both staff and students. PLCs receive a report at the end of their Peer Observation to highlight areas of success and areas to improve their practice, both as a team and individual teachers.

Learning Skills

Learning skills follow a spiral process that develops well-rounded learners. Through Inquiry, Templeton students ‘learn how to learn’, developing the following skills over each unit of work. These skills are assessed through a specific task at the end of each unit, and reported to in June and December.

Bringing our practice together is our Inquiry program. Inquiry inspires curiosity and creativity while facilitating student agency and voice. It connects our curriculum by providing context and purpose for our direct and explicit teaching pedagogy. Our Inquiry program is based around six concepts; Self and Relationships, Place and Time, Systems and Communities, Expressing Ourselves, The Natural World and Sustaining the Planet. Each year, students explore these units around different focus questions, decided by PLCs. Each unit focuses on a Value and two Student Profile attributes, with each of the skills interwoven into the learning tasks. This creates a spiral of learning from Prep to Year 6, with Templeton students starting secondary school with a well-rounded educational experience from Templeton.

The School Improvement Team (SIT) builds teacher and leadership capacity and drives a culture of learning at the school. The SIT forms an integral part of the leadership structure of a school, undertaking the crucial role of developing, overseeing, and evaluating the effectiveness and impact of the Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) each year. It has responsibility for leading the strategic planning process, providing clear and achievable goals and targets. The team comprises representatives from across the school and has a shared understanding of the role the SIT plays in supporting, driving, and monitoring improvement. The SIT supports the school leadership team to build teacher and leadership capacity and strengthens the culture of learning at the school; the school review process underlines this responsibility.

SITs support the school leadership team throughout the school review with their deep understanding of the progress made against the AIP. The SIT actively engages and focuses the school and its community in a shared purpose for improvement through their dedication to improving student outcomes. Members of the SIT may be called upon to assist in the preparation of the pre-review self-evaluation (PRSE). They may for example:

• be called to lead or support staff in the collection and analysis of data and evidence
• request collection of student responses and data or lead student, staff, or parent forums.

Following the school review, the SIT leads the development of the new School Strategic Plan. They do this with the school community, assisting in the creation of clear and achievable goals and selection of targets. These goals and targets are operationalised each year through the AIP, for which the SIT is responsible.

All students at Templeton are assigned a House, named after one of four Australian Sports Legends. Throughout the week, students are awarded House Points for good behaviour, academic achievements and sport. Every Friday at assembly, our House Captains announce the winning House for the week. Points are accumulated throughout the year, with the winning House awarded the House Trophy. Our House Captains are elected every year from Grade 6. These students lead their House in all sporting events at the school.