How does learning look at Moorlands?

Our Teaching and Learning Policy is based on Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction (2012).

1. Daily Review:

• Provide opportunities to review prior learning.
• Daily review reinforces prior learning and strengthens the connections.

2. New Material in Small Steps:

• The curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced.
• Teaching and learning is built into small steps which progressively develops upon prior knowledge.  This is because the working memory is small, only handling a few bits of information at once so we present new material in small steps to avoid overload.

3. Ask Questions:

• Questions to check and deepen understanding encouraging explanation and justification.
• Opportunities for pupils to ask questions to teachers, each other and themselves.
• Questions allow teachers to assess and further understanding, allowing misconceptions to be identified and addressed.

4. Provide Models:

• Learning objectives ensure intended outcomes are clearly communicated and understood by all pupils.
• Clear and concise teacher modelling.
• Use a range of resources to deepen understanding, including worked examples and concrete resources.

5. Guide Pupil Practice:

• Provide opportunities for pupils to practice taught skills
• Give pupils additional time to reflect, interpret and summarise new material in order to store it in their long term memory.

6. Check Pupil Understanding Systematically:

Staff use assessment for learning strategies routinely to enable them to differentiate and direct support effectively in order to meet the needs of all pupils by:

• Asking questions 
• Providing opportunities for pupils to explain to each other
• Identifying and addressing misconceptions in pupils work through instant feedback

7. Obtain High Success Rate:

• Challenge opportunities are provided in all lessons to promote progression and a range of opportunities for pupils to experience, rehearse, apply and master skills.
• Activities are pitched at the appropriate level to challenge all pupils.

8. Scaffolds for Difficult Tasks:

Temporary scaffolding to assist learning; this may be in the form of pre-teaching, sentence stems and adult support.

• Resources, e.g. concrete, visuals, vocabulary lists
• Resources are well-prepared, appropriately matched to support the learners and are fully utilised

9. Independent Practice:

Independent practice produces confidence – a necessary process for new material to be recalled automatically.  Independent practice ensures no overloading of pupils’ working memory, increasing the storage strength of the information as it becomes more embedded in long-term memory.

Examples of independent practice include fluency starters using Maths basic skills and SPAG challenges.

10. Weekly & Monthly Review:

Material should be adequately practised and reviewed so that it is not easily forgotten.

Regular opportunities to recall recently learnt material will result in the material being embedded within long-term memory. The more this happens, the easier it is to connect new material to such prior knowledge.