What works best toolkit
This toolkit was originally published 15 May 2020.
Summary
The toolkit includes a reflection framework. It supports teachers to reflect on their current practice for each of the What works best themes and identify areas for improvement. The reflection process involves outlining your current practice for each What works best theme and the impact of your current practice. Then, identify the next steps for improvement by considering areas of practice that need to be strengthened. This includes practices that need to be adopted/started, adapted/changed or stopped/discontinued.
When reflecting on your practice for each theme, refer to the strategies in the What works best in practice document, specific elements of the School Excellence Framework and to the standards of focus in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
Purpose of resource
The What works best toolkit supports teachers to reflect on their current practice for each of the What works best themes and identify areas for improvement.
When and how to use
The resource includes a reflection framework, and should be used with the What works best in practice publication. It is also accompanied by the What works best: 2020 update and a suite of other What works best resources. School leaders and teachers can reflect on, discuss and implement learnings gained from the toolkit as part of school-developed High Impact Professional Learning (HIPL).
The appropriate time to use this resource may differ for each school, leader and teacher.
School leaders can:
- work through the toolkit, referring to the What works best in practice publication, as part of whole-school professional development and/or stage or grade team meetings
- encourage teachers to share learnings and reflections during professional development
- reflect on strategies, policies or practices currently in place that align with the What works best themes
- access their school’s What works best Scout report to facilitate discussions with staff about areas for improvement at a classroom and whole-school level
- display the What works best: 2020 update poster and What works best shareable summary tiles
- provide parents and carers with a copy of the What works best guide for parents and carers to support effective teaching practices at home.
Teachers can:
- reflect on current practice, referring to the What works best in practice publication
- gather data on the impact of current practice and reflect on insights gained
- identify practices to strengthen, adopt, change or discontinue in the classroom as steps for improvement.
Contact
Email feedback about this resource to info@cese.nsw.gov.au using subject line ‘Re: What works best toolkit’. You can also subscribe to the CESE newsletter and connect with us on Yammer.
Alignment to system priorities and/or needs: NSW Department of Education Strategic Plan 2018-2022: ‘Every student is engaged and challenged to continue to learn, and every student, every teacher, every leader and every school improves every year’.
Alignment to School Excellence Framework: Learning domain – learning culture, wellbeing, assessment, reporting, student performance measures.
Teaching domain – effective classroom practice, data skills and use, professional standards, learning and development.
Leading domain – educational leadership; school planning, implementation and reporting.
Alignment with other existing frameworks: What works best
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers:
Professional knowledge: Standards 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6.
Professional practice: Standards 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 .
Professional engagement: Standards 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 7.1, 7.3, 7.4.
Reviewed by: Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, Leadership and High Performance (under 2020 departmental structure).
Created/last updated: Originally published 15 May 2020.
To be reviewed: CESE publications are prepared through a rigorous process. Resources are reviewed periodically as part of an ongoing evaluation plan.
Related resources
- What works best: 2020 update lays out the research and data behind each of the eight themes.
- What works best in practice provides strategies to support teachers to implement the eight themes in the classroom.
- The School Excellence Framework supports school leaders take a planned and whole-school approach to improvement. The right themes closely align with the School Excellence Framework.
- Access other What works best resources.