About this course

This course will build teachers’ understanding of quality teaching, which Professor John Hattie identifies as having the single biggest influence on student achievement. This course will support teachers in their career-long committment to developing quality pedagogy and using up-to-date, evidence-based approaches to teaching.

In this course, teachers will:

• inquire into research about the influence of quality teaching on student outcomes
• consider the role of the NSW quality teaching model of pedagogy in improving their practice
• draw connections between quality pedagogy and the practices in the CESE (Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation) publication: ‘What works best: evidence-based practices to help improve NSW student performance’
• explore the theoretical findings of prominent research including the work of John Hattie and CESE amongst others.

There are 4 parts to this course. Various tasks require the teacher to apply what they have learnt in their school context as part of the course.

Understanding the role of the 'supervisor'

For the purpose of this course, the supervisor may be:

• a member of the school executive
• an expert teacher
• a Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher
• a teacher mentor
• any teacher responsible for supporting other teachers' professional development.

As a supervisor of a teacher working through this course, you should:

• meet with the teacher you are supervising at recommended points
• help the teacher make connections between the course content and their teaching practice.

Your role as supervisor

If there are a team of teachers in your school working through this course together, you could lead the whole team. You might also consider:

• differentiating the facilitation of practical activities to suit the unique needs of your school
• providing regular feedback to help teachers apply the course content successfully in their classrooms.

Your role as supervisor, however, should be determined by your unique context and the needs of your colleagues. You should think strategically about the amount and type of support that would enable high-impact professional learning.

You may wish to consult the department’s advice on high-impact professional learning for school leaders as you consider your role as supervisor.

It is understood, however, that in some circumstances it may only be possible for some supervisors to have minimal involvement. Teachers are still able to complete the course without direct, ongoing leadership from you.

Course completion and recognition of professional development

Teachers who are maintaining their accreditation can have their professional development (PD) hours for this course recognised as Elective PD.

These course completion conditions are as follows:

• completion of all tasks and professional readings
• reflection is completed at the end of each part of A, B and C
• completion of all course evaluation questions in Part D: Reflection.

Once teachers have completed all course requirements, they can log the course as Elective PD in eTAMS.

Supervisor meeting discussion points

At each meeting, your discussion with the teacher you are supervising should focus on key learning drawn from each part of the course.

Course outline

There are 4 parts to this course. Various tasks require the teacher to apply what they have learnt in their school context as part of the course.