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‘At Ruyton we place strong emphasis on the value of
personalised learning, acknowledging that students learn in
many different ways as we develop an understanding of each
individual as a learner. Girls are empowered to engage in a
variety of rich learning experiences designed to develop
independence and promote risk taking in their learning.They
are supported and challenged to reach their full potential
intellectually, physically, emotionally and socially.’
This statement encapsulates our pedagogy and practice at
Ruyton, and in 2015 personalised learning has been the focus
of our Professional Learning Programme. Extensive work has
been undertaken with Dr John Munro from the University of
Melbourne Graduate School of Education, exploring a
framework of knowledge that underpins all learning.
Teachers from across the School have also taken part in a
series of Harvard Project Zero ‘Mini-Courses’, collaborating in
teams to undertake units such as ‘Teaching for
Understanding’,‘Making Learning Visible’ and ‘Educating for
Global Competence’. In the Art programme teachers have
used strategies explored in the Harvard courses to encourage
students to ‘dive more deeply’ into the work they were
investigating, using thinking routines to explore works of art
in depth, and collaborating, creating and thinking in
insightful, complex and meaningful ways.
Throughout the year, all teachers have worked in a Teacher
Inquiry Group to explore the question
‘How can Digital Tools
Personalise Learning?’
These projects culminated in a
showcase event where all teams shared their learning with
colleagues. In Early Learning the focus of this project has
been the implementation of ‘Story Park’, an online platform
that provides a communication tool between educators and
parents. A project with the goal of increasing girls’
understanding of mathematical concepts through an
authentic, practical investigation was an exciting
collaboration between Year 4 classroom teachers and
Physical Education staff. Promoting inquiry-based and
personalised learning and self-motivation to achieve one’s
personal best, each girl in Year 4 used the web-based
programmes Active Globe and Fitbits to set personal goals
and engage in physical activity to promote fitness, at the
same time developing their mathematical skills in their data
analysis.The Humanities Department project involved
exploration and application of a range of Google Apps,
including Docs, Slides, Forms and Google Earth, in order to
create a more collaborative classroom approach, and to
provide teachers with greater insight into the individual
contribution of each student in collaborative tasks.
Formative assessment and feedback are fundamental to the
personalisation of learning. A wide range of digital
applications have been utilised to inform learners and
teachers about student learning progress and to make
decisions about the next steps. In the English department
tools such as the Explain Everything app are used as a means
of assessment to give individual feedback to students and to
provide an opportunity for students to reflect on their own
learning. In Languages Other Than English (LOTE) and
Science classes, students use interactive formative
assessment tasks created using applications such as iBooks
and Quizlet, allowing students to work at their own pace
with an appropriate amount of challenge and support, and
to receive immediate feedback on their learning.The
implementation of online pre-testing in the Mathematics
programme provides students and teachers with immediate
feedback and is used to determine subsequent learning
pathways for the girls. Reflection by learner, teacher and
parents following summative assessment tasks has also
been introduced in the Year 7 and 8 Mathematics
programme, reinforcing the value of feedback and personal
reflection.The Performing Arts programme provides an
extensive range of opportunities for learners to understand
and express themselves as individuals, building teamwork,
initiative, collaboration and personal growth. Digital
applications such as LoopyHD, Sibelius and Garage Band
have been utilised to allow students to create their own
compositions, and performances are regularly recorded
digitally, allowing for instant student reflection and feedback.
Inquiry-based learning units in the Junior School have
enabled students to consider big ideas, develop their own
questions and problems, and investigate concepts within an
authentic context for learning. Promoting curiosity and
ownership of their learning, students optimised the use of
digital tools to collaborate, curate information, create and
communicate their learning.This approach to learning has
been strongly supported by the School Library, where the
curriculum builds students’ information to knowledge
competencies, fostering the development of sophisticated
information and digital literacy skills, and building an
understanding of academic honesty based on ethical and
safe online competencies.
Learning and Teaching
Annual Report 2015
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