Professional learning for teachers that is relevant, collaborative and futures-focused can have a highly positive impact on teacher quality and the engagement and achievement of their students. Every year our teachers participate in an extensive professional learning program that enables them to develop their expertise in key areas of teaching and learning. They set a goal they would like to reach by the end of the year that will improve both their classroom practice and the engagement and achievement of their students.

This year our Year 2 teaching team has focussed on developing the products their students make as part of PBL and how they display them during Exhibition Evening. They wanted to engage their students with a visual art piece that could also be linked to Maths. The students created a mosaic that honoured a special person and their favourite place, linking both a focus on Geography and the local area, with the biography writing genre as well as geometry in Maths. The team reported that the engagement of their students was high because they were making an art piece for their special person. It’s great to see our Year 2 team becoming PBL product and Exhibition Evening display experts.

Our Year 4 teaching team has focussed on building a collaborative culture within the cohort and establishing a peer mentoring community. Their dream was to have students recognise their own inherent giftings and to use them to serve their peers. After a semester, the teachers have reported that their Year 4 community has embraced peer mentoring and that students have had the opportunity to share their strengths with their peers on Fridays. They have also seen an improvement in achievement through the establishment of an inclusive participation strategy for students during classroom activities. It’s great to see our Year 4 team becoming peer mentoring experts.

Over the last five years, our professional learning program has been highly valued by our teachers with a 95% approval rating. They state that they value the opportunity to focus on the specific needs of their class and have choice in the areas they wish to grow in. We believe that this program has created a teaching staff of experts in key areas and has developed a vibrant learning culture within Living Faith.

- Rebecca McConnell, Director of Learning and Innovation