St Thomas of Canterbury – Improving teacher practice through sprints
Explore
Over the past two years, St Thomas of Canterbury College has been implementing an AGILE learning sprint approach to improve teacher practice. Teachers engage in short, focused cycles of inquiry with the aim of improving outcomes for learners. Working collaboratively, they notice what’s going on for learners, then plan and implement initiatives. Together they gather evidence, monitor the impact of their initiatives and collectively decide on next steps. In this video series, they outline their approach and how they are making a difference to the lives of learners.
Agile processes and the learning sprint approach
“Using the learning sprint approach allows me to be adaptable, but also develops my reflective practice. So I'm constantly getting that feedback around what is working and then making changes to better suit the needs of the boys. I’m harnessing my strengths as a teacher as well to bring the best outcomes.”
Andrew Auimatagi, Leader of learning - physical education
Learning sprints in action
“For us agile means flexibility, or being able to adapt to what’s in front of us, to what we’re seeing. Even day to day things might change, so we’ve got to change our approach, our planning and adapt.”
Robbie Lange, Specialist classroom teacher
Students at the centre of change
“A big part of our transformation is the fact that the students are at the centre of what we do. It's not what is easiest for the teacher or the traditional ways we have done things. We now have to put the students at the centre and really cater to their needs and listen to their voice.”
Brad Milne, Curriculum innovation and leadership development
Leadership of change
“It’s thinking more intelligently about what it is that we want to move towards and more intelligently about what is it that the kids need. So looking at innovation through that lens and developing those leaders.”
Brad Milne, Curriculum innovation and leadership development
Leadership of change: Supporting teachers
“I guess that’s a real danger in teaching where we just assume we’ve always done it, it’s right. That fear of getting student voice might challenge what we believe in. We really want to be able to break that down and get staff to be able to see student voice as a positive. Both in terms of what they are doing well but also what they need to change in their practice to get the most out of their students.”
Hamish Barclay, Head of middle school
Collaborative approach to teaching and learning
“You’re no longer in the environment where you're the expert of your chosen area. You’re working across different curriculum areas. It’s about trying to work within that collaboration but also trying to foster that idea that you’re working with others that are experts in different areas and trying to combine those skills”
Dean Smith, Learning support leader
Reflect
What ways do you gather evidence of impact in your school?
How do you currently collaborate to improve outcomes for your learners?
How could a learning sprint approach support teaching as inquiry in your context? What possibilities can you see?
Find out more
Teaching sprints – Empowering evidence-informed practice
Supporting education transformation and innovation through Agile
Instigating sprints to support transformational change and innovative in schools
Learning sprints – How to help overloaded educators continuously enhance their expertise