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Teaching and Learning
‘Teaching is excellent in Years 7 to 11. It is interesting, inspiring and imaginative.’ - OFSTED
High quality Teaching and Learning is at the heart of what makes Didcot Girls’ School an Outstanding school. Our teachers take enormous pride in crafting interesting and challenging lessons, tailored to help every student make progress. They teach with flair, creativity and enthusiasm for their subjects, helping students see the relevance of their subject in and beyond the classroom.
At DGS, we create learning opportunities that help students develop a lifelong curiosity about the world around them, helping them be successful in their examinations and beyond.
The information below outlines just how much we think about teaching and learning, for the benefit of all of our students.
Mrs Frances Ashton
Associate Senior Leader for Teaching and Learning and CPD
The DGS Way
‘The school has clear and very carefully considered policies about teaching which guide teachers in their work. Teachers put these policies into practice consistently, with imagination, across the school.’ – OFSTED
Our teachers work hard to ensure that every lesson they plan and deliver supports and challenges students. Over the years we have refined a framework for high quality teaching and learning, which allows our teachers to tailor their teaching to their students, whilst using tried and tested approaches.
The ‘DGS way’ describes an approach to Teaching and Learning which helps create well structured, engaging and challenging lessons that enable students to take risks, be ambitious and reflect on their progress in a meaningful way.
More information about ‘The DGS way’ can be found here.
Pedagogy Symbols
At Didcot Girls’ School, we understand that our students are partners in their learning and that they want to be successful in lessons. To help us communicate with students, we use ‘Pedagogy Symbols.’ There are a collection of images that help signal to students what a task is about, what skill they should be using, or how to challenge themselves further. These symbols are used across the curriculum and help students make choices, find support when necessary and recognise similar skills and links between subjects.
For more information about the symbols and what they are used for, click here.
Teaching and Learning Priorities 2017-18
‘Teachers engage in high-quality debate together about how to keep improving their teaching. They challenge each other, supportively, to do better still.’ – OFSTED
Our teachers are reflective and enthusiastic practitioners who enjoy talking about and developing their own teaching. As such, all teachers take the time to work on their own practice as part of our Continued Professional Development (CPD) provision.
This year, teachers are working on the following priority areas:
- Modelling- how we give examples to students, including how we show them ‘the working’ behind a process.
- Questioning- using questions to create dynamic classrooms, gauge understanding and challenge students
- Explanation- how we help students understand abstract and complex ideas in memorable and tangible ways
Homework
At Didcot Girls’ School we value the importance of Independent Study as a chance to consolidate and extend knowledge beyond the classroom.
This year, we have created Extended Student Guidance time as space for students to complete homework, extend their knowledge and revise prior learning. All homework can be accessed via Show My Homework.
More information about our homework policies can be found here.
The Revision Revolution
In light of curriculum changes and the increased need for students to retain large amounts of content over time, this year sees the launch of ‘The Revision Revolution’ which focuses on helping students revise in a structured and effective way. Click here to read more about the recent changes to the curriculum.
All students in Years 7-13 will receive assemblies on the ‘Science of Learning’ and revision strategies across the year, supported by a range of resources available to help students revise. These will be added to throughout the year. To see the structure of the ‘Revision Revolution’ please click here.
Please click the links below to view and download the first set of Revision Revolution resources:
MEMORISE The Power of Association
RETRIEVE Low Stakes Quizzing Template
Tricks for getting learning to stick
Memory techniques: Using sound Using words
Oracy and Reading for Pleasure
Oracy
Being able to communicate with confidence and clarity is an important skill both in the classroom and in the wider world. Our oracy non-negotiables encourage students to think about what they are saying and how they are expressing themselves, helping them build confidence.
- No opt-out
- A clear, audible classroom voice, using Standard English
- Detailed verbal responses
Reading for Pleasure
The single most powerful thing someone can do to increase their abilities is to read. With this in mind, we are dedicating specific Extended Student Guidance sessions for reading time, as well as providing reading lists to help students make sensible and ambitious choices about their reading material. This time will help students build their vocabulary, improve their written accuracy and develop a rich understanding of the world around them.
Click here to view our Challenging Texts Reading Lists. Click here for more about the DGS Library.
