At Oxley State School our vision is to ‘Prepare active citizens for a changing world’. We are committed to providing optimum student learning through explicit instruction, frequent evaluation of student learning, supportive classroom environments and the recognition of individual learning needs through differentiation.
Our focus on effective teaching strategies is ensured through:
Cooperative planning sessions
Planned professional dialogue in and across year levels
Professional development opportunities
Mentoring and action planning
Our whole school Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Plan ensures a cohesive progression and sequence of learning. Our students are exposed to a wide variety of learning opportunities through each of the learning areas across all year levels. We also provide many opportunities for students to be involved in a range of additional curriculum offerings.
Explicit Instruction
At Oxley, our primary method of teaching is Explicit Instruction. The aim of this method is to move students to a level where they are able to complete tasks independently and experience a sense of accomplishment and pride.
An Explicit Instruction lesson is highly structured and focuses on three distinct stages that a student ‘moves through’ in a lesson: I DO (modelled), WE DO (guided), and YOU DO (independent). The teacher is always checking for understanding throughout the lesson so that they can gauge the level of understanding of the explicitly taught concept(s). If the level of understanding is poor the teacher needs to reteach the concept until the majority of students in the class have at least a good understanding of what has been taught before a teacher sets the independent task for the lesson.
At Oxley State School, we all have the same goal: to help our students make the maximum possible academic gains in a positive, respectful environment that promotes their success and nurtures their desire to learn. One of the greatest tools available to us in this pursuit is explicit instruction – instruction that is systematic, direct, engaging, and success orientated. The effectiveness of explicit instruction has been validated again and again in research involving both general education and special education students.
At the foundation of this teaching method are the following principles:
Explicit Instruction:
Optimises engagement and time on task
Promotes high levels of success among students
Scaffolds instruction and more time is spent in instructional groups
Increases content coverage