Launching Place PS:
Establishing a framework to
support personalised learning
and metacognition
May 2014
Introduction and
Context
Voice and choice
Launching Place Primary School is
nestled in native bushland and
gardens on a quiet country road
about 60kms east of Melbourne's
central business district. It serves
251 students drawn from the wider
local area with many children
travelling from neighbouring
townships by car and bus. It is
perceived by students as a place of
safety and support as reflected in
this comment from young Jayden,
‘everyone is nice to you every day.
It’s an environment that helps you
learn!’ Families also see the school
as central to the life of the local
community.
Launching Place has interpreted the
DEECD e5 instructional model
through a metacognitive and
personalised learning lens that
values student voice and choice and
teacher voice and choice to arrive at
their school’s Teaching and
Learning Framework. A teacher
stressed that this was informed by a
belief that, ‘We needed to be
nimble and flexible in order to be
responsive to children’s changing
needs.’
‘Independence, personal
growth and responsibility,
through providing a safe and
supportive environment’.
It is in this context that the
Principal, Narelle Messerle, took up
her appointment in term 4, 2013.
The ethos guiding her leadership
approach is based on a belief that,
‘We are all different, we learn
differently and respect each others’
interests and learning styles’.
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
The Metacognition and
Personalised Learning (MaPL)
Framework at Launching Place aims
to ensure that all students
experience success. Teachers
modify their approach to
correspond with, respond to and
challenge every individual’s ability
and learning needs.
The purpose of their Learning
Framework is to inform
conversations and guide collegial
observations, critiques and
reflections of classroom practice.
This approach also recognises that
teachers can vary in their approach
and in their behaviour, and still be
highly effective. Teachers
emphasised that there is an
emphasis on ‘professional
individuality’ alongside
collaborative practice in line with
the school’s vision to promote
‘independence, personal growth
and responsibility, through
providing a safe and supportive
environment’.
How did teachers
learn about and
engage with the
model?
Aligning professional
learning with learning for
students
Professional learning is aligned to
address each element of the
school’s MaPL Framework. In the
initial phase, the school’s leadership
team worked alongside an
education consultant who had both
undertaken extensive research into
Metacognition and Personalised
Learning and worked with other
similar school communities.
Launching Place staff collaboratively
structured a two-year professional
learning program that focussed on
four specific aspects of practice:
(i)
co-teaching (an important
contributor to the
program’s success);
(ii) professional reflection;
‘Great learning happens when
it's fun and a challenge…’
This success, both in terms of
financial reward and the boost to
morale, created a more unified
teaching and learning environment
and served as a prototype for the
design of teaching and learning
projects at the school. Students
identified that ‘great learning
happens when it's fun and a
challenge, when we try new things,
hands on, where we can research,
make choices, present in front of
other people.’
A Supporting Professional Practice
team, which included teachers and
leaders, was specifically established
to guide the growth and evolution of
the Metacognition and Personalised
Expectations for staff were clearly
stated in the initial phase of
introducing the framework but the
school leaders took care to ensure
that staff were not overwhelmed,
that teachers could see the benefits
of adopting the approach and that
student viewpoints were considered.
Initial professional learning around
the Framework was measured and
steady. Discussions centred on:
=> Creating a shared
understanding of metacognition: What is it and what
does it look like in the
classroom?
Learning Framework.
=> Considering professional
This team was responsible for
excellent teachers do that sets
ensuring that teachers’ learning met
them apart?’
and was aligned to their current
=> Establishing a focus: How do
levels of expertise. The team did this
we personalise learning in the
by conducting surveys, leading
key learning areas of numeracy,
professional discussions, conducting
literacy and science?
an audit of current practice,
introducing reflection journals, and
sourcing a wide range of external
resources to support teacher
(iii) refinement of practice;
and,
‘What is it that excellent
teachers do that sets them
apart?’
learning.
(iv) continually linking practice
back to data and learning
outcomes.
Concurrently, the design work and
inquiry process of the school’s
science specialists provided
inspiration for and modelling of a
hands-on approach to
implementing the Learning
Framework. Strong pedagogy in
science teaching led to the school
being recognised as a Science
Specialist School.
meta-cognition: ‘What is it that
=> Linking it to practice: How
can co-teaching support
personalised learning, what are
its benefits and how can it be
implemented?
Professional learning at Launching
Place Primary School takes place in
everyday teaching contexts as
teachers teach and observe in pairs
within their level.
Each week, pairs of teachers spend
an hour working together, trying
different co-teaching strategies and
lesson ideas.
Staff record experiences and
reflections in professional journals
and their questions and
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
understandings are shared and
discussed with their peers, formally
and informally.
Use of the Metacognition and
Personalised Learning Framework
at Launching Place has:
teachers and students. It provides
this support by:
=> advancing understanding of
students’ and teachers’
strengths and potential
=> encouraging students to
seek feedback from teachers,
=> helped establish a shared
peers and other members of the
professional language;
community
=> supported collaboration;
=> developing sophisticated
=> encouraged teacher
experimentation; and
=> fostered sharing of resources.
The vision and priorities of the
school have been important
reference points to support the
evolution and development of their
preferred teaching and learning
approach.
approaches to receiving
feedback and responding selfreflectively
=> developing skills of goal
setting alongside time and
resource management
=> celebrating and reflecting on
progression and personal
achievement in all aspects of
school life
=> enhancing insights into
emotional wealth
=> building empathy, resilience
and dispositions which support a
dynamic learning community
=> recognising and enacting
An illustration of the Launching
Place approach are evident in the
two-year scope and sequence
planning of Inquiry Learning where
each term teachers trial and
develop units, supported by
external programs such as Primary
Connections and Discovering
History.
Numeracy is planned in 12 to 13
blocks of learning in which a topic
for learning is sustained and
supported by pre-testing and posttesting, and personalised learning is
enacted through using data to drive
teaching and to track individual
student growth.
The purpose of testing is to
ascertain each student’s current
point of development and
appropriate future challenges.
When asked to depict their practice
in light of how it is informed by the
Learning Framework, teachers
produced the diagram which traced
the following path:
possibilities within and beyond
the school
=> supporting students to move
beyond simple skills of recall
and comprehension to the
development of higher-order
-> Gauge each child's
developmental point of need via
testing
-> Identify learning activities that
cater to these identified needs
processes required for creative
problem solving, decision
making and conceptualising.
How does the model
inform the way
teachers at the
school work?
A framework for everyone
The Learning Framework is seen as
scaffolding and guiding both
=> developing the capacity of
each student to reflect on, and
-> Children engage in progressively
more challenging learning activities
-> Check, monitor and record
progress
expand, their existing ideas and
beliefs.
Teachers are encouraged to
interpret the Framework at
curriculum design and planning
levels.
-> Celebrate individual and
individualised progress
The loop continues by returning to
the beginning of the cycle.
Throughout the school, there is an
emphasis on learning essential
mathematical capabilities and
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
patterns, and developing these
through exploratory programs
The school strives to develop a
mathematics vocabulary, where
children are challenged to progress
and where teachers select literature
and other resources to enhance
their learning. This involves the use
of a range of common strategies
and tactics.
In problem solving units, explicit
mathematical strategies support
every student in a consistent
approach throughout the school.
The commitment to personalised
learning has led to every staff
member at Launching Place being
encouraged to experience teaching
at every year level.
Teachers report various positive
aspects from this initiative,
including:
=> maturing their appreciation
of a developmental journey’s
diverse complexities.
=> exploring the potential for
the Framework’s flexibility to be
creatively interpreted, adapted
and personalised for effective
planning and reflective practice.
=> further equipping staff with
critical understandings and
capabilities when sharing with,
supporting, and growing
alongside their peers.
=> cultivating and ‘living’ their
‘common language’, thereby
building cohesion, dialogue and
progress.
‘It’s not a matter of having one
box of tricks and this is how
you do it.’
Narelle, the principal, stressed that
the teaching and learning approach
at Launching Place is:
‘…not a matter of having one
box of tricks and this is how you
do it. It’s more a case of
considering where you are
at…what have you tried? What
will you try next? Let the
teachers and children have a bit
of ownership.’
Document embraces diverse areas
such as the structure of the school,
timetable, the approach to student
wellbeing, and promotes the
development of an inquiry learning
and ICT master plan.
Careful selection of appropriate
professional learning continues to
feed into, and strengthen the
Learning Framework at Launching
Place.
At Launching Place, it is recognised
that ‘a sense of individuality is
crucial since staff cannot expect to
feel motivated and inspired if
decisions are made for them.’ It is
also believed that teachers need to
be ‘nimble and flexible in order to
be responsive to children’s
changing needs.’ This is balanced by
a culture of sharing and
collaboration that permeates
through school life.
Positive relationships with and
between students are encouraged,
with an emphasis on sharing
learning experiences and effective
interactions throughout the school
community. Teachers seek to build
on students’ prior knowledge and
identify processes that enable
progression.
From the leadership perspective,
the school’s use of a Metacognition
Project Evaluation Document
contributed to the school’s
understanding of and commitment
to the Framework throughout the
school.
‘What have you tried? What
will you try next?’
As well as mapping the Framework
approach to pedagogy and
curriculum design, the Evaluation
What has been the
impact of engaging
with the model?
High levels of student
engagement with above
average increases in
academic growth
A significant impact of engaging
with the Learning Framework has
been alignment of pedagogy across
the school, linked to teachers’
willingness to reflect on and grow
their own learning and teaching
practice.
This is also reflected in the data that
shows high levels of student
engagement with above average
increases in academic growth and
achievement for all students. The
principal identified that the
Framework is also having a positive
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
influence on teachers’ Performance
Plans.
Teachers at Launching Place
highlighted the significant
transformation of the learning
culture in the school, moving from
limited collaboration among
teachers in the past to significant
collaborative practices now.
Teachers also reported that the
mentoring they received had been
beneficial.
Amongst the staff it was felt that
reflecting on preferred teaching and
learning approaches allowed
teachers to feel professionally
accountable to the aspirations and
values of the school community.
For example, a decision was made
by the whole staff to conduct their
weekly meetings in a collaborative,
participatory and reflective manner.
All teachers share the convening of
these meetings, the voicing of
doubts and wonderings are
encouraged, there are
opportunities for the sharing of
resources and new ideas to be
explored.
In this way, teachers at Launching
Place contribute to their own and
their colleagues’ learning. As one
teacher said, ‘at Launching Place,
the kids know we all work together,
our expectations are shared, they
know we have conversations, that
we meet regularly, we
communicate’.
‘They're looking out for us,
looking forward to seeing our
work, and they're proud of us.’
Teachers observed growing
evidence of student choice and
stronger student voice. Students
value that their interests are heard
and considered, and that their
teachers show respect for their
perspectives and are willing to
support a negotiated learning
schedule.
Students describe their teachers as
‘helping a lot, they're there for us,
they're looking out for us, looking
forward to seeing our work, and
they're proud of us. They smile, ask
us what we want to do and then
compromise on that. We like it
when we can share our feelings,
express them, let it all out’.
Structures are now in place to
enable students to move through
the day’s lessons feeling fully
informed and cared for in their
learning. They are confident to talk
about their learning and willing to
support one another in a classroom
atmosphere that is welcoming and
encouraging.
Open and respectful
communication with and between
teachers and students has further
supported progression. Evidence of
this was reflected through the
improvement of ‘Learning
Confidence’ data for grade 5 and 6
students between 2011 and 2013.
The physical transformation of
buildings into more open and
shared learning spaces, along with
building on the successes of past
experiences, have also supported
an increase in staff collaboration.
The focus on Personalised Learning
with a high level of consciousness of
teachers to target the zone of
proximal development for each
student was also identified as
contributing to the impact of the
framework.
Other significant impacts of the
Launching Place experience
included, further consolidation of
current programs, expansion of
teacher capabilities and moving
towards a more reflective
professional culture.
What might other
schools learn from
the Launching Place
experience?
Progress takes time
Launching Place leaders identified
the importance of understanding
how meaningful progress takes
time and requires a shared belief
among all members of the school
community.
They emphasised a focus on careful
data analysis, including parent
surveys, to highlight the specific
needs of the school community and
to subsequently inform strategic
planning.
The Launching Place experience
also highlights that a shared staff
belief is conducive to teachers
feeling empowered and that a
supportive school Leadership Team
needs to actively promote a sense
of ownership and validation.
Teachers appreciated being
consulted as to what they
collectively thought were the ‘next
directions’ for the whole school.
When adequate time is allocated to
the process, the Launching Place
experience suggests that an
effective Framework – in this case
their Metacognition and Personal
Learning Framework - can
contribute to strengthening the
overall learning culture in the
school as well as everyday teaching
and learning.
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
The Launching Place experience
suggests that there are significant
benefits in searching out and
engaging with purpose-specific and
context-appropriate external
entities as catalysts and support for
pedagogical change. At Launching
Place this meant finding someone
to support pedagogical capacity
building in mathematics - an area
identified in their data that needed
strengthening. They sought out an
external consultant that matched
their needs and accessed ideas and
support through the Primary
Connections Science Program.
These two initiatives provided a
structure and one-on-one teacher
support for pedagogical
development and innovation.
Such external support enabled
teachers at Launching Place to
expand, refine and consolidate their
practices; more effectively review
and strengthen their planning
documents; and, engage in more
rigorous professional conversations
about teaching and learning. This
suggests that other schools could
benefit from targeted external
support, carefully matched to the
professional learning needs of staff
that is closely aligned to the
learning needs of students.
‘No matter what level you are,
you can still be proud of the way
you have approached your
learning and your achievements
at school’. (Student Interview)
The success of the Launching Place
Framework can be identified in the
way students now take more
ownership of their learning and,
through the collective approach of
their teachers, believe that:
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development