At Pen y Dre High School we are continually developing Teaching and Learning to meet the needs of all of our learners. Staff meet regularly to discuss ways to engage and motivate pupils, and we also ask for pupil feedback on what makes a good lesson.
In our school, lessons will include:
Lessons are designed carefully so that they address the learning needs of all pupils in the class, whilst also being engaging, appropriately paced and challenging. The main elements of design that might contribute to the lesson's structure and sequence include:
- a short starter activity, usually related to the subject of the current or previous lesson, designed to engage pupils with a short, stimulating activity
- an introduction to the main learning objectives and focus for the lesson, often through effective demonstration and the use of models
- development of the learning (e.g. through interactive teaching, group and whole-class discussion, purposeful group, paired, individual and practical work,
- a plenary to reflect upon and consolidate pupils' learning and to consider next steps; these can occur at the end of a lesson but are also useful when placed after any significant learning episode.
As well as the ingredients mentioned above, a lesson in Pen y Dre will have pace, engagement, challenge, questioning, explanations, modelling and thinking taking place.
Improving pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are national, local and school priorities, pupils are given the opportunity to practice these skills in all subjects across the school.
The school promotes the use of skills in lessons in order to prepare pupils not only for exams but give them the life long skills they need in order to succeed.