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Excellence …and how to recognize

it• A brief glimpse at

what we mean by ‘excellence’ in schools

• What evidence do we look for when visiting a school

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Do these indicate excellence?

How does the building affect education?

Westlake Academy – outside as learning environment

Int’l School of the Hague, common areas

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Or are these samples of excellence?

Garthwaite – outside comes inside

Garthwaite – environmental concerns – garden roof

Dubai – library and meeting spaces

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Or these?

The Hague – natural light

Northlands Olivos – importance of gardens

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So…how do you define excellence in a

school?• Individually, take 3 minutes to write

down 4-5 major points that define excellence for you

• In groups (no more than 4-5 in each group), share your ideas and then write the points you agree on as signs of excellence

• Share

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There is not one face of excellence in

schools.It will depend upon the aims and goals of the school:

• Is it a religious school?

• A boarding school?• A private school?• A single-sex

school?• A school with a long

tradition?

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Major factors in defining excellence

• Student centred• Teaching and learning in the school encourage

students to become life-long learners• Work is collaborative• There are interrelated systems in

place• Management is visible and engaged• The community is an important

factor

The classroom extends beyond the walls to the outdoor classroom

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• Rarely do we visit schools without doing a bit of homework about the school:– Read school documents related to organization,

philosophy and mission, curriculum documents, samples of student work, links with the wider community

– Visit the school website for more visible information.

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What do these factors look like?

When we walk through the door, what will we hope to observe?

Student centred:•Class size: appropriate for individual attention

•There is no magic number

•Will depend on whether there are additional adults in the classroom or not

•Students are motivated and engaged

•A walk through reveals students on-task and interested

•Work is relevant and significant - few worksheets or same-size fits all assignments

Students are engaged and work is collaborative

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Student Centred, cont.

• Students are responsible for their own learning

• Work encourages students to solve problems and to pose problems

• Students are given significant responsibilities and the freedom to carry them out and are held accountable for them

• There are no surprises: students know what is expected and what they will be held responsible for

• Relationships are deemed important

• Students interact with staff in and out of the classroom

• Teachers are involved in student life beyond the classroom

• Students are encouraged to work in teams that cross the boundaries of the class group

• There is a written policy of expectations for student behaviour and students accept it as their own and abide by it.

Students are given responsibilities and the freedom to carry them out

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Student Centred, cont.

• Students are respected

• Their work is carefully displayed and labelled

• Their work is carefully marked and comments are relevant and lead to further progress

• Staff are open but courteous with students

• Students are curious

• Students ask questions, in and out of class

• This involves other members of the community

• This extends to visitors who are politely questioned as to the reason of their visit

• Students are involved in investigations of their own choice

• Students are given choices of how to present their findings

Students are curious

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Teaching and learning in the school encourages the student to become life-long learners

•Broad curriculum

•All disciplines are valued

•The curriculum acknowledges different learning styles and intelligences

•The curriculum includes topics of local, national and global relevance

•There are standards and practices in place- internal and external - to measure and monitor academic progress

Y5 studies Mexico on location through exchange programme

Westlake – learning extends beyond the classroom walls

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Teaching and learning, cont.

• Mission is visible and everyone works towards it– The school’s mission statement is value-laden

– The mission is known by all members of the school community

– All constituents are committed to seeing that the school lives up to its mission

– There are systems in place for evaluating the progress towards living up to the mission; these might include surveys of satisfaction of the community, self-evaluation studies, outside testing/visits/evaluation

– The mission statement is revisited from time to time

• Teachers are interested in their profession and in students as human beings– There is evidence that teachers are also life-long learners

– In conversations, teachers are enthusiastic about their own professional development and the work they are doing

– There is evidence that teachers are working towards differentiated learning

– The school has a hiring policy that values diversity and seeks professionals who meet the profile and values inherent in the mission statement.

Real life problems

Teachers are life-long learners

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Teaching and learning, cont.

• Work is significant and meaningful and related to the real world

• School does what it purports to do

• Reflection is integral to work at all levels

• There is a commitment to continual progressWork is significant

Learning takes place everywhere

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Interrelated systems

• School facilities promote student learning– Classroom design reflects advances in education: flexible space, tables/desks that can be moved and grouped for a number of purposes, maximum natural light, access to technology, well-resourced– Common areas can be used by students– There is provision for experiments and for all of the arts.– Library/media center is accessible and available for students during and after school– There are few - if any - spaces for only one, sporadic function (auditoriums, meeting rooms, etc)– There is ample exhibition space to display student work and it is displayed where all can see it

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Interrelated Systems, cont.

• The students feel that the environment is safe and secure

– This might include, but is not limited to, guards, gates, fences

– Sports and playground space have safety features– There are support systems for student well-being– There is careful and caring supervision– Students feel they are individuals and not a number

• Resources are in place and there is a plan for renewing them

No place is sacrosanct; look for new uses for old places

Student work is displayed

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• The outside facilities also aid student learning– There are areas for quiet play and contemplation– Landscaping has been done with a knowledge of students and curriculum;

e.g butterfly garden, pond, types of trees and plants– When possible, the concept of ‘outdoor classroom’ has been applied

• Everyone employed by the school is there to improve student learning

Interrelated Systems, cont.

Outside facilities aid learning

There is ample room to display student work

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Work is collaborative

• Students work together to achieve better results

• Teachers work together to improve student learning

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Management is visible and engaged

• Passion and compassion

• Knows students– Is seen by students– Attends sporting events, music, drama

• Models relationships and collaboration

• Shares leadership and delegates

• Models life-long learning and is responsive to change

– Is involved in community/national/international organizations

– Is committed to staff development: internal to deal with detected weaknesses; external to build on strengths

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Community

• Parent support and commitment

• Outreach to the wider community

• Involvement in community service work

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Excellence

. If you do things well, do them better