By 'pedagogy', we mean how we are teaching.

Berwickshire High School is committed to ensuring high standards of teaching in every subject. Accordingly, we have a high-quality programme of continuous professional development for staff.

Teaching approaches

The teaching approaches we use are guided by international educational research about what works best.

Depending on where students are in their learning, the approaches that are likely to work best will change. For example, when they are in the early stages of learning something new, approaches that are more teacher-directed will typically be most effective. As students develop expertise in learning, they will often benefit from leading their learning more. 

Accordingly, we encourage teachers to use a blend of 'specific teaching' (teacher-led) and 'non-specific teaching' (student-led) teaching approaches.

A 'typical' lesson

There is no set recipe for a high-quality lesson. However, typically, high-quality lessons will tend to incorporate the following elements:

• Daily Review - a review of prior learning
• Learning intention - making clear the specific things students should be learning in this lesson
• Success criteria - making clear what success will look like
• Presentation of content
• Practice 
• Plenary Review - a review of progress made in this lesson

There will also typically be:

• Appropriate support and challenge for everyone (sometimes referred to as 'differentiation')
• Activities that make everything think hard and their thinking visible
• Opportunities for feedback, which may be whole-class or individual messages

Teachers in Berwickshire High School consider these elements as they plan lessons and reflect on them after they have been taught. Our school professional development programme prioritises their continuous improvement.