Excellent Practice

In order for students to make optimum progress, the most important resource is the quality of teaching. Ballarat Clarendon College subscribes to this belief and is committed to continuous improvement in teaching practice. In order to deliver on this commitment, significant resources are allocated to both maintaining a high standard of practice and to the identification and implementation of teaching approaches proven to be the most effective, as evidenced by student-learning outcomes.

Teaching staff demonstrate commitment to continuous professional learning in a number of ways.

• It is a condition of employment that teaching staff are involved in the sharing of effective practice and collaboration for improved outcomes for all students.
• They participate in a program of classroom observation.
• They self-assess teaching practice and engage in ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of curriculum and teaching approaches through internal and external assessments of student progress, especially in critical areas of learning.

Assessment of and reflection on classroom practice is supported by the Teaching and Learning Framework. Feedback is provided to teachers against this framework.

The commitment of Ballarat Clarendon College to the centrality of the quality of teaching is reflected in the implementation of the Expert Teacher Career path which enables teachers to choose teaching rather than administration, in order to develop their careers.

The professional learning program concentrates on instruction and student outcomes, and provides opportunities for inquiry, collaboration, feedback and connections to external expertise and research.