Pedagogy and Practice
The Framework of Excellence is the core of our West Exe Offer, which encompasses all that our students will experience during their time at West Exe School from year 7 through to year 11, of which empowering our teachers to unleash excellence is core to our beliefs. The framework stands as an emblem of unwavering commitment to educational brilliance, intricately weaving together its four pillars: Curriculum, assessment, Pedagogy and Practice, and the Learner.
At West Exe we strive to unleash excellent in all our teachers through research-informed, developmental and personalised CPD. We believe every teacher is on a journey of excellence and provide the structures, support and direction for staff to thrive in the classroom.
Coaching is at the heart of our CPD offer. As Dr Sims writes, Instructional Coaching is the "best evidence informed CPD". We invest in coaching for our staff and students to have the best experience at West Exe.
West Exe principles of excellent teaching
The West Exe principles of excellent teaching define what excellence looks like in the classroom. The six principles are:
- High expectations
- Academic rigour
- Adaptive teaching
- Quality of instruction
- Effective feedback
- Subject mastery
How we learn
Our approach to pedagogy is underpinned by Willingham's learning model. Daniel Willingham's learning model stresses the key role of knowing specific facts in effective learning. It emphasises that having a solid foundation of factual knowledge is essential for critical thinking and problem-solving. The model also underscores the importance of regular practice and repetition to strengthen and retain learned information.