Improvement ‘outstanding’ after coaching for teachers

Hedland primary schools have achieved exceptional improvement in their results this year, thanks in part to the coaching of a Melbourne teacher.

John Fleming, deputy principal of the Haileybury school in Melbourne, travels the country training educators in his explicit instruction model of teaching, this year making a group of Hedland primary schools part of his focus.

Mr Fleming believes taking students through their tasks step-bystep is the key to achieving success.

“It’s a process of ‘I do’, ‘we do’, ‘you do’,” he said.

“Most teachers in Australia go from’ I do’, straight to ‘you do’… there is no check or filter to say, ‘does every kid get this?’, and that is why sometimes there are kids that slip through that don’t have the skills and have gaps in their learning, and we don’t want that.”

Mr Fleming said the progress each Hedland school had made since his first visit in term one was exceptional. “The teacher pick-up is nothing short of outstanding,” he said. “I work with hundreds of schools around Australia, and these are probably the best rated schools I have worked with.

“Every term I visit I can see improvement … this group of schools has progressed quicker than any group of schools I’ve ever worked with and that comes down to both the leadership and professionalism of the schools.”

Cassia Primary School principal Janine Kinninment said her school had noticed a massive difference in the results of her students.

“Our teachers, while they were doing the best they can, they weren’t digging deep enough into the curriculum,” she said.

“Our pre-primary students, if they could read a few words, we were really happy with that, and now we have them reading books,” she said.

“We are staggered at the development they have made in 12 months, and the difference it has made, not only in academic standing across the schools, but the kids are more settled, the behaviour is better, they are more respectful and interested in learning.

“John must be really proud of the schools, and we’re really proud of the coaching he does and the difference it has made.”