Guardian Angels’ School has been invited to participate in the AERO (Australian Education Research Organisation) Learning Partner Project.
We are one of only three BCE schools who are participating in the project. Our nomination by BCE was based on the strong alignment between our Explicit Improvement Agenda (EIA), that focuses on evidence-based practices in writing, and the core objectives of the project, that aim to enhance the implementation of evidence-based teaching practice.
This is an exciting opportunity for our school and I’ve included an overview of the project below.
What is the AERO Learning Partner Project?
The learning partner project with schools is an opportunity for AERO and schools to work together to enhance implementation of a selected evidence-based teaching practice.
Through the learning partner project, AERO will aim to be a ‘value add’ for schools and systems. The project:
aims to offer schools genuine insights, expertise and resources to support implementation of an effective evidence-based practice, using processes that are also transferable to other practices.
will involve a staged approach to implementation that includes professional learning and coaching delivered through AERO Implementation Consultants and others.
Includes monitoring and evaluation that will be used to support real-time improvements in participating practice settings and to generate overall learnings about implementation.
Learnings will be shared with participating schools and systems, within AERO and publicly via AERO’s website and other communication channels.
The selected evidence-based practice for learning partner projects will be explicit instruction (which will ultimately sit within a science of learning framework). Components of explicit instruction are detailed in AERO’s explicit instruction rubric. Explicit instruction has been shown to have high effectiveness, but there are components that could be enhanced.
What are the objectives and scope of the project?
The key objectives of the learning partner project is to:
learn about promising approaches to implementing evidence-based practices and using evidence in schools.
use an evidence-informed approach to provide direct support and guidance to schools to strengthen practice and ultimately demonstrate impact.
generate examples of effective implementation of evidence in schools.
Learning partner projects are not a form of research (though they will use processes associated with ethical and responsible conduct). Any data collected by AERO through the learning partner project will be managed safely and securely, protecting the privacy and confidentiality of those involved. It must accord with AERO’s Privacy Policy, Data Management Policy and Guidelines, and Research data security procedure. It must also meet your system’s privacy policy.
What will the project look like at Guardian Angels'?
The project aligns with our EIA, with the core of the project focused on Years 3 & 4.
Our AERO Partner, Dylan Evans, will be on site each Wednesday. During the project, Dylan will facilitate professional learning, engage in modelling and guided practice sessions and coaching.
The project includes a sequence of professional learning for our Prep – Year 6 teachers, with the teaching teams in Years 3 & 4 attending several workshops outside of this time for specific PD and sharing of key project elements.
Most of the activities will take place over the 2023 school year, with a follow up in Semester 1, 2024.
