What are the Principles of Learning and
Teaching (Polt)?
I recently attended a
workshop on writing a job application run by the AEU. On several occasions the
speaker referred to POLT as something that would be vital to discuss in our key
selection criteria. For the speaker, this was assumed knowledge. Apparently, I
missed that lecture (admittedly, it was probably one that I slept through). So
what is this allusive POLT, and why should I reference it when applying for
jobs? I’m sorry if this is common knowledge for those of you who didn’t sleep
through this lecture.
The Principles of
Learning and Teaching, or PoLT as they are affectionately referred, are six
principles that can be used by teachers to reflect on their practice and
improve their pedagogy. These principles are then further unpacked, to make
their goals extremely clear to the educator. The PoLT initiative aims to:
- build consistent, comprehensive and improved pedagogical approaches within and across schools, while still allowing flexibility, innovation and local decision making at the school level
- focus teaching to meet the diverse needs of students
- strengthen learning communities within and beyond the school. (DEECD, 2009)
Without adieu, here
are the six principles.
1. The learning environment is supportive and
productive :
This
component largely focuses on the teacher’s ability to build quality
relationships with their students, to foster a culture of value and respect for
individuals and to design teaching strategies that promote student’s self
confidence.
2. The learning environment promotes independence,
interdependence and self motivation:
Teachers
should model practices that build independence and motivate students to work
autonomously. Teachers should involve students in the decision making process,
while encouraging them to take responsibility for their learning. Within this
component there is a strong focus on students developing an understanding of
themselves as learners. To do this the teacher must make learning clear,
transparent and criteria based. Teachers should also help students learn the
skills required for productive collaboration (which they will need for all the
group assignments they will have to do at uni!)
3. Students’ needs, backgrounds, perspectives and
interests are reflected in the learning program:
Teachers
should strive to reflect students lives and interests in their lesson plans,
while using a range of teaching strategies to accommodate the range of
abilities and interests. In doing so the classroom becomes INTERESTING for
students, and suits a wide range of needs. Through a wide variety of
approaches, the teacher can cater for different students needs, strengths,
abilities and their different perspectives of themselves as learners. Through
the use of ICT, teachers can also capitalise on students experience of a
technology driven world.
4. Students are challenged and supported to
develop deep levels of thinking and application
The
aim of this component is to move students from superficial thinking to develop
higher order, flexible thinking (just think of all that bloom’s we’ve learnt)!
Teachers must sequence their lessons over time and emphasise connections
between ideas, while encouraging discussion of ideas, including arguing and
considering other points of view. We as teachers must always have high
expectations of achievement, as well as use strategies that challenge and
support students to question and reflect, and develop investigation and problem
solving skills. It is also important to encourage creativity and imagination.
5. Assessment practices are an integral part of
teaching and learning
Without
assessment, planning cannot occur. Assessment practices must reflect the full
range of learning program objectives, that is they require students to
demonstrate skills from lower order to high order processes. Assessment must
then be paired with frequent and
constructive feedback that will support further learning. Assessment
criteria must be explicit and encourage reflection and self -assessment.
Assessment tasks must then be used to inform future learning and teaching!
6. Learning
connects strongly with communities and practice beyond the classroom
Learning
must connect with student’s current and future lives, and with contemporary
thinking. This inevitably leads to students developing a rich view of knowledge
and practice such as social and ethical issues. The teacher must plan for
students to interact with local communities and beyond, such as the school or
local community and use technologies in ways that reflect professional and
community practices. This provides the framework for their future lives.
So why should I refer to PoLT in a job
application?
I should think this
answer should be pretty clear after reading the statements. If you reference
PoLT in your application, it shows that you are up to date with the current
research on the best teaching and learning practices. Aside from this, it give
you a clear indication of just what employers are looking for in their new grad
teachers. So if you have practicum’s left, think about what evidence and
examples you have for each of the statements, and work towards having a few for
each! This will really boost your confidence when it comes time to apply!
This is just a very
brief overview of PoLT, just to give you a quick overview of what they’re
about. If you would like to get a better understanding of PoLT, you can follow
this think to the DEECD website:
Hope this is helpful
to some of you!
Happy Teaching!
Your resume is your first and most essential job-hunting tool whose purpose is to get you short-listed for interview. It is basically a marketing document on which you promote your 'Unique Selling Proposition' (Knowledge, skills, experience, attributes etc.)... For that reason, your resume is a uniquely personal document. There is no one-size fits all approach. There are, however, some general guidelines to remember (See Table)
