Curriculum

​​​​​​​​Pedagogical Framework

The purpose of the Dalby State High School Pedagogical Framework is to provide a common, consistent and evidence-based approach to teaching and learning to ensure that the learning outcomes for all students are maximised.  Quality teaching and learning programs will build knowledge, skills and behaviours in young people who can participate in a dynamic society and engage in life-long learning.

How we plan what we teach

At Dalby SHS we use subject specific curriculum documents to inform the content of our units of study.  We acknowledge that successful teaching is not realised with content alone and have therefore partnered our content planning with the Dimensions of Learning framework.  This teaching framework acknowledges that student/teacher relationships, different ways of using knowledge and learning behaviours are all essential for successful learning. 

Every unit of study is based on the following 5 dimensions:

1. Attitudes and Perceptions – helping students establish positive attitudes and perceptions about the classroom and about learning.  
2. Acquire and Integrate Knowledge – helping students learn new information and make it part of their long term memory
3. Extend and Refine Knowledge – learning is more than simply recalling information so helping students develop an in-depth understanding of important knowledge so that they can use that knowledge in school and in life.  
4. Use knowledge Meaningfully – using contexts that are meaningful to students will motivate them to complete tasks
5. Habits of Mind – helping students to develop mental habits that will help them to learn in the future in any situation.  Teaching students how to think critically, creatively and with self-regulation.   

How we deliver what we teach

At Dalby SHS our fundamental goal is to maximise academic growth in all of our students.  To achieve this we use Explicit Instruction (Archer and Hughes) as our method of curriculum delivery because it is a structured, systematic and effective teaching process that leads to academic success.  Explicit Instruction is characterised by a series of supports or scaffolds, whereby students are guided through the learning process with clear statements about the purpose and rationale for learning the new skill, clear explanations and demonstrations of the instructional target, and supported practice with feedback until independent mastery has been achieved. 

• Visual Instruction Plan (VIPs) - displayed for all to see and be able to refer to during the lesson;
• Warm Up - tune students into subject, review previous learning, fluency drills
• I do - teacher explains/models the knowledge/strategy/rule
• We do - Guided practice:  work through example/s step by step with students
• You do - Students do – differentiated activities
• Ploughback (refer to VIPs) - “In this lesson we have learned about….Who 

  achieved success today? …”