This is the home page of the Doncaster cluster, a group of schools involved in a collaborative project to improve student learning outcomes in the Middle Years of Schooling. This website was produced as an action learning project by a group of students mentored by professional web developers.
The focus of our project is improved student learning outcomes and the engagement of students in their learning by the introduction of innovative pedagogy, problem-based learning and the Thinking Oriented Curriculum across:
all the cluster schools to ensure important elements of commonality of approach and a smoother transition between primary and secondary schools in curriculum
supported by professional development, including the introduction or extension of teacher exchange programs and Middle Years professional learning teams
changing structural and organisational reforms in cluster schools that maximise the opportunities for teachers to implement the new pedagogies in their classroom.
complemented by the introduction or extension of programs or structures that maximise the opportunities for the development of relationships and therefore the connectedness that students feel with their studies and their school.
Our cluster has a vision that the introduction of challenging and innovative classroom practices in the Middle Years will result in students with:
improved outcomes in literacy and numeracy,
greater engagement in their studies,
enhanced relationships with their teachers,
greater connection to their schooling,
and teachers who are resilient, open to innovation and members of dynamic professional learning teams, imbued with a culture of continuous improvement.
The Doncaster Cluster believes that professional development and lifelong learning for teachers underpins our innovation.
The Innovation and Excellence Program has funded teachers to attend Professional Development on the following Thinking Tools:
Michael Pohl (including Bloom’s Taxonomy, Developing a Classroom Culture of Thinking, Teachers as Questioners, Students as Questioners and Infusing Thinking into Content) Website: www.thinkingeducation.com.au
E-mail: mpohl@picknowl.com.au
Matthew Boyle and the 'Thinking File'
Carolyn Coil on Multiple Intelligences, Learning Styles, Developing Rubrics and Authentic Assessment
Website: www.carolyncoil.com E-mail: carolyncoil@aol.com
Robyn English series ( including De Bono Website: www.edwdebono.com) Questioning Skills, Creative Thinking, Philosophy for Kids, Graphic Organisers Website: www.mind-map.com)
Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Problem-Based Learning. (Research)
Terry Spottiswood from Doncaster PS, Socratic Seminars
Andy Hargreaves - Sustaining Professional Learning Communities. E-mail: hargrean@bc.edu
Joan Dalton - PLOT: Professional Learning Online Tool Website: www.plotpd.com E-mail: info@plotpd.com
Intel - Teach to the Future at Doncaster SC and Doncaster Gardens PS. A program where teachers have the opportunity to collaborate with other teachers and discuss ideas for introducing and using eLearning/ICT in the classroom.
Cluster teachers who have attended PD funded by the program have conducted workshops for staff back in their schools.