Learning Guides

At Ormiston Senior College, Learning Guides are a core component of our curriculum design principles, providing a structured yet flexible framework for student-centered learning. Essentially, a Learning Guide (which can be electronic or paper-based) serves as a roadmap, outlining the activities and experiences students engage with to grasp key concepts and develop essential skills. Large topics are typically segmented into smaller units, each representing about one to two weeks of learning.

Here's a breakdown of what Learning Guides entail:

​

Key Characteristics of Learning Guides:

• Clear Learning Purpose: Each guide clearly communicates its learning objectives, making the "big ideas" or skills students will develop readily apparent. These objectives are designed to align seamlessly with our broader programs of learning.

• Student-Centered Journey: Learning Guides are crafted to put students at the heart of their educational experience. The tasks are primarily student-centered, guiding them through a progressive journey of discovery and application.

• Differentiated Learning: We recognize that students learn in diverse ways. Therefore, Learning Guides offer differentiation in terms of:

  • Process: How students engage with the material.

  • Context: The situations or scenarios in which learning occurs.

  • Product: The ways in which students demonstrate their understanding.

  • Content: The specific information or skills being learned.

• Independent Learning Potential: Learning Guides are designed to empower students to learn autonomously, even without direct teacher intervention.

• Varied Learning Experiences: To maintain engagement and cater to different learning styles, Learning Guides incorporate a variety of activities and approaches, both within a single guide and across different guides.

• Explicit Learning Processes: The guides explicitly highlight desirable learning behaviours (e.g., collaboration norms) and critical thinking skills, helping students develop effective learning strategies.

• Challenging and Engaging: Tasks within the guides are designed to offer an appropriate level of challenge, ensuring students remain engaged and motivated throughout their learning journey.

• Monitored Progress: Learning progress is regularly monitored through various methods, including self-assessments, reflections, peer feedback, formative assessments, diagnostic assessments, and other checkpoints.

• Indicated Timeframes: Each guide provides clear indications of the expected timeframes for completing activities and units of work.

​

Why We Use a Learning Guide System:

Our Learning Guide System provides a robust framework for personalised learning at Ormiston Senior College, offering several key advantages:

• Common Language: It establishes a consistent vocabulary and understanding of learning expectations across the entire school.

• Common Format/Features: Within each learning area, guides share a similar structure and features, promoting familiarity and ease of navigation for students.

• Easy Monitoring and Reporting: Learning Guides facilitate efficient monitoring of student progress and streamlined reporting for Learning Advisors.

• Self-Pacing and Self-Management: Students are empowered to manage their own learning pace, fostering essential self-management skills.

• Flexible Assessment: The system supports a flexible approach to assessment, allowing for diverse ways in which students can demonstrate their learning.

• Built-in Accountability: Learning Guides inherently promote student accountability for their own learning journey.