Queensland School Reform Longitudinal Study

Elements of productive pedagogies

Higher-order thinking
Is higher-order thinking occurring during the lesson?
That is, is there evidence of conceptual depth, not merely content?
Deep knowledge
Does the lesson cover operational fields in any depth, detail or level of specificity?
Deep understanding
Do the work and response of the students provide evidence of depth of understanding of concepts or ideas?
Substantive conversation
Does classroom talk lead to sustained conversational dialogue between students, and between teachers and students, to create or negotiate understanding of subject matter?
Knowledge as problematic
Are students critiquing and second-guessing texts, ideas and knowledge?
Metalanguage
Are aspects of language, grammar and technical vocabulary being foregrounded?

Knowledge integration
Does the lesson integrate a range of subject areas?
Background knowledge
Are links with students' background knowledge made explicit?
Connectedness to the world
Is the lesson, activity, or task connected to competencies or concerns beyond the classroom?
Problem-based curriculum
Is there a focus on identifying and solving intellectual and/or real-world problems?

Student direction
Do students determine specific activities or outcomes of the lesson?
Social support
Is the classroom characterised by an atmosphere of mutual respect and support among teacher and students?
Academic engagement
Are students engaged and on-task during the lesson?
Explicit quality performance criteria
Are the criteria for judging the range of student performance made explicit?
Self-regulation
Is the direction of student behaviour implicit and self-regulatory?

Cultural knowledges
Are non-dominant cultural knowledges valued?
Inclusivity
Are deliberate attempts made to increase the participation of the range of students?
Narrative
Is the style of teaching principally narrative or is it expository?
Group identity
Does the teaching build a sense of community and identity?
Active citizenship
Are attempts made to encourage active citizenship within the classroom?