Silverton PS:
e5+ Principles of Pedagogy and
Personalised Learning
Introduction and
Context
Diversity and
Personalisation
Tony identifies the school as a
‘melting pot’ or ‘the United
Nations’, where 68% of the 480
students speak a language other
than English.
Tony Bryant, the principal, has
been at the school for twenty-one
years.
The diversity of the students is
evident in the 34 full-size national
flags displayed around the
perimeter of the recently built
school gymnasium. As a way of
both welcoming and
acknowledging family heritage, a
new flag is added to the array
each time someone from a
different nation joins the school
community.
The Silverton community includes
a diverse mix of recent migrants
from Europe, Asia, the Americas
and Africa, including refugees.
The diversity of the student cohort
has both challenged and
galvanised school leaders and
teachers to develop an approach
Silverton Primary School is located
in the suburb of Noble Park in
southeast metropolitan
Melbourne. A mix of commerce,
industry and residential spaces
gives the area a distinctive
character.
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
to teaching and learning that
ensures, ‘every child experiences a
sense of personal progress and
success’.
Despite Silverton being located in
a school community characterised
by families who fall into the
lowest 10% of socioeconomic
rankings, Silverton students test in
the top 5% of the student
population.
Other data tells a similar story.
Parent Opinion Surveys indicate
that Silverton is amongst the
highest performing schools in the
state on all eighteen measures of
school climate, student behaviour
and student engagement. Tony
notes that parent satisfaction is
‘up around the 98th to 99th
percentile, so parents are on
board.’ This contrasts with where
the school was on Tony’ arrival,
when a need for improvement
was identified in staff morale,
student attendance (absences
were more than double the state
average), student engagement,
and parent satisfaction.
Silverton’s ‘instructional model’ or
‘e5+’ is a sophisticated amalgam of
parallel initiatives, which have
been combined and integrated:
(i) A set of pedagogical
principles and practices,
which the school has
formulated themselves,
incorporating aspects of the
Victorian Principles of
Learning and Teaching (PoLT);
(ii) Their own adaptation and
translation of the e5 model as
an anchor for planning,
analysing and discussing
practices;
(iii) A framework which promotes
student-centred
‘personalisation of learning’,
where students are
positioned as creators of
knowledge and know-how;
(iv) A model for clarifying and
making explicit a set of
enabling conditions: Learning
Architecture, Nurturing
Emotional Ecosystems,
Spatial Configuration, Formal
Professional Learning; and
(v) A set of twenty-one
‘descriptors’ for identifying,
guiding and subtly prompting
multiple pedagogical uses of
the ‘flexible learning spaces’ –
each one of these descriptors
promotes a need for a rich
pedagogical repertoire.
The use of these models and
frameworks was anchored by a
focus on 21st century learners and
learning.
One teacher commented:
We need to keep changing,
keep the options open for
children and to keep up with
21st century learning.
Tony sees Silverton PS as an
‘outward looking school, sharing
and growing knowledge and
innovation’. They are in dialogue
with local and international
educators and contribute to
numerous innovative programs
and learning initiatives.
‘…an outward looking school,
sharing and growing
knowledge and innovation’
At the same time, all staff and
students access a personalised
approach to learning which
encourages everyone to actively
participate in and contribute to
the life of the school community.
The leadership narrative is about
students and teachers being
‘creators’ rather than ‘consumers’
of knowledge. There is a strong
cultural expectation of:
…learning from the people
around us and taking
responsibility for our own
learning.
This led to investigations of
pedagogical approaches that
aligned with a vision of
empowering students to be more
active in their own learning.
Student focused pedagogies were
contrasted with teacher-led
learning and the differences
between individualisation,
differentiation and personalisation
of learning were explored.
The current aim is for a stronger
emphasis on ‘personalisation of
learning’ where this is
conceptualised as:
…learning by the
learner…where it’s learner
directed, they’re creating
knowledge… the students
become a community of
learners, they’re choosing the
approach and their peers are
doing the assessment.
How did teachers
learn about and
engage with the
model?
Creating a need
When Tony arrived as principal in
1993, he had a vision of creating a
‘hub for good learning’, where the
‘children are running in the gate
faster than they are running out!’
He decided to challenge the way
originally open learning spaces
had transformed into traditional,
individual classrooms.
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
This was not without its
challenges:
First thing we did was knock
down the walls, we opened the
whole thing up but knocking
down the walls was the easy
part, it was more difficult to
move everyone in the same
direction…
We had four classrooms,
people working in four corners
but no sharing of kids… We had
to actually change what we
were doing.
Tony explained that removing the
classroom walls was a signal that
pedagogy would need to change.
Four ‘flexible learning spaces’ are
now home to four learning
communities (Foundation, Yrs 1/2,
Yrs 3/4; Yrs 5/6). Teachers
subsequently engaged in
significant professional learning to
better understand their
pedagogical options.
To support this, the staff came up
with twenty-one different ways of
learning in the new flexible
learning spaces. These include:
independent study, one-on-one
learning with teachers, technology
with mobile computers, interdisciplinary learning, team
teaching/learning, peer tutoring,
play-based learning, project-based
learning, seminar-style instruction
and anywhere anytime learning.
The process of researching,
analysing and adapting the e5+
model to the particular cultural,
environmental and pedagogical
context of Silverton was identified
by one teacher as causing the
most dramatic development in
their practice.
The creation of the open-plan and
flexible learning spaces that are
now a hallmark of the school
created a need to engage with,
adapt and contextualise the
model to be able to make the
most of the new conditions for
learning.
Research and Dialogue
Early in Tony’s tenure as principal
he saw the need for a set of
‘guiding principles’, which would
help shape and influence
teachers’ decisions about their
practice. In the period between
1994 and 1997 seven ‘Principles of
Silverton Pedagogy’ were
formulated and refined.
Tony noted, ‘These principles
were broad enough to allow for a
teacher’s specific personalities,
(they) don’t give us the actual
teaching styles, or the way we
teach...’ Staff then worked
collaboratively together to
translate the seven principles into
illustrative practices.
Underneath the principles are
the practices we developed with
our staff over many, many
years… (these) have continued to
evolve and develop with the
staff…The principles have
remained the same since ’97, but
how we translate them into
practice is continually evolving
and being updated.
Referring to and incorporating
aspects of DEECD’s PoLT also
played a role in this early work.
When the e5 instructional model
was offered by DEECD in 2009, the
staff at Silverton immediately saw
possibilities for ‘combining our
work on the principles of
pedagogy with the e5 model’.
According to Tony, the e5 model
then provided the school with ‘a
consistent frame of reference for
guiding teaching and learning'.
He also believed that the model
needed to be treated flexibly, ‘it’s
not prescriptive’. He wanted a
model that would accommodate
individual differences in teaching
approaches and allow for
creativity:
The model is not so religious
that we walk in and say you’ll
do this, this and this. We know
that good teachers are really
good at understanding the
curriculum. And teachers are
very good at breaking up the
core curriculum into activities
to stage the learning.
This non-prescriptive approach to
translation of the model
acknowledges the professional
capacity of teachers to make
significant decisions about their
practice. This sense of
professional respect was further
reflected in how the e5 model was
introduced to staff.
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
When e5 first came out, we
devoted quite a bit of time to it
– just to get our heads around
the ideas. Our teachers were
placed in research projects
around … e5.
This meant teachers were
introduced to and familiarised
themselves with the e5 concepts
through a process of personal
research, analysis, dialogue and
sharing of findings. This led to
‘extensive formal and informal
discussions about e5 and what it
might mean in practice’.
The intensive collaboration
promoted by the individual, and
later team-based, research
projects fostered the
development of a common
language based on e5.
sessions and embedded in shared
teaching practices.
The concepts at the heart of that
language gradually became more
clearly defined and elaborated as
teachers used them to analyse,
reflect on and discuss their work.
In the second year, teachers
working in teams identified and
pursued a particular learning goal
informed by the e5 capabilities,
which deepened their
understanding.
Reflective processes prompted by
the e5 instructional model were
incorporated into team planning
After this period of familiarisation,
Silverton staff chose to
incorporate and adapt e5 into their
own context, alongside the
Principles of Silverton Pedagogy
and their efforts to promote
Personalised Learning.
This is illustrated in the graphic
below, which locates ‘students as
creators of knowledge’ as its core
principle.
All other principles outlined in the
model are in service to this central
idea, with teachers identified as
‘activators of learning’.
Cannot get in to change this. Can you
change the word 'in' to 'is'?
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
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This elaborated and connected
framework now informs term and
weekly planning as teachers are
supported by leaders to translate
the school’s e5 + principles into
everyday practices.
has made me reflect on my
lessons more.
Throughout the year, each team is
involved in a research project
linked to Silverton’s Principles of
Pedagogy.
To enable more collaborative,
indepth team learning, school
leaders worked hard to create a
respectful environment and
provide access to diverse
professional learning
opportunities.
We feel we’re all in it together,
it’s not judgemental, it’s about
good conversations. It’s easy to
admit our shortfalls and
acknowledge areas that need
improvement. The fear of
asking or not knowing is
eliminated.
Another teacher reflected on how
her attitude to her own learning
had shifted:
Now I see PD in terms of how
my learning can help the school
to improve. Collaboration has
helped, learning from each
other, no question is the wrong
question. This makes me feel
safer...You can have a
collegiate chat and this has
made me reflect on myself and
set some goals without feeling
that I am being judged. And it
How does the model
inform the way
teachers at the
school work?
Designing and leading
learning
The language of the Principles of
Silverton Pedagogy is present in
the way teachers talk about their
work:
‘…we feel we’re all in it
together, it’s not judgemental’
Steph, a teacher, articulated this
in terms of inclusivity:
exchange of perceptions, ideas,
and practices.
The research focuses on the
team’s specific learning goals, as
negotiated with leadership, and
learning is shared during team and
whole-staff meetings. ‘Critical
friends’ further enhance teacher
learning, where each staff
member becomes a critical friend
and mentor for a colleague,
observing and documenting each
other’s interactions with students.
Critical friends are
good…because they can watch
your class and comment on
what you did well and areas
you could improve. We both
sign off on notes made during a
lesson and there is an
understanding that you can
watch anyone else as well.
This fortnightly activity provides
valuable opportunities for
evidence-based discussion,
reflection and professional
Discovery Time and Inquiry are
both planned around e5 so that
the kids know where they are
going. I have noticed a
difference since we have used
the idea of ‘the hook’ to
engage students. They love it
when you put yourself in at the
beginning of a lesson.
The Maths coach also refers to the
Silverton e5+ model to help
teachers focus on their
capabilities and what they might
improve or strengthen in their
practice.
One of the teachers describes the
relationship between student
agency and the role of the
teacher:
…students have a voice.
Learning is really student
directed, and students have
choice over what they do and
how they do it. But we also
engage in explicit teaching. We
make sure we are engaging the
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
students at the beginning of
the lesson, if you don’t get
them in the first few minutes
you lose them.
The principal elaborated on this
point, clarifying the idea of
personalisation, ‘where students
drive their own learning’:
Community learning means
everybody takes responsibility
for everybody. You’ll see
different things out there and
we trust the kids that when
they’re on their own, in
different spaces, they will take
responsibility for their own
learning. And that’s how you
get the kids engaged, because
they’re allowed to follow their
passions. Numeracy and
literacy are a given, it’s how
you do it that’s important.
We want children to research
and develop their passions.
We’ve got some little kids
doing amazing projects,
whereas in other models the
teachers have more control of
the learning.
Amanda, the assistant principal,
identified the collaborative
context as essential to the success
of teacher learning and
engagement with the Silverton
model:
The reason our teachers are so
good at doing that is because
they are working as teams, as
communities. They’re not
working by themselves, within
four walls. Everything that is
done in the learning centre is
done with the eight teachers.
Eight heads thinking about
‘how do I move this particular
group of children onto the next
step?’
Loretta, also an assistant principal,
stressed the importance of the
focus of teacher talk remaining on
what children can do, what they
know and what they’ll need to
know.
range of diverse activities to allow
students to explore the learning
focus at their own pace, taking
into account individual
backgrounds, previous
understandings, skill development
and preferred learning styles.
Within their learning community,
students are able to seek support
or explanation from any of their
eight teachers.
Several teachers highlighted how
the model had helped them to
enhance student voice and to take
‘ownership of their own learning’.
Typically when a unit of work is
developed, Silverton teachers
attend to the Silverton Principles
of Pedagogy, the concepts
promoted by the e5 model, a
commitment to progressing
personalised learning, and
potential use of contemporary
technologies. They also design for
and take advantage of, the
pedagogical affordances of the
flexible learning spaces.
This represents a holistic strategy
for school-wide improvement and
capacity building, grounded in
everyday practice.
In terms of how this plays out at
Silverton, teachers described a
Prep Unit of work. It begins with a
simple storybook ‘hook’ to engage
students with the concept of
learning numbers. This is followed
by an increasingly challenging
During other units of work, and
especially during Discovery Time,
learners are invited to participate
in science, art, environmental or
cooking projects, script-writing,
dressing up, painting solo
outdoors, or in groups on a mural
wall.
Teachers see themselves as
learners while employing these
pedagogical approaches:
I like Discovery Time because I
can learn from students…we
are all in this together.
Children are encouraged to use
technology creatively or for
research purposes as they see a
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
need or an opportunity in their
learning.
They can make choices about
whether to proceed to a new
challenge or continue what
they’re doing in order to
consolidate their own learning.
As their understanding of
themselves as learners develops,
children determine when and how
to expand the focus and scope of
their learning.
Diverse learning opportunities are
offered through sport, robotics,
chess, dramatic performance, live
radio, film studio, living
ecosystems, outdoor learning
spaces, a band tour and the
planetarium.
At Silverton, children regularly
engage in a specific type of
reflection called ‘Now I Can’ (NIC).
This reflects Silverton’s
interpretation and adaptation of
the e5 domain of ‘evaluation’
where teachers assist students to
evaluate their progress and
achievements.
Silverton teachers place a strong
focus on assessment AS learning,
which aligns with their overall
teaching approach.
Another graphic described as
‘Elements For Establishing And
Maintaining Teacher Momentum
At Silverton’, was developed by
Silverton staff to make even more
explicit the multi-dimensional
expectations for teaching and
learning.
Four elements were elaborated to
better design and take action
towards school-wide
improvement and change.
These are represented below:
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
The learning architecture at
Silverton, the way the learning
spaces are configured and used
and the professional learning
structures in place, are
underpinned by a supportive
‘culture’ that encourages
innovation and ‘having a go’.
This open, flexible and inclusive
approach fosters innovation, risktaking and an expanding set of
teaching capabilities.
What has been the
impact of engaging
with the model?
Impacts for students
Several themes emerged in
conversations with students: one
significant theme was about
teachers 'making work
interesting'; another was about
'having choices', which included
what and how to learn as well as
the means of expressing or
demonstrating their learning; and,
a third theme about being
welcomed and included, 'teachers
helping and supporting us'.
The teachers make it
interesting, not boring, instead
of putting sums up on the
board they show you video clips
or show you how to work it out.
Another student clarified this
comment, adding ' you're not just
sitting there you're actually
getting into it'.
A teacher commenting on the
culture at Silverton reflected:
Tony is on board for new ideas
and says let’s give that a try.
There is a positive outlook.
Everyone has potential to
become leaders at Silverton.
A third student added, ‘they teach
you two or more different ways of
working something out, that way I
have a choice, and decide which
way is easier for me’.
Students demonstrated a deep
understanding of their own
diversity as learners:
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Because people learn all
different ways and they don't
always learn the same way that
other people do…some people
are visual, some people like to
learn by touching things, some
people like to be shown how to
do it…then you learn and can
do it yourself.
The role of their teachers was also
valued and understood:
They interact with you. Instead
of just talking as a whole class
they walk around and see how
you're working something out
for yourself. If you don't
understand it they will go
through it in more detail and
give you different ways you can
solve it or look at it in a
different way.
One student said that this made
her feel 'more involved and
interested' in her learning.
Students explained that as well as
learning about about indigenous
Australians, they also learned
about oral and visual literacy,
working in teams, making
decisions, working independently
and being accountable to peers.
I had really big thoughts, when
I think a lot…when I am
interested I will ask a lot of
questions, then I'll look it up
and I will express my
imagination (in my work).
Students have developed a
sophisticated language to describe
their learning, the way they
learned and what they were
learning about. This way of
learning at Silverton has also
fostered highly motivated
learners:
I feel challenged when I get into
something I haven't done
before…I feel excited with what
I'm doing and trying my
hardest…I want to finish
because I know I have achieved
something.
The idea of being excited to learn
was a consistent theme in the
students’ responses. Students
also noticed that, ‘nobody is stuck
in their progress and no-one is left
out.’ They also valued the
opportunities for each student to
find something on offer at the
school that they were passionate
about or interested in learning.
‘…they’re thinkers, they
communicate well, they’re
risk-takers.’
Silverton students now actively
build a network of peers, experts,
and teachers to guide and support
their learning.
Tony describes Silverton students
as becoming better:
…problem solvers, they’re
thinkers, they communicate
well, they’re risk takers. You’ll
see little five year olds doing
things you wouldn’t believe
that little kids could do, and
engaged without a teacher
near them… And some of the
learning is just amazing. And
they’re excited about that.
The impacts of the teaching and
learning approach go well beyond
engagement, interest and the
social and emotional well-being of
the students. It is also reflected in
the academic achievement data of
the students.
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Tony reflected on the major
turnaround that is in evidence at
Silverton:
If you’re looking at national
averages, prior to 2009 we
were below average (in
NAPLAN measures).
In 2013, comparing with other
schools, we were in the top 5%,
probably in the top 2%. If you
take this as an indicator, and it
is only one indicator, [the
journey] has been successful.
Importantly, students at Silverton
are now capable of driving
themselves in their own learning,
they know how to explore ideas
and reflect on their own progress.
Impacts on how Teachers
Learn
Silverton’s professional learning
culture was described as people
‘having a go’, collaborating and
working things out together.
Silverton teachers now embrace
the need for ‘continual
professional development’ in and
around the various elements of
their teaching model:
Before the Silverton model
evolved, I knew some theory
and a fair bit of content, but
now our professional learning
…leads to more effective
practice, with better
collaborative scaffolds for
innovation.
Accordingly, teacher learners at
Silverton acknowledge that ‘there
are always areas for improvement
and we can learn from everyone
in our school’.
Impacts on Teacher Practice
Impacts for Parents
The Silverton approach and
outcomes for students have also
had an impact on parents’
aspirations for their children:
Parents are now doing
something that has never
happened before, they are
going out looking for a school
that suits their needs and what
they want for their kids.
The ways that evidence is used
and analysed have strengthened
significantly. Teachers now
analyse multiple forms of
evidence to better understand
learner needs.
Silverton teachers are now highly
committed to enabling student
self-evaluations and ‘assessment
as learning’ is a strong feature of
their pedagogical practice.
Enabling more active participation
by students in the design of their
learning, by identifying goals and
planning how they will progress
along a learning path, has also
become a feature of teachers’
practice.
Personalised learning is part of the
everyday thinking and practice of
students and teachers – even the
youngest learners are learning to
learn in these ways.
The way ICTs are used in the
school is aligned with the Silverton
approach. They are positioned as
tools for: enabling learning;
enriching understanding;
enhancing and extending the
capacities of learners for
analysing, applying and evaluating
their learning.
What might other
schools learn from
the Silverton
experience?
Fostering genuine
communities of learners
There are many insights that
might be drawn from the Silverton
experience, and which could
benefit other schools.
These relate to:
(i) Being clear about direction,
purpose and values;
(ii) Being consistent in the
approach, stance and
enactment of leadership;
(iii) Building individual and
collective understanding via
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
personal and team-based
research as an impetus for selfdirected change;
(iv) Appreciating the time and
space required to bring about
and maintain major shifts in
practice;
(v) Formulating and working
with explicit concepts and
ideas to support and guide
change;
(vi) Developing strategies to
promote collaborative,
inclusive engagement, with
everyone involved in
translating concepts and ideas
into everyday practices;
(vii) Crafting a context and goal
appropriate learning
architecture to support schoolwide professional learning;
(viii) Having lots and lots of
conversations;
(ix) Building a genuine sense of
belonging to a community of
learners with a shared purpose;
(x) Acknowledging and
respecting differences;
(xi) Establishing a strong
induction program to promote
and support the culture; and,
(xii) Learning, reflecting and
change are ongoing.
More specifically, other schools
may see the value of a connected,
multi-dimensional approach to
change, exemplified at Silverton in
the form of its own unique
instructional model.
This model combines a clear set of
pedagogical principles and
practices, with an adaptation and
translation of the e5 model, an
explicit framework that promotes
student-centred ‘personalisation
of learning’, a set of enabling
conditions (e.g. learning
architecture) and a set of twentyone ‘descriptors’ for identifying,
guiding and prompting multiple
uses of learning spaces.
In terms of being clear about
direction, purpose and values, the
principal’s role is vital, ‘If the
school doesn’t know what it’s
going to do, then everything goes
off in different directions. You
have to have a focus, have the
ship steering in the same way’.
The consistency of Tony’s
approach, stance and enactment
of leadership played a clear role in
supporting school improvement:
Tony has a way of sharing the
vision. We can see where we
are going, but we can have our
own take on things. He will say,
‘go try that out’. He is good at
planting a seed. He is all for the
children and the community.
This reflects a significant feature
of Tony’s principal-ship, which
includes daily immersion in the life
of the school, always with a focus
on enhancing the teaching and
learning experiences of everyone
involved, including himself.
Correspondingly, the Silverton
experience indicates that when
the learning needs of everyone
are acknowledged and respected
staff and students feel safe to
explore and engage in new
practices.
Building individual and collective
understanding via personal and
team-based research was a
particularly important strategy for
introducing and promoting
understanding and take-up of the
Silverton model. Each of the school
leaders emphasised a need to
‘integrate it into our teaching and
learning practices.’
Understanding a need for the time
and space for people to learn
meant that things were not
rushed or simply ‘implemented’.
Bringing in deeper
understanding of how we can
change practice and improve
practices takes a while and
that’s an evolution thing, it’s
not going to happen overnight.
Formulating and working with
explicit concepts and ideas to
support and guide change was
present as an enabling factor right
from the beginning at Silverton:
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Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Our instructional model is the
e5, but built into that is our
principles of pedagogy, how
schools should work and what
makes effective teaching and
learning... You need
consistency of practice, you
need a guide for theories of
learning.
The principal and leadership team
at Silverton have been mindful of
the need to develop and maintain
a strong learning architecture to
support school-wide professional
learning.
This includes opportunities, time
and space to undertake individual
and collective research projects;
peer mentoring involving time
spent in each other’s classes,
filming and engaging in critical
conversations; participating in or
organising in-school or external
professional learning; and lots of
opportunities for professional
conversations.
The sense of belonging to a
learning community was evident
in: the student responses, ‘the
teachers welcome you well and
always keep everyone interested’;
the teacher conversations,
‘students, teachers and leaders
are on the same playing field’;
and, in listening to the school
leaders describe and explain how
their school works, ‘community
learning means everybody takes
responsibility for everybody’.
Acknowledging and respecting
differences was evident in the
array of 34 full-size national flags
in the gym, it was present when
the student said, ‘people learn all
different ways and they don't
always learn the same way’, and it
was also evident when Tony noted
‘it’s not prescriptive, it’s not step
one, step two’.
As other schools strive to
establish their own models of
teaching and learning,
Silverton’s approach
demonstrates how a system
model such as e5 can be
adapted, integrated and
applied in ways that attend to
a particular school’s needs,
context and culture.
An instructional model is best
seen as a guide to the ‘essential
elements of good teaching which
need not be applied in a linear
manner’.
Tony believes that critical to the
success of any model is the quality
of the ‘interpersonal relationships
within a school and the trust that
allows all stakeholders to work
together as a learning
community’.
The need for a strong induction
program Tony sees as essential.
Picking the right people who are
willing to commit to the model is
also essential.
Tony also highlighted the
importance of teachers sharing in
the sense-making and translation
of the school’s model and guiding
principles into practice.
All those things we have done
have come from the staff. They
have real ownership of every
sort of thing we do at Silverton.
We really include the staff in
decision making or things we
want to implement.
12
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development