Jennie Moore

Kagan Trainer

Kagan in a new ILE

A medium sized primary school was looking to set up an Innovative Learning Environment (ILE) for the first time, in their Year 5/6 classes.

The Deputy Principal already knew about Kagan and discussed it’s shared pedagogical approach with the principal as an option for this new space.

Within this school, was a Special Needs unit, with quite a large number of ORRS students. These students were supported to learn in standard classrooms every morning, but Kagan would eb very different to what they were used to. Again, the DP felt that Kagan would further assist with including and supporting these students.

We all met and discussed how this could work and what impact it would have, and made a plan.

The year started with the first two days, out of five, of our Cooperative Learning workshop, with all five days booked in for that year, along with leadership training in Cooperative Meetings.

Knowing that for 4-5 teachers in the workshop, this was very much around using the same pedagogy across the ILE, I was able to detail how this would work as part of my content matter.

Following these two days, the teachers were further supported by modelling, coaching, and planning sessions, along with regular PLGs specifically around Kagan.

The benefits of implementing Kagan in the ILE were as follows:

  • shared pedagogy made cross-grouping easy and smooth

  • students learned and applied social and communication skills

  • higher levels of oral language

  • using Kagan learning teams meant students were supported and had stability and a safe place

  • classroom management strategies similar across the ILE

  • effective teaching across whole ILE which meant more equitable outcomes

  • planning sessions were easier due to same curriculum-delivery approach

  • Teacher Aides found it easier with the same pedagogy in all ‘classes’

  • Gave SLT a new lens for effective teaching and how to offer specific support

  • behaviour issues reduced due to higher levels of engagement, meeting students’ needs to socialise, and built-in brain-breaks, and brain-friendly teaching practices, meant students felt respected and supported in a positive and cooperative culture

    This school committed to Kagan and the dividends paid off. Sometimes schools have so much going on that I believe it’s best to wait until they can devote their energy to one intervention rather than try and do everything, and really are in danger of achieving nothing. Plus too many things at one time makes it very difficult to measure the impact.