High Impact Learning is our secret sauce. This approach is researched extensively by education expert John Hattie, and he confirms that teachers have one of the strongest in-school effects. At Alcuin, we focus on our teachers. In our highly personalized environment, our teachers connect with their students and are thoughtful about their impact.

At Alcuin, we believe the most important thing for teachers to do is to have high expectations for all students. Our teachers are very clear with their students about the content and goals of their learning. We believe that it is also important for teachers to work with other teachers to see different sides of their impact on students and different ways for them to succeed in their teaching. It is beneficial for teachers to consciously align their teaching methods, activities, assessments, feedback, with either the acquisition of knowledge or discovering of ideas.

This doesn’t mean every day is perfect for every student. But it does mean that we are constantly trying, together. According to Hattie, effective instruction cannot take place without proper feedback from students to teacher on the effectiveness of the instruction, and the effectiveness of teaching increases when teachers act as activator instead of as facilitator. We at Alcuin believe that what teachers think is more important than what they do, and it is important that our teachers modify and adapt, and make the school or class an inviting place to come, learn, master, and enjoy learning.

We provide students with a safe environment in which to learn and explore their boundaries. They are seen by their teachers and are supported when they make mistakes. We believe that every child is a learner, is teachable, can grow, and can be taught to love learning. Students have expectations, and the educator’s role is to help students exceed what they think is their potential. Students need to be taught to take on challenges, with safety nets when they fail.

At Alcuin, students, parents, and teachers engage in regular dialogue about learning. It is confirmed by Hattie’s research that parental expectation about learning is among the most powerful in terms of home influences. We encourage parents to talk to their children about their learning at school and home and to promote a “language and love of learning”.

Post-covid, education has been more complex than ever. We have been shown the critical importance of schools and teachers to students’ learning and to their psychosocial health and wellbeing, and we have also noticed the benefits of incorporating technology in students’ learning. At Alcuin, we believe that our emphasis on teachers will deliver High Impact Learning outcomes for our students, and for our students to be responsible young adults with excellent critical thinking skills.