High Impact Teaching Strategies in Action
This term, all staff have been engaging in professional learning focused on High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS), with an emphasis on engagement routines—simple, consistent practices that ensure every student is actively thinking and participating.
In our recent “Sharing Stories” session, teachers reflected on how they have been trialling these routines in their classrooms and the impact on student learning .
Why This Matters
At Tangara, we want students to come to class ready to think, rehearse and respond . Rather than doing more, our focus is on embedding a few effective routines consistently. When this happens:
- students think more deeply
- participation increases
- learning becomes visible
In the Classroom
Teachers have been embedding strategies such as Think–Pair–Share, whole-class response techniques, and structured thinking time.
In the Junior School, this may look like all students using mini whiteboards to practise spelling or maths facts, choral responses to build confidence in answering questions, or turn-and-talk activities where students rehearse their ideas before sharing with the class.
In Secondary classes, students are using routines such as Think–Pair–Share to refine extended responses, while structured questioning and whiteboard work are increasing participation and ensuring all students are actively engaged
Moving Forward
This is a whole-school commitment, with every teacher continuing to refine their practice. Our goal is to build classrooms where every student is expected to think, participate and grow in confidence—strengthening both engagement and academic rigour.
