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“Suffolk ranked a lowly 124th out of 152 local authorities in average points scored per pupil at GCSE or equivalent level, while an average of only 48.7% of pupils were awarded at least five A* to C grades including English and Maths.” Evening Star 13/01/10. Shift happens…. www.wordle.net.
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“Suffolk ranked a lowly 124th out of 152 local authorities in average points scored per pupil at GCSE or equivalent level, while an average of only 48.7% of pupils were awarded at least five A* to C grades including English and Maths.” Evening Star 13/01/10
Question To explore the meaning of outstanding teaching. To consider different perspectives on, and consider the elements of, best practice. To draw upon your own experiences in school to illustrate the above. How can I help my department plan and execute ‘outstanding’ lessons? Processes Benefits
LEADERSHIP The leader always sets the trait for others to follow. Leading your department toward outstanding lessons
Research on Curriculum and Teaching • (Hopkins, 2003) • There are a number of well-developed models of teaching and curriculum that generate substantially higher levels of student learning than does normative practice. • Importantly, the most effective models of teaching are also models of learning that increase the intellectual capacity of all students. • These models achieve their power through the thorough integration of teaching strategy with curriculum content and assessment for Learning (AfL) principles. • The most effective curricular teaching patterns induce students to construct knowledge – to inquire into subject areas intensively. The result is to increase student capacity to learn and work smarter.
Are students encouraged to be active, creative, connection -making learners when: • About two-thirds of the talk in classrooms is done by the teacher? • About two-thirds of teacher talk is organisation-controlling talk? • Only about 1% of students ask questions? • 1% of these students’ verbal contributions take the form of questions? (Peter Hill & Jim Dillon)
Techniques for Inspirational Teaching • Start with a hook • Individualise the learning • Teach the whole brain and go multisensory • Model the learning process • Vary the pace • Develop strong collaborative learning skills in pupils • Question for depth of understanding not coverage • Include elements of creative enquiry • Involve metacognitive processes • Frequently review
Possible Hooks Cartoon / Photograph – ask questions or ask the students come up with questions. What could the picture be telling me? What does the picture make me think about? What does the picture not tell me? Could this have anything to do with what I’ve been learning before?
“We were iPods long before they invented the computer.” “I sure hope they keep the traffic off the marathon trail. “ http://ideaphotos.com/Pictures-Photographs-Pics/Funny-Humor-Comedy.html
C H To under stand how s ons connect (shhh) can be made Objective? for top end gr(ey) des
Individualise the Learning This is more than just addressing ‘Learning Styles’. Think of some famous people – how would they have liked to be taught?
The Five Components of Personalised Learning (Hopkins, 2003) • Assessment for Learning • Teaching and Learning and ICT strategies • Enabling Curriculum Choice • Organising the school for personalised learning • Engaging with the community and beyond to develop the whole child.
AfL • QUICK & EASY • True/False • 20 questions to which the answer is Yes/No • Thumbometer • Learning Grids –”What I know”, “What I need to know”, “What I have learnt”. • Verbal Tennis (Teacher’s Toolkit) • BIT MORE TIME NEEDED (for resources) • Games such as: Taboo/ Pictionary/ Dominoes /Millionaire/ Blockbusters / card sorts (rectangles and triangles) • GREATER PREPARATION AND PLANNING REQUIRED • Peer and Self assessment (students require training, success criteria and model answers) • Assignments using success criteria & written feedback
Challenge Wall An wall area of the classroom is set aside for tasks of varying levels (e. g. hard, medium difficulty and easy). On completion of the learning activity set by the teacher, pupils are directed to visit the ‘Challenge Wall’ and choose a task at a higher challenge level. This is something that can be built up over time.
Teach the Whole Brain We Learn: 10% of what we read 20% of what we hear 30% of what we see 50% of what we see and hear 70% of what we discuss with others 80% of what we experience for ourselves 95 % of what we teach
Give the big picture first (R) and then break down into chunks (L) Draw a diagram (R) from a description (L) Visualise the desired outcome (R) and then describe orally to another pupil (L) Chant using rhyme, rhythm, rap (R) to convey information (L) How can I connect the L and R sides of my brain? Brain Gym (L + R) Mind Mapping (L + R) EXAMPLES These are all very well but ……..
It is as, if not more, important to provide intellectual challenge, and conceptual connectivity. “There is, it seems, more concern about whether children learn the mechanics of reading and writing than grow to love reading and writing; learn about democratic practice rather than have practice in democracy; hear about knowledge … rather than gain experience in personally constructing knowledge; …see the world narrowly, simple and ordered, rather than broad, complex and uncertain.” (Vito Perrone)
Creative Climate Total energy of individual Energy available for task or success. Energy required for emotional survival. Threatening Adversarial Neutral Cooperative Supportive
Create an atmosphere in which the students feel confident, are not afraid to ask questions and are not afraid of being wrong. Try everything. Don’t be afraid to say when you’ve gone wrong – that’s how you can improve. Make the students feel special! Say, “yes, I did that wrong. I can learn from it.”
Cooperative collaborative learning • Think-Pair-Share -1 • Students are given 5-10 seconds to think of an answer on • their own • They then pair with their partner to reach a consensus on • the answer • Finally the teacher asks partnerships to share their agreed • answer with the team/class. • Think-Pair-Share -2 • Timed –pair-share is a variation (use a timer) • Teacher sets a question, partner A responds, partner B listens • then paraphrases • Swap roles • Challenge to listen rather than think about what you are going • to say • Don’t allow students to interrupt or comment as it becomes a • conversation with the dominant child taking over.
Numbered Heads Together - 1 • Simple easy to use structure which is effective for answering questions at all levels of difficulty. • Each pupil on the team has a different number, which can be chosen by the students or assigned by the teacher. • Questions are phrased so that students know their answer must include an explanation e. g. “make sure everyone on your team can explain how you arrived at the answer.” • This technique can be adapted and can be used with existing resources e. g. text or photographs in a book.
Evidence from around 100 studies shows that the effectiveness of co-operative learning generally depends on the team being rewarded for the successful learning of each individual member and that its effectiveness can be further enhanced if the team members are taught strategies for supporting each other’s learning.
Model learning processes yourself “Unless our students see us reflecting deeply on our own learning experiences, struggling to connect and make these experiences meaningful, and translating these meanings into new practices in the classroom and outside of it, we can have little cause to expect them to perform these processes for us.”
As a teacher, do I demonstrate…. • Persistence, self-reliance and self-efficacy? • A preparedness to be different? • Risk-taking behaviours – trying the unknown? • An ability to reframe ‘failure’ as a learning outcome? • A preparedness to receive and act on feedback about my teaching? • An openness about my learning weaknesses and ways around these? WD 40 factor! Share these with students! Ask the pupils!
Vary the Pace! “There should be brief intervals of time for quiet reflection – used to organise what has been gained in periods of activity.” (John Dewey) “Creative inspiration often strikes when the mind is in a state of playful relaxation.” (Guy Claxton)
Question for depth of understanding, not for coverage “Coverage is the enemy of understanding.” (Jerome Bruner)
The Tapestry of Teaching • Lecture • Enquiry • Activity-based • Research • Independent Study • Resource-based learning • Co-operative learning –
Research has shown that pupils whose teachers use a ‘thinking skills’ approach can receive an intellectual boost equal on average to over half a year’s schooling! • QUESTIONING CHANGES • Teacher’s role: move from presentation to exploration of students’ ideas, involving them in the exploration and spend more time and effort framing questions to explore issues critical to development of students’ understanding. • Student’s role: more active, realising that learning depends on readiness to express and discuss, not on spotting right answers.
Questioning Activities: Inference grids Divide the class into groups of 4, 2 more able and 2 less able, based on KS2/3 average points score or other means. Divide your whiteboard/page into 3 areas ADAPT THESE TO SUIT PURPOSE
Intelligent interruptions Students are only allowed to interrupt the lesson if they are asking a good/difficult question! Find good/difficult questions to ask Reward the individual / group that asks the best question during a lesson. Thoughtboards If a student wants to make a comment ask them to write it on a post-it note rather than interrupt. These can be referred to later and kept for revision. Use your school system for rewards and sanctions !
Have these displayed in your classroom to help students ‘get started’! What? Where? When? Why? How? • Task (1minute) • Work with a partner or in a group of three
Discuss the stimulus– what struck you as interesting, puzzling, worrying, worth thinking about? With your partner(s), formulate one question which you think would be interesting to explore. Write this question down to share with the rest of the group.
“If I ran a school, I’d give all the average grades to the ones who gave me the right answers, for being good parrots. I’d give the top grades to those who made lots of mistakes and told me about them and then told me what they had learned from them.” (Buckminster Fuller, Inventor)
“Nobody ever learned anything from experience. It was the reflection on the experience that taught him something.” (Neville West)
Meta-cognitive Reflections (Arguably the most important and therefore the hardest)! • What kind of thinking have you been doing? • Did anyone say/do something that changed your thinking? • What personal contribution to your group’s thinking are you most pleased about? • What did you like/dislike, find easy/difficult about this task? • What skills supported the completion of this task? • What would help your group do such a task even better next time?
Maximse learning opportunities! • Card sorts / memory games etc – • How did you sort the cards? • Why did you do it this way? • How did this method help you? • Did anyone do this a different way? • How will this help you next time?
Reviewing the Learning: • Referring to learning objectives clarifies learning • Conscious and active reflection on the thinking processes that have been involved helps embed learning and create independent learners. • Reviewing the learning forces the learning to be clarified • For both teacher and students the realisation that ‘the answer’ does not lie in the teacher’s head can come as a shock! • May take teachers into territory where they feel uncomfortable.
