How can we check students’ learning and demonstrate progress effectively?

1. How can we check students’ learning and demonstrate progress effectively? The importance of the above Techniques for checking learning Techniques for demonstrating progress What will you try next?

2. Diagnostic – useful tactics for demonstrating learning later on • Place your named post-it on the progress wardrobe. • Write questions on the post-its that you want answers to, by the end of the session.

3. Why are checking learning and demonstrating learning important? • Topic Tennis. This can be done as a ‘diagnostic’ or to check learning. Order of questioning? Rehearsal time – i.e. paired discussion.

4. How are the following Ofsted criteria relevant to today’s session? Grade 1 (Outstanding) = Good/outstanding teaching secures exceptional progress. Consistently high quality marking and dialogue. Pupils understand IN DETAIL how to improve work. Systematic andeffective checking of pupils’ understanding in the lesson. Intervention has a striking impact on the quality of learning. Grade 2 (Good) = Teaching secures good progress. Pupils have detailed feedback. They know how well they’ve done and can discuss what they need to do to sustain good progress. Learning adjusted/reshaped to suit pupils’ needs

5. Assessment and feedback for learningWhat makes it outstanding? • The next few slides come from Ron Cohen, a registered Ofsted Lead inspector. In outstanding lessons; • Teachers regularly check learners’ progress and give good feedback and guidance which helps them know the next steps to succeed • Progress of individual learners is monitored carefully, and lesson planning indicates awareness of this. Clear signs that assessment informs lesson planning.

6. His advice on a good Lesson Plan • Greet and meet • Recap • Objectives • Teacher exposition • Learner activity • Checking learning outcomes ; prep for next round • Repeat above • Until PLENARY keep checking learning outcomes and build bridge to next lesson

7. Example – spot the green (i.e. checking for learning)

8. Checking learning throughout • It’s not just about Q&A of individuals or even circulating to check learning. • How many students’ understanding are you really checking? • Mini plenaries. Are they active/engaging? • The importance of capturing whole class feedback • The importance of linking to LO (and demonstrating progress). NB This is not only about Ofsted. Pupils are motivated by witnessing how much progress they are making.

9. Some initial ideas for checking learning before you come up with more • Rate these ideas on a scale which runs from ‘not useful at all’ to ‘extremely useful’. • CONTENT Quick games to check content – Verbal tennis, Soccer check, Family Fortunes, Wordsplat, Yes/No game, Taboo, bingo etc. etc.

11. Word Splat • 1 2 • 3 4 • 5 6 • 7 8

12. TabooKey word = • --------------------------------- • -------------------------------- • --------------------------------- • --------------------------------- • ---------------------------------

13. FAMILY FORTUNES! • ---------------------------------------------------( ) • ---------------------------------------------------( ) • ---------------------------------------------------( ) • ---------------------------------------------------( ) • ---------------------------------------------------( )

14. Some initial ideas cont…. • Whole class feedback – mini whiteboards after 5,4,3,2,1., movement in class, thumbs up/down, red/amber/green • Group or individual demonstration of skill (creative work, paragraph under visualiser). Pupils peer-assess. • Questioning – stand up/sit down; do you agree?, bouncing questions, the tennis ball. Don’t forget thinking time.

15. Your turn • Discuss, in small groups, what other ideas you have got. • Write them on a post-it and place on the progress wall.

16. Demonstrating progress • The progress wall • The progress line • Use of grade criteria when checking learning, using exemplar material and amending answers • Individual Los, linked to grade criteria, and checked by peers • Reference back to LO(s)

17. Demonstrating progress • Mind maps/spider diagrams/making note of questions that students want answering • Card sort addressing examination questions and answering questions in lesson under timed conditions, peer marking • As above but with groups working on different aspects of exam questions • Mini white boards/true and false games/writing questions to ask each other • Hot seating • Writing ‘top tips’ advice for different techniques/levels • Students delivering starters/plenaries/teaching parts of lessons

18. Your turn again • Ideas for demonstrating progress in lessons. • Small group discussion • Ideas on progress wall.

19. Plenary • What ideas are you going to take away with you? • How are you going to adapt them for your subject? • Ideas on a whiteboard. • Hold up after 5. • Review initial questions. Answers? Have you made progress?

20. Your Ideas from the session • Film a sequence of performances to show progress over weeks. • Student presentations • Blockbusters • Students making resources • Students conducting the lesson • Students asking questions of each other • Hot seating/Spotlighting • Who am I? Post-it on the Head game • Hangman • 5 sentences to 5 words – What did you learn today? • Quiz Rugby • Connect 4 game used to access different level questions