Paired Placements: the driver-navigator model

1. Paired Placements: the driver-navigator model Paul Wilson 12 November 2010 pjwilson@marjon.ac.uk

2. Introduction • Aim: outline of partnership guidance to paired placements … • … in particular the driver-navigator model • Applicable to other phases of ITE and subject areas

3. Background • Previous practice • Schools and trainees • Developing placements

4. TDA Conference • Nov 2006 • Smith (2004), Sorensen (2004) • TDA Multiple Placement Project (Menendez and Oulton, 2007)

5. Partnership Project • TDA funded 07, 08, third year within partnership • Emphasis on active roles for both partners • Development of partnership practice • The driver-navigator metaphor

6. Impact • Using an evaluative framework, compared with solo placements, • on these groups • Trainees • Providers • Pupils • Schools

7. Trainees • Learning from each other • Meeting trainees’ needs (Wilson and Edwards, 2009) • Opportunities to take on challenges • Preparation for collaborative practice • Concerns over missed opportunities for ‘solo’ experience

8. HEIs • Finding placements • Developing practice with the partnership • Innovative approaches • Focus on best placements • Improved organisational efficiency, reduced journey time etc.

9. Pupils • Positive evaluations of impact on pupils • Better lessons, better learning • Innovative approaches • Better classroom management • Better support to individuals • Improved assessment

10. Schools • Better lessons than solo placements • Less demand on school resources than two solo placements • Reduces need for ‘lower level’ support • Professional development of staff • Opportunity to observe own classes • Opportunity to create new pupil groupings • Demands on school resources • Demands on staff

11. Outcomes • Need for careful pairing – empathy, trust, confidence • Shared responsibility and engagement - no ‘free rides’ • Need for solo / paired balance • Continuum of collaboration • Need for careful preparation / training – both in college and at start of placement with a focus on roles and feedback

12. Partnership guidance • Planned provision of placements • Pairing: empathy and trust • College-based preparation • Mentor developing paired practice at the start of the placement • Timetabling and allocation of teaching group • Mentor meetings - the ‘sandwich’ • The driver-navigator model

13. Driver Navigator model • Classroom roles • Planning • Assessment • Evaluation – principles • Evaluation - mechanisms

14. Driver – leads lesson in the classroom • Navigator – assistant in the classroom • Fixed roles with a particular class - avoids confusion • Both responsible for the class – shared responsibility for planning, assessment, evaluation, resources, supporting pupils, managing pupils and marking • Importance of navigator’s awareness of the rationale behind the approaches used

15. Managing the progression of lessons • Identifying objectives, learning activities and outcomes • Producing resources • Strategies for differentiation and inclusion • Clear roles for both partners • Identifying key areas for evaluation and feedback to feed into the planning, teaching, evaluation cycle

16. Use outcomes to assess the pupils’ performance against the objectives. • During the lesson the navigator has the main responsibility for assessing every pupil against the learning outcomes. • The navigator reports back on pupils’ performance against the outcomes

17. Empathy, trust and sensitivity • Positive and constructive • Agreed format for feeding back • If in doubt – don’t say it! Only offer critical feedback within agreed areas for evaluation, or if expressly invited. • Be careful not to give an impression to the pupils that you are assessing each other • The planning, teaching, evaluation cycle

18. Start with initial feedback from driver • Review pupils’ learning based on achievement of learning outcomes • The navigator’s feedback on agreed areas • Positive feedback should may also touch upon other aspects of the lesson, outside of the agreed focus for evaluation. • Refer to standards

19. Next • Roll out across other subject areas • Involvement of mentors in modelling the navigator’s role – training implications

20. Review • Aim: outline of partnership guidance to paired placements … • … in particular the driver-navigator model • Applicable to other phases of ITE and subject areas

21. References • Menendez, J. and Oulton, C. (2007), Report on TDA’s Pilot Multiple Placement in Mathematics and Science 2007: Accessed on 16/2/09 at http://www.ttrb.ac.uk/attachments/707d4ade-b695-4cac-9978-4b5564183522.doc • Smith, J.D.N. (2004), Developing Paired Teaching Placements, in Educational Action Research 12 1 pp 99-125 • Sorensen, P., Greenwood, Y., Linden, A. and Watts, R, (2004), Paired Student Placements in Partnership Schools: TDA report accessed on 16/2/09 at http://partnerships.ttrb.ac.uk/viewarticle2.aspx?contentId=11868 • Wilson, P. and Edwards, J., (2009), Paired ITE teaching placements: implications for partnership development, Proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics, Volume 29 Number 2 pp 82-87 • Wilson, P. (2010), Developing Good Practice in Initial Teacher Education using Paired Placements; available from pjwilson@marjon.ac.uk