Plenaries

1. Plenaries Aims: To investigate the worth of Plenaries To reflect on our own practise To share examples and experience

2. To start …. Reflect on the plenaries you have used in the last week Share the one you think was the most effective with your neighbour

3. Why do we use Plenaries? In Pairs can you come up with three reasons why we should have a plenary in our lessons

4. Current Research • Plenaries provide an opportunity to draw together, summarise and direct learning, so that students focus on what is important, what they have learned, the progress they have made and their next steps. • Plenaries can also take place during the lesson but good practice suggests they should always feature at the end. • One aspect of the plenary is “bridging”; this is where the teacher makes a link between learning in a lesson and learning in another lesson, or to the everyday real world. This helps students transfer what they have learned.

5. What makes a good plenary ?Any suggestions? • Students are actively engaged • Students are given opportunities to extend and deepen their learning • They are required to reflect on what they have learned, how they have learned and to articulate it. • Students are directed to the next phase of learning. • The teacher rounds off and summarises the lesson, assessing what has been achieved in order to inform planning for future lessons.

6. Plenaries can …. • Enable teachers to review the objectives of the lesson and see what a task or activity has achieved. • Allow teachers to assess the progress of individuals and the group in order to plan for the next lesson. • Give teachers an opportunity to recognise and praise the achievements of individuals and the whole class. • Stimulate interest about the next phase of learning.

7. For students, plenaries can … • Help them remember what they have learned • Clarify their thoughts • Allow them to understand the “big picture” • Help them gain a sense of achievement • Help them understand the progress they have made and to set personal targets. • Enable them to develop a language for discussing thinking and learning and get into the habit of reflecting on their learning.

8. Planning Plenaries • Things to consider:- • What are the key learning points you want to focus on ? • How will it link with learning objectives ? • How long will you need ? • What activity could you use ?

9. Plenary 1 • Identify one thing that you have found useful.

10. Plenary 2 • Identify one example you will trial and when?

11. Have you used these plenaries ? • 3 things you have learned today • True or false quiz • Odd one Out • Post-its – skills, questions, knowledge • Traffic lights • Whole class questioning • Who wants to be a millionaire • Dominoes – matching definitions/statements

12. Aims of the Session • To be aware of current research. • To understand the main features of effective plenaries. • To look at examples of good plenaries and exchange ideas. • To reflect on the possibilities for our own practice.

13. Planning Plenaries • Think about the whole-class teaching skills you might use :- • Questioning & discussing • Consolidating & embedding • Summarising & reminding • Reflecting & evaluating

14. Current Research Debriefing is a very important part of a plenary as it encourages students to explore and extend their learning. Fisher gave 3 main intentions for the debrief: 1. Students are asked to give answers and explain how they arrived at them and what skills they used. 2. In the process of explaining, students have to develop and use appropriate language. 3. Students can be encouraged to see how these skills and processes can be used in other areas.

15. What makes a good plenary ? • Plenaries work better when they are planned – rather than just spontaneous episodes ! • They should link to the objectives of the lesson, the outcomes and the success criteria.