Exploring the conceptual challenges of sequencing and medium term planning for ITE students

1. Exploring the conceptual challenges of sequencing and medium term planning for ITE students Ian Davison Gemma Collins

2. Overview • Rationale • Trying the medium term planning task • Coasts and Limestone landscapes • Results from trainees and mentors (and you?) • Variations about consensus sequences • Window into conceptual understanding? • Next steps • Improved focus and refined tasks • Your involvement?

3. Rationale To create Sequencing and Medium Term Planning tasks that • Are conceptually challenging for ITE trainees • Demonstrate improvements and difficulties • Can be assessed consistently i.e. mentors agree on which answers are better than others • Provide a window into (trainee) teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge

4. Trying the medium term planning task • Please try the exercise on your own! • Both exercises are for Y8 • We’ve taken learning objectives from QCA schemes of work

5. Sequence results – Coasts - Trainees Physical (I, B, O, C, A & E)  Maps (F, M & K) Human (N, D, L, H, G & J)

6. Sequence results – Coasts - Mentors Similar pattern, but note N & G!

7. Sequence results – Limestone - - Trainees Similar pattern to before!

8. Spot the difference ….

9. Sequence results – Limestone Mentors Highlighted LOs: 17% trainees, 7% mentors

10. Your thoughts?Are some sequences WRONG?

11. But what were they thinking?

12. Medium term planning results • Over to you, Gemma!

13. Thematic Coding of Responses Responses to three questions were coded: • Explain the key reasons for your choice of sequence. • What do you think is likely to be the biggest conceptual challenge for pupils? • Do you think it is useful for ITE trainees and NQT teachers to be able to do medium term planning tasks like this?

14. Five broad themes emerged from all three questions… • Theme 1: That there are reasons for necessary sequencing in medium term planning – x before y • Theme 2: That medium term planning is about progression • Theme 3: That medium term planning requires subject knowledge • Theme 4: That medium term planning is about the learner • Theme 5: That medium term planning is about the teacher’s pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)

15. From data analysis so far… a brief insight into conceptual understanding • Some responses seem to demonstrate reasonably superficial understanding behind sequencing and the conceptual challenge for learners… • Some broad themes present (progression and necessary sequencing) but not articulated in much depth “I tried to think of the skills they would need to develop to complete some of the tasks. They need to understand how landforms are created before explaining how they form.”

16. From data analysis so far… a brief insight into conceptual understanding • Some responses focus on one main theme and seem to demonstrate a reasonably developed rationale… • Logical pattern for the teacher? Or for the learner? “I have not ever taught this topic – so looked at it from a ‘physical’ geography perspective e.g. rivers, and tried to follow a logical pattern.”

17. From data analysis so far… a brief insight into conceptual understanding • Some responses synthesis a range of themes to present reasonably sophisticated thinking about the conceptual challenges faced by learners… “Partly my reason for the choice was that I have followed a similar sequence when teaching [coasts] to Y8 and it is ordered this way in the GCSE textbook with rock types and weathering & coastal processes first. I put A after O and I because I think you need an understanding of weathering and erosion key words to explain landform development well. I put D (guided walk) in the middle because I think it will cement knowledge of landforms and map work and then aid work on land use and importance of coastal protection.”

18. Your thoughts?Can this sort of exercise provide a window into (trainee) teachers’ conceptual thinking?

19. Our bigger, better study! • Tighter learning objectives so more indication as to where they ‘should’ be in the sequence • Design so that ‘Good’ sequences require PCK not just CK • Possibly include scenarios that experienced Geography teachers know impact on sequence • Involves you?