A work in progress Going to scale with Small Class Teaching:

1. 1 A work in progress? Going to scale with Small Class Teaching: Professor Maurice Galton Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge mg266@cam.ac.uk

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3. 3 Some implications of this finding The figure for the average % observation when no pupil was in focus was 73% (class) and 12% (group) During this time (85% of the lesson) pupils were either Listening to the teacher talk or watching him/her demonstrate Singing a song or reciting a poem/story/ writing on the board in unison Working on a task while teacher monitors activity In a 35 minute period, there is a maximum of 5.25 minutes to give individual attention ( either alone in a group or as part of the class). With 20 pupils this gives a maximum of 15.75 seconds. With 40 the figure is halved (7.9 sec).

4. 4 And in 2010/11 The figure for teaching when no pupil is in the focus of the teacher now averages around 65% Most of the increase is due to: More group and pair working Improved questioning during whole class Still work to do on feedback designed to help pupils work out for themselves where they went wrong as opposed to being told their errors.

5. 5 Where have I been ? To 5 week course sessions To support sessions back in school To course evaluations To learning circles To class lessons To talk to course managers, school principals & staff

6. 6 A Partial & Personal View These visits are a small fraction of the total activity. Other evidence exists, most importantly, teacher evaluations. There is also the feedback from schools and of support staff from EDB. By sharing we can create a �bigger picture�.

7. 7 Some observations Teachers I have talked to have been very positive about the courses they have attended, the support back at school, the overseas trips and the importance of learning circles. I have some concerns The variation in the leadership of learning circles across schools. The overall balance of the 5 week courses.

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9. 9 Six Principles

10. 10 Justification for the Six Principles Empirical: John Hattie�s meta analysis of numerous studies shows that following these principles results in considerable gains in attainment, improved motivation and attitudes. Theories of learning (particularly social constructivist ones) predict many of these empirical findings, particularly the idea that �talk drives learning�.

11. 11 The meaning of pedagogy The SCIENCE of the ART of teaching As a science: the ideas or principles that underpin how students learn. As an art: the capacity to adapt these principles so that they work in practice. In the classroom few situations are alike so teachers learn these skills through experience and by sharing craft knowledge. Gage , N.(1978) The Scientific Basis for the Art if Teaching, New York: Teachers College Press

12. 12 Using the 6 Principles As a scaffold or framework Not as a straightjacket

13. 13 Some reflections on the use of groups Many group activities are not sufficiently challenging to be worthwhile and tasks could be better done in pairs or individually. Little use is made of �spontaneous grouping� (e.g. asking pupils to discuss a question with their neighbours). Teachers often neglect to de-brief class on how well they worked in their group and set targets for improving next time. Part of the difficulty is lack of time. If group work is to become a regular feature of lessons, can the 35 minute period be sustained?

14. 14 Some reflections on the use of class discussion Too little exploration of pupils� ideas before beginning instruction (e.g. teacher demonstrated that weight is judged by the feel rather than the size of an object but could have given pupils the objects and asked them to rank them in weight and then discussed how they did it) Too short thinking (wait) times between asking a question and soliciting a response Reluctance to depart from text to make the enquiry more meaningful to encourage greater participation Again, considerations of time are often given by teachers for limiting extended discussion, hence reinforcing the need to explore the length of a typical lesson.

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16. 16 What School Principals can do to help The 5 week courses on SCT are designed primarily to improve pedagogy. School Principals can encourage teachers who are confident in their knowledge and practice to take part in them. These teachers can then act as change agents back in school. During the post-course follow up period when teachers plan with their tutor a sequence of lessons, ensure that the plan incorporates aspects of SCT as well as covering ways in which the subject knowledge is to be transmitted. Encourage staff to formulate a set of questions based loosely on the six principles. These can be used as part of the evaluation/reflection process.

17. 17 Some key questions about extended class discussion How many pupils generally participated? Were thinking times sufficient? Did the pupils� responses indicate that more than simple recall was taking place? Did the teacher�s responses help to extend discussion?

18. 18 Key questions about increased cooperation between pupils Was adequate time allowed? Did the task allow most of the pupils to actively participate for most of the time? Did pupils need reminding about the rules (e.g. taking turns, listening carefully etc.)? Did the class have a chance to discuss how well they worked as a group/pair?

19. 19 Some key questions aboutactive pupil participation As far as possible was the task situated in a context which was meaningful for the pupils? Was there some initial exploration of the pupils� ideas before activity began? Was the task sufficiently motivating? Did pupils demonstrate understanding by reaching reasonable conclusions?

20. 20 Key questions in the use of the assessment for learning approach Were the forms of classroom organisation sufficiently flexible to allow groups of pupils with similar learning needs to come together? Was much of the formative assessment based on what pupils said and did rather than what they wrote? Does the teacher build these oral assessments into a pupil profile?

21. 21 Key questions about balance between corrective and informing feedback Did teacher praise effort as well as success? Did teacher�s questions help pupils to spot where they went wrong or how they could improve their work? When correcting a piece of work, did the teacher get the pupil to show how s/he arrived at the answer?

22. 22 Learning Circles Learning Circles have been a big success (both within school and between schools). There are some improvements to make them even more effective.

23. 23 Communities of Practice Schools in Hong Kong have not, until recently, been organised as professional learning organisations� This is important because the organisation of schools as a professional learning community is a key design feature of successful, effective, sustainable innovations. Schools organised as Professional Learning Communities are characterised by distributed forms of instructional leadership the codification and dissemination of expert teacher knowledge appropriate forms of PD that support deep, authentic and continuous professional learning and capacity building widespread participation in rich professional conversations institutionalised professional norms reflective pedagogical practice across the school

24. 24 Factors promoting successful professional learning communities

25. 25 ROLE OF THE LEARNING CIRCLE COORDINATOR Some teachers have been chosen to organise and manage the between schools� learning circles. These teachers may not get sufficient training for the task. They tend to concentrate on subject matter issues and not relate this to generic teaching approaches. They might lack the organisational and social skills. Subject leaders usually run within school circles Many have not attended the 5-week courses so the emphasis is again on subject matter issues.

26. 26 The balance in reflective discussions Because the learning circles are generally subject based, the planning stage usually concentrates on subject matter issues (What is it pupils should learn? What are the likely misconceptions etc.). This is understandable but at the evaluation stage much of the discussion continues to concentrate on similar issues. In the sessions I saw, comments tend to divide as follows: Craft knowledge issues (�You spent too little time on the introduction, You shouldn�t have handed out the apparatus until you explained the activity� etc.) About 60% of comments were of this kind. Subject matter issues (Moving all ten units into the ten�s column confused them. Some thought it represented 100). About 30% of all comments SCT issues (the discussion would have involved more of the class if you had asked what they (the pupils) felt rather than asking what the boy in the story felt) About 10% of all comments

27. 27 What School Principals can do to help Too great a concentration on craft knowledge can be unhelpful in that because it is contextual, it is often contradictory. The teacher finds it difficult to decide which bits of advice to use. Pick teachers who are open to change to participate. Discuss regularly with coordinators concerning the management of learning circles (both the organisation and personality problems, etc). Help coordinators to scaffold the discussions by drawing up a list of possible key question, etc. Make certain the 6 key principles are being used as a guide only and not too rigidly imposed.

28. 28 Learning

29. 29 Leadership and Learning School Principals responses varied Some provided extra time for planning & reflection. Some used flexible time-tabling to give several classes with same year group. Some varied the size of classes according to subject/ pupil ability. Some brought back retired teachers as cover. But some said nothing could be done without more resources so teachers had to surrender their non teaching time to participate.

30. 30 Leaders as learners The most notable trait of great leaders, certainly of great change leaders, is their quest for learning. They show an exceptional willingness to push themselves out of their own comfort zones, even after they have achieved a great deal. They continue to take risks, even when there is no obvious reason for them to do so. And they are open to people and ideas even at a time in life when they might reasonably think�because of their success�that they know everything. (Hesselbein, et al., 1996, p. 78)

31. 31 Leadership studies School leaders improve teaching and learning indirectly and most powerfully through their influence on staff motivation, commitment and working conditions School leadership has a greater influence on schools and students when it is widely distributed Collaborative patterns beyond the school strengthen the quality of learning and teaching (Leithwood, 2006, Mulford, 2003, Carmichael, 2006)

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33. 33 5 Key Principles A focus on learning: learning at the heart of all we do Conditions for learning: attending to conditions which optimise learning Creating a dialogue about learning and leadership Sharing leadership Sharing a sense of accountability As an associate of LfL I have had wonderful opportunities to engage with a range of projects and to work alongside the academics distilling the knowledge gained. One huge project was the 3 year Carpe Vitam project involving schools in 8 countries. The wisdom emanating from this work has been a set of five key principles. Just a model but I find it really useful and trust you will tooAs an associate of LfL I have had wonderful opportunities to engage with a range of projects and to work alongside the academics distilling the knowledge gained. One huge project was the 3 year Carpe Vitam project involving schools in 8 countries. The wisdom emanating from this work has been a set of five key principles. Just a model but I find it really useful and trust you will too

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35. 35 Professor Michael Fullan�s advice �It�s no use waiting for the [educational] world to become a reasonable one: It never will. The question we need to ask ourselves is what is it possible to do in an unreasonable world?� Michael Fullan & Andy Hargreaves (1991) What�s worth fighting for in your school? Buckingham: Open University Press.

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37. 37 A Desired Outcome? Go to the people Live among them Start with what they know And when the deed is done The mission accomplished Of the best leaders The people will say We did it Ourselves

38. 38 With those sitting near you Share your experience & expertise