• Ongoing work in triads
• New focus for Jan / change triads?
• Gallery week review
• Next issue of ‘Innovate’
• AOB
Present: CF, JL, JT, EL, DS, ES, DS, EC, CH, MG
Apologies: SN
• Triads: struggling to meet up in weeks in between, use both meetings.
Positives: CF developed independent learning techniques at start of lessons with warm up KS3, mixed ability, develops leadership.
Yr 10 GCSE group work to develop independence and teach group – systematic approach to embed new skills.
JT – learning objectives, thinking about language of learning in the classroom so students understand the ‘process’ as well as the ‘outcome’. Developing independence with Year 7
EL – how will I know when I know? HWIKWIK!! Used to support student understanding of learning. Traffic lights to self assess knowledge.
• Gallery weeks – videos instead of using free periods
• JT innovative ideas using puppets to engage and structure
• New Year triad focus – change up triad groupings into teachers with same groups – focus: imaginative teaching strategies from new Ofsted framework
• Innovate magazine – next term focus on REVISION so staff will find articles useful during exam period.
Thursday 1 December 2011
Tuesday 18 October 2011
18th Oct: first feedback from triads...!
There has been some fantastic work going on with the TELL group triads over the past few weeks...
Jennie, Caroline and Emma have been focusing on using role play to enhance understanding and engagment in topics. Jennie has found this particularly useful with her top set year 10 and is happy for people to visit her lessons during the gallery week next half term (TBC!). Caroline has been developing independence with her theory groups, trying to encourage students to take responsibility for their folder work. Emma has used 'expert groupings' to encourage ownership of the content in her Year 10 group. Good work!
Louise, John and Elizabeth have developed a Wiki link on our school moodle site that explores their focus on resilience and independence in the 6th form. They made the crucial point that these learning habits and behaviours needs to be reinforced constantly if students are to progress in their resilience and independence. Look out for more updates on their work on moodle! (Staffroom, TELL area).
Jonny and myself focused on taking risks (and questioned why we always associate this with behaviour matters and not necessarily academic challenges or risks). Jonny is taking a risk with an observed lesson where the students come up with the lesson objective themselves...let us know how it goes!!
Sally has worked on different types of learning and Dan has focused on using role play to enhance students' understanding. With the different types of learning, Sally has looked at learning as self-discovery and learning as a community using student blogs to faciliate independent learning with her year 13 class. Dan has produced a great video that demonstrates how he used role play to encourage students to understand different weather systems - a great success and the students evidently loved the lesson! See below for video.
The work this half term has been fantastic, we're looking forward to popping into each others' lessons for new ideas in our gallery week next half term!
Jennie, Caroline and Emma have been focusing on using role play to enhance understanding and engagment in topics. Jennie has found this particularly useful with her top set year 10 and is happy for people to visit her lessons during the gallery week next half term (TBC!). Caroline has been developing independence with her theory groups, trying to encourage students to take responsibility for their folder work. Emma has used 'expert groupings' to encourage ownership of the content in her Year 10 group. Good work!
Louise, John and Elizabeth have developed a Wiki link on our school moodle site that explores their focus on resilience and independence in the 6th form. They made the crucial point that these learning habits and behaviours needs to be reinforced constantly if students are to progress in their resilience and independence. Look out for more updates on their work on moodle! (Staffroom, TELL area).
Jonny and myself focused on taking risks (and questioned why we always associate this with behaviour matters and not necessarily academic challenges or risks). Jonny is taking a risk with an observed lesson where the students come up with the lesson objective themselves...let us know how it goes!!
Sally has worked on different types of learning and Dan has focused on using role play to enhance students' understanding. With the different types of learning, Sally has looked at learning as self-discovery and learning as a community using student blogs to faciliate independent learning with her year 13 class. Dan has produced a great video that demonstrates how he used role play to encourage students to understand different weather systems - a great success and the students evidently loved the lesson! See below for video.
The work this half term has been fantastic, we're looking forward to popping into each others' lessons for new ideas in our gallery week next half term!
Friday 14 October 2011
TELL group project: self evaluation triads
At the start of the new term, we met as a group and evaluated our own practise according to areas below:
Aspects of teaching and learning in my classroom... Typical? Occasional? Rare?
Learners create their own hypotheses, ask their own questions, and experiment with ideas for taking risks.
Learners coach one another, set goals for themselves and monitor their progress.
Assessment is both formative and summative and supports learning: learners monitor their progress and, with their teachers, identify their next steps.
Teachers and learners know what the highest standards of work look like and how to get there.
Sufficient time is always given for learners’ reflection.
Whether individually or in pairs, learners review what they have learnt and how they have learnt it. Their evaluations contribute to their understanding.
Learners know their levels of achievement and make progress towards their goals.
Learning objectives and success criteria are shared.
Questions are differentiated/frequently higher order and open, with ‘waiting time’ used to encourage reflection.
Teachers and learners recognise that mistakes and ‘being stuck’ are part of learning.
Learning follows the plan, do, review structure.
Role-play is used to enrich and contextualise learning material.
Investigative and problem solving skills are widely used to develop independent learning.
Learners are given choice in how to approach , complete or produce work for tasks.
Opportunity to work through tasks with no correct answer/more than one correct answer are provided.
Time restricted activities are used to create pace throughout the lesson—no time is wasted.
A variety of methods are used to approach tasks e.g. pair work, group work, students teaching each other through presentations etc.
Learners are enthused, engaged and motivated by the exciting activities.
Pupils demonstrate resilience, confidence and independence when tackling challenging activities.
Pupils’ understanding is regularly checked throughout the lesson, with the teacher stepping in where clarification is needed, having significant impact on the quality of learning.
Aspects of teaching and learning in my classroom... Typical? Occasional? Rare?
Learners create their own hypotheses, ask their own questions, and experiment with ideas for taking risks.
Learners coach one another, set goals for themselves and monitor their progress.
Assessment is both formative and summative and supports learning: learners monitor their progress and, with their teachers, identify their next steps.
Teachers and learners know what the highest standards of work look like and how to get there.
Sufficient time is always given for learners’ reflection.
Whether individually or in pairs, learners review what they have learnt and how they have learnt it. Their evaluations contribute to their understanding.
Learners know their levels of achievement and make progress towards their goals.
Learning objectives and success criteria are shared.
Questions are differentiated/frequently higher order and open, with ‘waiting time’ used to encourage reflection.
Teachers and learners recognise that mistakes and ‘being stuck’ are part of learning.
Learning follows the plan, do, review structure.
Role-play is used to enrich and contextualise learning material.
Investigative and problem solving skills are widely used to develop independent learning.
Learners are given choice in how to approach , complete or produce work for tasks.
Opportunity to work through tasks with no correct answer/more than one correct answer are provided.
Time restricted activities are used to create pace throughout the lesson—no time is wasted.
A variety of methods are used to approach tasks e.g. pair work, group work, students teaching each other through presentations etc.
Learners are enthused, engaged and motivated by the exciting activities.
Pupils demonstrate resilience, confidence and independence when tackling challenging activities.
Pupils’ understanding is regularly checked throughout the lesson, with the teacher stepping in where clarification is needed, having significant impact on the quality of learning.
Monday 4 July 2011
TELL group project: resilience
Since our last meeting, we have been trialling some techniques to promote resilience and ultimately independent learning in our classrooms. Some kindly teachers have volunteered to video examples of this in their lessons, which feature below. Many thanks to Dan Spencer, John Shepherd and Louise Sullivan for offering to video lessons :-)
John Shepherd: structuring indepedent and resilient skills needed in preparation for controlled assessments at GCSE
Dan Spencer: supporting indepedent group work and team building skills
Year 9 top set Geography The lesson was based around team work, communication and, planning and leadership skills. The idea was based upon the Japanese car firm, Toyota and how they work together on production lines effectively. Their model is now used all across the world as it is so effective. To start with we looked at a news article which showed how fast and effective the Japanese were at repairing a road, ripped up by the earthquake and we talked about what skills and resources were needed to fix the road in just 6 days. The outline of the lesson was to produce a variety of cars based upon the production orders. We went through the instruction or how the cars needed to be built. The students only had 2 pairs of scissors, 1 glue stick and 3 colours between 4 of them. They were given 1 minute to decide how they were going to best do the task and then I set them off on their task.
To start with production was slow and they didn’t fully start working in a team, until they found their rhythm and talked to each other effectively, outlining who was doing what etc. In placing the cards in the board students could see how well they were doing against the other teams. This also added the competitive edge to the task. The group that worked most effectively all had singular roles and talked to one another about what they were doing at each stage, which meant that they won the task. To finish we used the reflection sheets to highlight the skills they had developed in the lesson as a group. They highlighted the skills they thought they had learnt and then provided an example. This was effective as they could then see what skill they had learnt as well as being independent and reflective in their practice. We also had a brief class discussion on what went wrong with their task and how it could be improved. The group was then split and they were asked individually what they had learnt (using the reflection sheets) and to provide an example. This worked effectively as it showed students what skills they had learnt as a group and individually from the lesson, but also helped them become better independent learners. Louise Sullivan - using the '4 Bs' Louise has been trialling the use of the '4 bs' in lessons to support and structure resilient behaviour in students - see videos below!
Friday 11 February 2011
Monday 24 January 2011
Asking questions
Asking questions is fundamental to helping students acquire knowledge. Ulrike Thomas looks at four key issues to consider when thinking about questioning
Earlier in the year, BBC2 aired a fascinating programme called The Classroom Experiment in which Professor Dylan Wiliam (celebrated co-author of Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment) asked a group of teachers to introduce a variety of teaching strategies designed to encourage greater student participation in lessons. Particularly interesting was the response of both teachers and students to the ‘no hands' strategy which the teachers were encouraged to use whenever their lessons involved asking questions.
Asking students to put their hands up when they want to answer a question is common practice. This tends to result in the same few students answering questions, which does a great deal for their confidence and learning, but not much for those who choose (for whatever reason) not to engage in question and answer sessions. ‘No hands' is intended to make the questioning process more inclusive, with teachers randomly selecting a student to respond. The aim is to encourage the whole class to participate and thus become more engaged in the lesson. In the classroom experiment this involved using lollipop sticks with individual names on plucked randomly out of a pot.
As pointed out in the National Strategy document Pedagogy and Practice, Unit 7: Questioning, when a teacher introduces a strategy like ‘no hands', he or she may feel self-conscious and students may find the approach unusual. This was certainly the case in the classroom experiment where the teachers had to deal with a new type of classroom organisation and also with how to respond to replies that may not be right or students who did not want to reply. Interestingly, over the course of the term each teacher customised the ‘no hands' approach, adapting it to their own teaching style. The students too had to adapt either to the discomfort of being put into the spotlight when previously remaining hidden in the wings, or ceasing to be the centre of attention.
However, what is also important to the success of ‘no hands' is the quality of the questions and the quality of the feedback. Questioning is fundamental at a basic level to helping students acquire knowledge, or at a more advanced level to encourage higher-order thinking and problem-solving. Also, as Paul Black (2009) pointed out: ‘A pupil's answer to a question can reveal how the pupil understands the issue, and the teacher can then respond to help develop that understanding.'
So what are the key issues when thinking about questioning?
Creating the right environment
As The Classroom Experiment demonstrated, many students try to avoid answering questions for fear of getting the answer wrong and looking a failure in front of friends and teachers. The key is to have a discussion where it is explicitly stated that getting things wrong is a fundamental part of learning and where the teacher makes it clear that how a student answers a question demonstrates how much has been understood and therefore what the teacher needs to teach next. In order to facilitate a risk-taking atmosphere it is important to consider the sequencing of the questions asked, the feedback to the answers, and also to allow ‘wait time', so that students have time to think about what they want to say.
Asking effective questions
Shirley Clarke (2005) identifies several ways to create effective questions. These include using Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats. For example: ‘White hat thinking involves facts and information presented neutrally, so questions would include What information do we have? What is missing? Red hat thinking involves emotions and feelings, so questions may include: What do I feel about this?'
Bloom's taxonomy may also provide a useful starting point for thinking about different types of question. Created in 1956, the taxonomy divided educational objectives into three domains - affective, psychomotor and cognitive - and was intended to encourage educators to focus on a more holistic view of education. The cognitive domain focuses on the development of knowledge, comprehension and critical thinking. Although valuable, it is important to recognise that many of the categories created by Bloom overlap and it can therefore be difficult to classify questions neatly.
Feedback
Although the methods identified above help us to think about different types of questions, perhaps the most crucial aspect of questioning is the response to the answer and the resulting dialogue that follows. To quote Paul Black (2009) again:
‘In composing a useful response, the teacher has to interpret the thinking and the motivation that led the pupil to express the answer. It helps if the teacher first asks the pupil to explain how he or she arrived at that answer, then accepts any explanation without comment and asks others what they think. This gives value to the first answer, and draws the class into a shared exploration of the issue. In doing this the teacher changes role, from being an interviewer of pupils on a one-to-one basis to being a conductor of dialogue in which all may be involved.'
Students asking questions
Perhaps the surest sign that a ‘questioning environment' has been created is when the students feel safe and confident to ask questions of the teacher and questions of each other spontaneously in the lesson. Surely that would make any teacher's day?!
References
•Black, P (2009) ‘Looking again at Formative Assessment’, Learning and Teaching Update, Issue 30
•Black, P, and Wiliam, D (1998) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment, London: GL Assessment.
•Clarke, C (2005) Formative Assessment in the Secondary Classroom, Hodder Murray
•Pedagogy and Practice: Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools, Unit 7: Questioning
Earlier in the year, BBC2 aired a fascinating programme called The Classroom Experiment in which Professor Dylan Wiliam (celebrated co-author of Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment) asked a group of teachers to introduce a variety of teaching strategies designed to encourage greater student participation in lessons. Particularly interesting was the response of both teachers and students to the ‘no hands' strategy which the teachers were encouraged to use whenever their lessons involved asking questions.
Asking students to put their hands up when they want to answer a question is common practice. This tends to result in the same few students answering questions, which does a great deal for their confidence and learning, but not much for those who choose (for whatever reason) not to engage in question and answer sessions. ‘No hands' is intended to make the questioning process more inclusive, with teachers randomly selecting a student to respond. The aim is to encourage the whole class to participate and thus become more engaged in the lesson. In the classroom experiment this involved using lollipop sticks with individual names on plucked randomly out of a pot.
As pointed out in the National Strategy document Pedagogy and Practice, Unit 7: Questioning, when a teacher introduces a strategy like ‘no hands', he or she may feel self-conscious and students may find the approach unusual. This was certainly the case in the classroom experiment where the teachers had to deal with a new type of classroom organisation and also with how to respond to replies that may not be right or students who did not want to reply. Interestingly, over the course of the term each teacher customised the ‘no hands' approach, adapting it to their own teaching style. The students too had to adapt either to the discomfort of being put into the spotlight when previously remaining hidden in the wings, or ceasing to be the centre of attention.
However, what is also important to the success of ‘no hands' is the quality of the questions and the quality of the feedback. Questioning is fundamental at a basic level to helping students acquire knowledge, or at a more advanced level to encourage higher-order thinking and problem-solving. Also, as Paul Black (2009) pointed out: ‘A pupil's answer to a question can reveal how the pupil understands the issue, and the teacher can then respond to help develop that understanding.'
So what are the key issues when thinking about questioning?
Creating the right environment
As The Classroom Experiment demonstrated, many students try to avoid answering questions for fear of getting the answer wrong and looking a failure in front of friends and teachers. The key is to have a discussion where it is explicitly stated that getting things wrong is a fundamental part of learning and where the teacher makes it clear that how a student answers a question demonstrates how much has been understood and therefore what the teacher needs to teach next. In order to facilitate a risk-taking atmosphere it is important to consider the sequencing of the questions asked, the feedback to the answers, and also to allow ‘wait time', so that students have time to think about what they want to say.
Asking effective questions
Shirley Clarke (2005) identifies several ways to create effective questions. These include using Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats. For example: ‘White hat thinking involves facts and information presented neutrally, so questions would include What information do we have? What is missing? Red hat thinking involves emotions and feelings, so questions may include: What do I feel about this?'
Bloom's taxonomy may also provide a useful starting point for thinking about different types of question. Created in 1956, the taxonomy divided educational objectives into three domains - affective, psychomotor and cognitive - and was intended to encourage educators to focus on a more holistic view of education. The cognitive domain focuses on the development of knowledge, comprehension and critical thinking. Although valuable, it is important to recognise that many of the categories created by Bloom overlap and it can therefore be difficult to classify questions neatly.
Feedback
Although the methods identified above help us to think about different types of questions, perhaps the most crucial aspect of questioning is the response to the answer and the resulting dialogue that follows. To quote Paul Black (2009) again:
‘In composing a useful response, the teacher has to interpret the thinking and the motivation that led the pupil to express the answer. It helps if the teacher first asks the pupil to explain how he or she arrived at that answer, then accepts any explanation without comment and asks others what they think. This gives value to the first answer, and draws the class into a shared exploration of the issue. In doing this the teacher changes role, from being an interviewer of pupils on a one-to-one basis to being a conductor of dialogue in which all may be involved.'
Students asking questions
Perhaps the surest sign that a ‘questioning environment' has been created is when the students feel safe and confident to ask questions of the teacher and questions of each other spontaneously in the lesson. Surely that would make any teacher's day?!
References
•Black, P (2009) ‘Looking again at Formative Assessment’, Learning and Teaching Update, Issue 30
•Black, P, and Wiliam, D (1998) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment, London: GL Assessment.
•Clarke, C (2005) Formative Assessment in the Secondary Classroom, Hodder Murray
•Pedagogy and Practice: Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools, Unit 7: Questioning
Sunday 16 January 2011
TELL focus: pace, progression and challenge
Aspects of personalised and independent learning in my classroom... are the aspects of teaching and learning below typical, occasional or rare?
Learners create their own hypotheses, ask their own questions, and experiment with ideas for taking risks.
Learners coach one another, set goals for themselves and monitor their progress.
Assessment is both formative and summative and supports learning: learners monitor their progress and, with their teachers, identify their next steps.
Teachers and learners know what the highest standards of work look like and how to get there.
Sufficient time is always given for learners’ reflection.
Whether individually or in pairs, learners review what they have learnt and how they have learnt it. Their evaluations contribute to their understanding.
Learners know their levels of achievement and make progress towards their goals.
Learning objectives and success criteria are shared.
Questions are frequently higher order and open, with ‘waiting time’ used to encourage reflection.
Teachers and learners recognise that mistakes and ‘being stuck’ are part of learning.
Learning follows the plan, do, review structure.
Role-play is used to enrich and contextualise learning material.
Investigative and problem solving skills are widely used to develop independent learning.
Learners are given choice in how to approach , complete or produce work for tasks.
Opportunity to work through tasks with no correct answer/more than one correct answer are provided.
Time restricted activities are used to create pace throughout the lesson.
A variety of methods are used to approach tasks e.g. pair work, group work, students teaching each other through presentations etc.
Learners create their own hypotheses, ask their own questions, and experiment with ideas for taking risks.
Learners coach one another, set goals for themselves and monitor their progress.
Assessment is both formative and summative and supports learning: learners monitor their progress and, with their teachers, identify their next steps.
Teachers and learners know what the highest standards of work look like and how to get there.
Sufficient time is always given for learners’ reflection.
Whether individually or in pairs, learners review what they have learnt and how they have learnt it. Their evaluations contribute to their understanding.
Learners know their levels of achievement and make progress towards their goals.
Learning objectives and success criteria are shared.
Questions are frequently higher order and open, with ‘waiting time’ used to encourage reflection.
Teachers and learners recognise that mistakes and ‘being stuck’ are part of learning.
Learning follows the plan, do, review structure.
Role-play is used to enrich and contextualise learning material.
Investigative and problem solving skills are widely used to develop independent learning.
Learners are given choice in how to approach , complete or produce work for tasks.
Opportunity to work through tasks with no correct answer/more than one correct answer are provided.
Time restricted activities are used to create pace throughout the lesson.
A variety of methods are used to approach tasks e.g. pair work, group work, students teaching each other through presentations etc.
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