“Suffolk ranked a lowly 124th out of 152 local authorities in average points scored per pupil at GCSE or equivalent level, while an average of only 48.7% of

pupils were awarded at least five A* to C grades including English and Maths.”

Evening Star 13/01/10

Shift happens…

www.wordle.net

To explore the meaning of outstanding teaching.

To consider different perspectives on, and consider the elements of, best practice.

To draw upon your own experiences in school to illustrate the above.

Question

Processes

Benefits

How can I help my department plan and execute ‘outstanding’ lessons?

• • •

• • •

LEADERSHIPThe leader always sets the trait for others to follow.

Leading your department toward outstanding lessons

Research on Curriculum and Teaching

(Hopkins, 2003)

There are a number of well-developed models of teaching and curriculum that generate substantially higher levels of student learning than does normative practice.

Importantly, the most effective models of teaching are also models of learning that increase the intellectual capacity of all students.

These models achieve their power through the thorough integration of teaching strategy with curriculum content and assessment for Learning (AfL) principles.

The most effective curricular teaching patterns induce students to construct knowledge – to inquire into subject areas intensively. The result is to increase student capacity to learn and work smarter.

Objectivist(lesson ceiling: ’good’)

Constructivist(lesson ceiling: ‘outstanding’)

Teacher as all-knowing oracle.

Teacher as organiser, and but one source of

information.Learning is teacher-

centred, didactic, with carefully-guided activities

to support learning.

Learning processes are student-centred and

involve individual AND activities.

Teacher generated questions are used to elicit understanding.

Students construct their own learning questions.

Lesson-design rests with the teacher and correct

conclusions mark success.

Students are co-designers of the learning episode and

the attendant success criteria.

Objectivist(lesson ceiling: ’good’)

Constructivist(lesson ceiling: ‘outstanding’)

Learning consists of stimulus –response

relationship, and is passive in nature.

Learning is an active process.

Learning involves ‘filling empty vessels’ and ensuring retention.

Learning is a process of ‘fire-lighting’ and

connection- and sense-making.

Effective learning stems from efficient transfers of

information.

Effective learning arises from open-ended,

challenging problem-solving exercises.

Intelligence is fixed. Intelligence is created.(based on Paul Adams, 2003)

Are students encouraged to be active, creative, connection -making learners when:

About two-thirds of the talk in classrooms is done by the teacher?

About two-thirds of teacher talk is organisation-controlling talk?

Only about 1% of students ask questions?

1% of these students’ verbal contributions take the form of questions?

(Peter Hill & Jim Dillon)

1. Start with a hook

2. Individualise the learning

3. Teach the whole brain and go multisensory

4. Model the learning process

5. Vary the pace

6. Develop strong collaborative learning skills in pupils

7. Question for depth of understanding not coverage

8. Include elements of creative enquiry

9. Involve metacognitive processes

10.Frequently review

Cartoon / Photograph – ask questions or ask the students come up with questions.

What could the picture be telling

me?

What does the picture not tell me?

What does the picture make me

think about?

Could this have anything to do with

what I’ve been learning before?

Linguistically, what do these pictures all have in common?

“We were iPods long before they invented the computer.”

“I sure hope they keep the traffic off the marathon trail. “

http://ideaphotos.com/Pictures-Photographs-Pics/Funny-Humor-Comedy.html

To under stand how

connect (shhh) ons can

be made for top

end gr(ey) des

This is more than just addressing ‘Learning Styles’.

Think of some famous people – how would they have liked to be taught?

The Five Components of Personalised Learning (Hopkins, 2003)

Assessment for LearningTeaching and Learning and ICT strategiesEnabling Curriculum ChoiceOrganising the school for personalised learningEngaging with the community and beyond to develop the whole

child.

QUICK & EASY

• True/False

• 20 questions to which the answer is Yes/No

• Thumbometer

• Learning Grids –”What I know”, “What I need to know”, “What I have learnt”.

• Verbal Tennis (Teacher’s Toolkit)

BIT MORE TIME NEEDED (for resources)

• Games such as: Taboo/ Pictionary/ Dominoes /Millionaire/ Blockbusters / card sorts (rectangles and triangles)

GREATER PREPARATION AND PLANNING REQUIRED

• Peer and Self assessment (students require training, success criteria and model answers)

• Assignments using success criteria & written feedback

Challenge Wall

An wall area of the classroom is set aside for tasks of varying levels (e. g. hard, medium difficulty

and easy). On completion of the learning activity set by the teacher, pupils are directed to visit the

‘Challenge Wall’ and choose a task at a higher challenge level.

This is something that can be built up over time.

We Learn:

10% of what we read

20% of what we hear

30% of what we see

50% of what we see and hear

70% of what we discuss with others

80% of what we experience for ourselves

95 % of what we teach

Give the big picture first (R) and then break down into chunks (L)

Draw a diagram (R) from a description (L)

Visualise the desired outcome (R) and then describe orally to another pupil (L)

Mind Mapping(L + R)

Chant using rhyme, rhythm, rap (R) to convey information (L)

Brain Gym(L + R)

EXAMPLESThese are all very well but ……..

It is as, if not more, important to provide intellectual challenge, and conceptual connectivity.

“There is, it seems, more concern about whether children learn the mechanics of reading and writing than grow to love reading and writing; learn about

democratic practice rather than have practice in democracy; hear about knowledge … rather than gain experience in personally constructing knowledge; …see

the world narrowly, simple and ordered, rather than broad, complex and uncertain.”

(Vito Perrone)

Creative Climate

Energy available for task or success.

Energy required for emotional survival.

Threatening SupportiveCooperativeNeutralAdversarial

Total energy of individual

Create an atmosphere in which the students feel

confident, are not afraid to ask questions and are not

afraid of being wrong.

Try everything. Don’t be afraid to say when you’ve

gone wrong – that’s how you can

improve.

Say, “yes, I did that wrong. I can learn from

it.”

Make the students feel special!

Think-Pair-Share -1• Students are given 5-10 seconds to think of an answer on their own• They then pair with their partner to reach a consensus on the answer• Finally the teacher asks partnerships to share their agreed answer with the team/class.

Think-Pair-Share -2• Timed –pair-share is a variation (use a timer)• Teacher sets a question, partner A responds, partner B listens then paraphrases• Swap roles• Challenge to listen rather than think about what you are going to say• Don’t allow students to interrupt or comment as it becomes a conversation with the dominant child taking over.

Numbered Heads Together - 1

• Simple easy to use structure which is effective for answering questions at all levels of difficulty.

• Each pupil on the team has a different number, which can be chosen by the students or assigned by the teacher.

• Questions are phrased so that students know their answer must include an explanation e. g. “make sure everyone on your team can explain how you arrived at the answer.”

This technique can be adapted and can be used with existing resources e. g. text or photographs in a book.

Cooperative Groups Traditional GroupsPositive Interdependence No InterdependenceHeterogeneous membership Homogenous membershipShared leadership One appointed leaderTask and relationships TaskSocial skills taught Social skills assumed or

ignored Individual accountability to group

Individual accountability to self

Teacher monitors group Teacher monitors individuals

Group processing and review

Individual processing

Evidence from around 100 studies shows that the effectiveness of co-operative learning generally depends on the team being rewarded for the successful learning of each individual member and that its effectiveness can be further enhanced if the team members are taught strategies for supporting each other’s learning.

C3 B4 ME

“Unless our students see us reflecting deeply on our own learning experiences, struggling to connect and make these

experiences meaningful, and translating these meanings into new practices in the classroom and outside of it, we can have little cause to expect them to perform these processes for us.”

Ask the pupils!WD 40 factor!

Persistence, self-reliance and self-efficacy?A preparedness to be different?Risk-taking behaviours – trying the unknown?An ability to reframe ‘failure’ as a learning outcome?A preparedness to receive and act on feedback about my

teaching?An openness about my learning weaknesses and ways around

these?

Share these with students!

“There should be brief intervals of time for quiet reflection – used to organise what has been gained in periods of activity.” (John Dewey)

“Creative inspiration often strikes when the mind is in a state of playful relaxation.” (Guy Claxton)

“Coverage is the enemy of understanding.” (Jerome Bruner)

The Tapestry of Teaching Lecture EnquiryActivity-basedResearch Independent StudyResource-based learningCo-operative learning –

Research has shown that pupils whose teachers use a ‘thinking skills’ approach can receive an intellectual boost

equal on average to over half a year’s schooling!

QUESTIONING CHANGESTeacher’s role: move from presentation to exploration of

students’ ideas, involving them in the exploration and spend more time and effort framing questions to explore issues critical to development of students’ understanding.

Student’s role: more active, realising that learning depends on readiness to express and discuss, not on spotting right answers.

Inference grids

Divide the class into groups of 4, 2 more able and 2 less able, based on KS2/3 average points score or other means.

Divide your whiteboard/page into 3 areas

What we know

What we can infer

Questions we have

What we know

Questions we have

What we have learnt

Plus Minus Interesting i.e.(Questions)

Intelligent interruptionsStudents are only allowed to interrupt the lesson if they are asking a good/difficult question!

Find good/difficult questions to askReward the individual / group that asks the best question during a lesson.

ThoughtboardsIf a student wants to make a comment ask them to write it on a post-it note rather than interrupt. These can be referred to later and kept for revision.

Use your school system for rewards and sanctions !

Task (1minute) Work with a partner or in a group of three

Have these displayed in your classroom to help students ‘get started’!

What?

Where?

When?

Why?

How?

Discuss the stimulus– what struck you as interesting, puzzling, worrying, worth thinking about?

With your partner(s), formulate one question which you think would be interesting to explore.

Write this question down to share with the rest of the group.

“If I ran a school, I’d give all the average grades to the ones who gave me the right answers, for being good parrots. I’d give the top grades to those who made lots of mistakes and told me about them and then told me what they had learned from them.”

(Buckminster Fuller, Inventor)

“Nobody ever learned anything from experience. It was the reflection on the experience that taught him something.”

(Neville West)

What kind of thinking have you been doing?Did anyone say/do something that changed your thinking?What personal contribution to your group’s thinking are you

most pleased about?What did you like/dislike, find easy/difficult about this task?What skills supported the completion of this task?What would help your group do such a task even better next

time?

Card sorts / memory games etc – How did you sort the cards?Why did you do it this way?How did this method help you?Did anyone do this a different way?How will this help you next time?

Referring to learning objectives clarifies learningConscious and active reflection on the thinking processes that

have been involved helps embed learning and create independent learners.

Reviewing the learning forces the learning to be clarified For both teacher and students the realisation that ‘the

answer’ does not lie in the teacher’s head can come as a shock!

May take teachers into territory where they feel uncomfortable.

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We are

what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.”

(Aristotle)