This week the best lessons showed
some really excellent practice; with students being stretched and
challenged. The following key
ingredients were witnessed in all classes where students were learning most
successfully:
- § The teacher was very well organised and the lesson was thoughtfully planned.
- § Classroom routines were well established with high expectations and students understood what was expected of them.
- § There were positive relationships between the teacher and the class.
- § Tasks and activities were well matched to the students’ learning.
- § The students were being challenged to think and learn.
- § The teacher had planned thoughtfully how to assess how well the students were doing.
What is clear is that where
routines and high expectations are not well established students were less well
focussed and the learning was hampered by some low level disruption. This even happened where tasks were well
thought through and were matched to students’ abilities. It is important that:
- § Colleagues ensure that bags are put on the floor, or stored in appropriate spaces.
- § Colleagues insist on silence when they are presenting to their groups.
- § Teachers review seating plans if behaviour is not where they want it to be.
- § Teachers direct the TA’s in their lessons.
There are lots of tools and
tricks we can use to constantly assess how students are doing. However, as I have suggested above, it is
best to use these regularly and build them into classroom routines and this can
take time. For example, if you are going
to insist on no hands questioning, you will have to persevere with this until
it becomes habit both for you and your students. Initially they will continue to put their
hands up and you will have to constantly reinforce your standards until it
becomes second nature. Some suggestions
to help develop strategies for minute by minute assessment are:
- § Use lollipop sticks to randomize who answers a question (this could be an electronic version).
- § Use mini white boards to see pupils thinking.
- § Use the traffic light cards in planners to see who gets it – totally, a bit or not at all.
- § Ask students to nominate the next person to answer a question.
- § Ask a student to repeat or build on what the previous person said.
- § Chose a student to summarize the main learning from the lesson (just let them know they will be doing this at the start).
Finally, thank you for all your
hard work. I know it is close to the end
of the year and we are still all working really hard. But it is this relentless drive to be the
best we can be that means our students do get a ‘good deal’ from us.
We are what we repeatedly
do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act
but a habit. Aristotle
