Banishing quiet classrooms: pupils talking teachers listening teachers talking across phases Tim Nelson and Julie Roberts Gateshead LA
Jan 01, 2016
Banishing quiet classrooms:pupils talking teachers listeningteachers talking across phases
Tim Nelson and Julie Roberts
Gateshead LA
What the workshop intends to do …• Show how to develop pupil voice so
that as learners pass through the system, their voice is not lost.
• They do not become passive. • Discuss developing dialogue to give
them the skills they need to be involved in learning.
The cross-phase action research project
• Used AfL as the focus but then narrowed this down to investigate the use of dialogue within the
classroomand its impact on pupil learning
• To look at developing a commonality of approaches
The cross-phase action research project
• National Strategy funded pilot• Started in January 2007• Involves one secondary and five of
its primary feeder schools• Set up 2 networks : Head teachers
» Teachers• Each network met at least twice a
term.• Builds on work already going on in the LA
Project outcomes: Pupils talking teachers listening
• Pupils’ improvement in the quality of discussion, extended answers and pupils ability to build on
each others answers• Improvement in the quality of written work• More pupils participating (particularly
secondary)• Pupils talk in depth with confidence in the
primary school• Pupils in Year 7 need support to talk in the
same depth with a new set of people
I hope we will discuss our learning when we move to our next school. It would
be sad if we didn’t because we share ideas and that helps us to see
where we need to improve so we just get better and
better.
Project outcomes:Teachers talking cross phase
• Teachers in triads benefited from working closely to share ideas and information
• They observed how different strategies opened up dialogue in the classroom
• The project had provided a focussed opportunity to develop links with primary colleagues
• Good relationships are being established• Teacher observations had raised
expectations about what pupils were capable of achieving.
Students’ movement from one school to the next, and the impact on their learning, has been a concern for many years.
Ruth Sutton
‘Cross phase collaboration between teachers and
partnerships between schools are difficult concepts to put into action. Primary and
secondary education phases are separate rather than a continuum,
with a different initial training, teaching methods
and support network.’
(Martin,2007)
Drive
Colgate
Roman
Road
Lingey
House
White
Mere
Heworth
PurposeTo contribute to raising attainment in English, Mathematics, Science, ICT and DT by strengthening:
•Transfer and transition between and within schools and settings particularly focussing on the continuity of learning•Use of assessment data to set learning targets for all pupils•Pupil ownership and involvement of their own learning•Parental involvement at points of transition and transfer
Developing a commonality of approaches using AfL
SC Feedback Peer and Self Assessment
Dialogue
The cross-phase action research project
• Who are involved? Primary: 3 year 5, 1 year 2
1 year 6 Secondary: English, Maths, Science, ICT & DT
• How did it work? Teachers were sub divided into cross phase
triads. Each half term organised lesson observations of all in their triad.
1st Feb
Teachers TLC
13th March
Teachers TLC
April /May
Teachers TLC
June/July
Teachers TLC
Visit each others class
within triangle
Visit each others class
within triangle
Visit each others class
within triangle
Individually identify on where your class is and
where you want them to go next
Develop strategies to move the children on
Integrate strategies seen from elsewhere and continue to develop children’s skills
Compile range of evidence to show how children have developed
20th March
Headteachers TLC
April/May
Headteachers TLC
June/July
Headteachers TLC
Consultant visit before 6th March
Consultant visit Consultant visit
Principles
• Networking• Collaboration• Enquiry• External input• Leadership• Integration and management
mechanisms• Focus and purpose
Common and differences Triad 1
• *Routines linking peer and self-assessment back to success criteria;
• *talking partners, • *‘no hands’, • *looking at learning
objectives and creating success criteria.
Triad 2• wait time’ • focussed questioning• the inclusion of all
childrenTriad 3• open questioning.
Triad 1• *levels • *self-esteem issues • Triad 2• Feedback Triad 3 the use of lolly sticks • to encourage talking partners in groups teacher and pupil talk pupils giving detailed
explanations opportunities for reflection the use of success criteria self assessment and
explanations• good independent dialogue
used by pupils without the teacher
Reviewing the range of strategies used
• Insert 32 strategies here.
Commonality of principles applied
•Vocabulary•Developing some common
learning routines such as talking partners
•Developing extended answers and quality dialogue
Talking Partners
Randometer
Wait timeAsk a friend -
millionaire
Pounce, bounce, bounce
No hands up
Outcomes: Pupil voice and personalised learning
1. Developed talk in learning through on going conversation at different levels
• Learner with learner• Teacher to learner• Learner to teacher• Teacher with teacher
Outcomes: Pupil voice and personalised learning2. Focused upon anomalies in learning practice
and disjointed structure of pupils’ learning journey;
3. Talk between pupils and their teachers helped to personalise learning;
4. Talk between teachers helped to develop commonality of AfL principles and vocabulary;
5. Learners became more confident;6. Improved the quality of work and learning;7. Aroused interest and engaged pupils far more
in their learning and for longer.
Headteacher outcomes• Primary school headteachers’ felt that the project
was going well and had raised the profile of AfL, although an emerging issue was the difficulty of embedding AfL across a school.
• One school used a teacher involved in the project by encouraging other staff to observe the successful strategies in practice and to observe their impact on pupils.
• All agreed that the project was timely.• The focus on questioning and dialogue fitted in
with other key messages on developing speaking and listening.
• Project had highlighted for some schools the need to further develop dialogue.
What is still to come?
• Expanded to include 8 Primary feeder schools • Continue to focus on developing pupil dialogue
in the classrooms• Teacher observations will continue this term• Develop strategies for feedback, peer and self
assessment• Build the work into structures within schools/
departments• Lesser experienced/ ‘harder to move’ staff could
perhaps be invited into the project as a method of implementing more effective CPD
• Including a focus of the impact of the work on ‘vulnerable students’ in the transfer process.
• Exploring parental involvement
‘It now takes a bit more time to get something, whereas in the past it
had taken no time to get nothing.’
Gary Secondary