8/11/2019 Templates to Improve Teach and Learn http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/templates-to-improve-teach-and-learn 1/125 50 templates for improving teaching and learning Author Nigel Fisher Author dedication Thanks to Jakki Design and editorial Peter Langley ISBN 9780955703003 The publishers grant permission or multiple copies oany material rom this boo! to be made "ithin the place opurchase or use solely "ithin that institution# British Library in Publication Data A catalogue record o this boo! is a$ailable rom the %ritish Library# &onnect Publications Ltd# &oo!sbridge 'ouse &oo!sbridge Le"es %N8 ()* 0+,73 (0+7+( """#connectpublications#co#u! Introduction -ost recent de$elopments in educational theory and recommendations or best practice are based on "hat is oten reerred to as a constructi$ist $ie" olearning. the idea that learners construct meanings by processing inormation/ sorting it and loo!ing or connections# -any teachers "ould li!e to incorporate ideas associated "ith this approach into their lessons/ ideas such as braincompatible learning/ accelerated learning/ and ormati$e assessment/ but "here to start1 There are lots ogood boo!s containing lots ointeresting theory/ e$idence and ideas 2and the bibliography reers to many othese/ but ho" do you begin to apply these concepts1 4ur intention is to bridge the gap bet"een ideas and application# For eample/ iyou "ant to see ho" your current "or! matches up to best practice/ use the chec!lists or relecti$e teachers# 6you "ant to impro$e the eecti$eness ogroup "or!/ use the group "or! resources# And so on# ach resource is preceded by a brierationale "hich reers to the rele$ant theory or concepts on "hich it is based# This is ollo"ed by a simple eplanation or suggestion oho" to use the resource and/ "here appropriate/ a completed eample or illustration# o! to use these resources e ha$e created "hat "e hope are accessible/ useable/ changeable documents. documents "hich ha$e a clear purpose or teachers and "hich can be easily adapted to suit indi$idual/ subect and institutional contets# e ha$e tried to ma!e these resources as userriendly as possible# They ha$e been created using some othe most common onts in -icrosot ord and ormatted in a "ay that most teachers "ill ind easy to alter# e imagine that in many institutions the digital copy "ill be loaded onto the staarea othe :irtual Learning n$ironment or 6ntranet so that e$eryone "ho "ants to can access the iles# 6n some institutions the preerence "ill be or photocopying the resources and using them as they are# 'o"e$er you use them/ "e hope they pro$e to be eecti$e# ; &onnect Publications ,007
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The publishers grant permission or multiple copies o any material rom this boo! to be made"ithin the place o purchase or use solely "ithin that institution#
British Library in Publication Data A catalogue record o this boo! is a$ailable rom the %ritish Library#
Introduction-ost recent de$elopments in educational theory and recommendations or best practice are basedon "hat is o ten re erred to as a constructi$ist $ie" o learning. the idea that learners constructmeanings by processing in ormation/ sorting it and loo!ing or connections#
-any teachers "ould li!e to incorporate ideas associated "ith this approach into their lessons/ideas such as brain compatible learning/ accelerated learning/ and ormati$e assessment/ but"here to start1 There are lots o good boo!s containing lots o interesting theory/ e$idence andideas 2and the bibliography re ers to many o these / but ho" do you begin to apply theseconcepts1
4ur intention is to bridge the gap bet"een ideas and application# For e ample/ i you "ant to seeho" your current "or! matches up to best practice/ use the chec!lists or re lecti$e teachers# 6 you"ant to impro$e the e ecti$eness o group "or!/ use the group "or! resources# And so on#
ach resource is preceded by a brie rationale "hich re ers to the rele$ant theory or concepts on"hich it is based# This is ollo"ed by a simple e planation or suggestion o ho" to use the resourceand/ "here appropriate/ a completed e ample or illustration#
o! to use these resourcese ha$e created "hat "e hope are accessible/ useable/ changeable documents. documents
"hich ha$e a clear purpose or teachers and "hich can be easily adapted to suit indi$idual/ sub ectand institutional conte ts#
e ha$e tried to ma!e these resources as user riendly as possible# They ha$e been created usingsome o the most common onts in -icroso t ord and ormatted in a "ay that most teachers "ill
ind easy to alter#
e imagine that in many institutions the digital copy "ill be loaded onto the sta area o the :irtual
Learning n$ironment or 6ntranet so that e$eryone "ho "ants to can access the iles# 6n someinstitutions the pre erence "ill be or photocopying the resources and using them as they are# 'o"e$er you use them/ "e hope they pro$e to be e ecti$e#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning 1. Getting to know students
Introduction
%etting to &no! students
All students are di erent# The best teaching ta!es account o rele$ant di erences to meet theindi$idual learning needs o students#
The aim o this section is to enable teachers to learn more about their students/ including theirinterests/ aptitudes/ e periences/ prior learning/ learning pre erences/ personal circumstances/ andle$els o moti$ation#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning 1. Getting to know students
Ice brea&er$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale 6ce brea!ers are acti$ities "hich encourage students to get to !no" each otherand to eel rela ed and con ident in the classroom# These can be un acti$itiesdesigned to mi students up and get them tal!ing# Fogarty 2,00, uses "hat shecalls people searchesB to rein orce the intended learning at the same time asgetting students to learn more about each other# This in$ol$es as!ing ?uestionsthat are rele$ant to the sub ect/ but not in an ob$ious "ay/ or in a "ay "hichresembles a test or ?uiC#
o! to use The teacher could use the categories pro$ided or decide on their o"n ?uestions#)tudents are gi$en copies and mi "ith each other to ind the ans"ers# A suitabletime limit needs to be set# )tudents "rite the names o the rele$ant people on thesheet# %ear in mind that there may be a ?uestion "hich does not apply to anyonein the class#
+ ampleThis e ample sho"s that you can adapt this acti$ity to act as an introduction to a sub ect or topic#
'as a French name
Marie
'as been to France
Nicky
Li!es ?uiche lorraine
'as eaten a baguette
Jack
'as been to urodisney Dno"s the name o a Frenchootballer
Toby
Dno"s about a amous Frenchartist
Gareth
'as seen Les Miserables &an say hello and goodbye inFrench
50 templates for improving teaching and learning 1. Getting to know students
Interests and e periences$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale Eust li!e teachers/ students ha$e a li e outside the classroom# -any are engagedin acti$ities and hobbies about "hich they are passionate and "hich can ta!e upsigni icant amounts o their time# )imilarly/ students bring a "ide $ariety oe periences to the classroom/ some enriching their education and some not#
Teachers need to be a"are o their studentsB interests and e periences in orderto o er appropriate combinations o support and challenge#
o! to use Teachers can use the orm to capture in ormation about students# The resultscould be used to in orm the choice o topics or conte ts or learning/ to selectstudents or group "or! or teams matching students "ith similar orcomplementary interests or to ta!e ad$antage o the indi$idual e pertise ocertain students# There is limited space or students to "rite so it may be "orthad usting the orm to A3 siCe or to t"o A( sides#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning 1. Getting to know students
Interests and e periences
Name################################################################################################### 4 all the people "ho ha$e e$er li$ed/ "ho"ould you most li!e to meet/ and "hy1
6 you could do any ob in the "orld/ "hich"ould you choose1
hat is your a$ourite sub ect in school1hy1
hat is your least a$ourite sub ect inschool1 hy1
6n "hich sub ect do you "or! the hardest1hy1
hat are your a$ourite sports or games/ iany1
Are you a member o any clubs/ groups orsocieties1 6 so/ "hich ones1
6n a ?uiC/ "hat "ould you choose as yourspecialist sub ect 1
'o" much do you li!e using a computer orlearning1
6n your opinion/ "hat ma!es a goodteacher1
hat "ould you say is your greatestachie$ement in li e so ar1
6 the ne t lesson could be about any topicyou "anted/ "hat topic "ould you choose1
@o you ha$e any career ideas at the
moment1 6 so/ "hat1
hat is the most interesting place youB$ee$er been to1 hy "as it so interesting1
hat do you do in your spare time1
hat "ould you say is the most interestingthing about you1
6s there anything else about you that youthin! your teacher should !no"1
50 templates for improving teaching and learning 1. Getting to know students
1eady to learn6 3eachers4 notes
1ationale Pro essor &arole @"ec! 2+999 has de$eloped a highly in luential theory ostudent moti$ation based on the ideas o attribution theory# )he as!s ho" "eattribute success or ailure# @"ec! categorises students into three types.
+# Fixed IQ theoristsEust o$er (0 o students belie$e that success is determined by abilityB/ "hich is
i ed 2and there ore not much can be done about it #,# Untapped potential theorists
A urther (0 o students belie$e that success is due to learning "hich re?uirese ort and practice#3# The remaining ,0 are undecided #
These di erences become most pronounced "hen students are acing a di icultyor challenge/ at "hich point the untapped potential theoristsB per orm muchbetter than the others 2Petty/ ,00< #
The aim o this ?uestionnaire is to enable the teacher to ind out studentsB stateo readiness or learning# 6t ta!es account o the indi$idual circumstances o thestudent/ their $ie"s about learning and their le$el o moti$ation#
Guestions ++ and +3 are based on @"ec!Bs ?uestionnaire# 6 these ?uestions aregi$en lo" scores it is a good indication that the student is a i ed 6G theoristB andis there ore li!ely to consider gi$ing up "hen signi icant di iculties or challengesare encountered# &hanging their minds about the nature o intelligence andlearning may ha$e signi icant e ects on their achie$ement#
'ughes 2,00+ describes three !eys to e ecti$e learning. an appropriate physicaland emotional state 2including sel con idence and sel esteem / appropriate
learning styles/ and structures 2such as lessons "hich are suitable or learning#
o! to use The template can be used at the start o a course or programme o study to indout about studentsB readiness or learning/ attitudes to study/ physical andemotional state and obstacles to study 2such as home en$ironment # The teachercould then use the results as a ocus or discussion to ma!e some importantpoints 2 or e ample/ the educational $alue o drin!ing resh "ater and thebene its o eating brea! ast be ore school or college # The ?uestionnaire mayalso raise issues "hich "ill need to be discussed sensiti$ely such as ho" tomanage home"or! "hen there is no suitable space or time at home#
In the top half of the table, the lower scores are the ideal. In the bottomhalf, the higher scores.
50 templates for improving teaching and learning 1. Getting to know students
Learning styles$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale 6t is no" commonplace or students to be told that they ha$e a pre erence or aparticular learning style and should ma!e use o this to ma imise their learning#'o"e$er/ recent re$ie"s o the e$idence 2 or e ample/ &o ield et al #/ ,00( ha$e
ound little e$idence or all but a hand ul o these theories# This lac! o e$idenceincludes perhaps the best !no"n typology o recent years. the $isual/ auditory or!inaesthetic learner#
'o"e$er/ this does not mean that all such ideas should be re ected# &o ield etal # ound that a studentBs learning style is adaptable to conte t and is partlylearned and modi iable# There ore e$eryone bene its rom using a "ide $ariety ostyles 2sometimes re erred to as "hole brain learningB and students should besho"n ho" to use the ull range o learning styles so they can become moree ecti$e learners#
Petty 2,00< suggests that there are t"o "ell supported models o learningstyles# 'errmannBs 2+99< "hole brain model 2le t brain>right brain di$ides
pre erred styles o learning into theorist or organiser 2both le t brain or inno$atoror humanitarian 2both right brain / "ith each person pre erring t"o o these butcapable o using them all# Allinson and 'ayesB 2+988 intuiti$e>analytical modelholds that each learner has a pre erence or either intuition 2ma!ing udgementsbased on eeling and the global perspecti$e right brain or analysis 2ma!ing
udgements based on reasoning and the detailed $ie" le t brain #
Teachers need to use a range o acti$ities "hich suit the di erent learning stylessuggested by these models/ and students should be helped to de$elop their s!illsin the areas in "hich they are initially less com ortable#
Finding out studentsB pre erred approaches to learning remains a $aluable
e ercise#
o! to use Ise the ?uestionnaire to ind out studentsB pre erred approaches to learning# 6t isbased on 'errmannBs le t brain>right brain model# The outcomes could be usedas the basis or a discussion o the bene its o de$eloping a "ider range olearning techni?ues#
The results could be used by teachers to assess the balance o their teaching# 6the teaching is biased in a particular direction it could e plain "hy some studentsare not progressing as "ell as might be e pected#
Interpreting the sheet'errmannBs model. A. characteristic o theorists 2le t brain%. characteristic o inno$ators 2right brain&. characteristic o organisers 2le t brain@. characteristic o humanitarians 2right brain
-ost people a$our A and & 2theorist organisers or % and @ 2inno$atorhumanitarians # About one third o people a$our A and % 2theorist inno$ators or& and @ 2organiser humanitarians # Fe" people a$our A and @ 2theoristhumanitarians or % and & 2inno$ator organisers #
50 templates for improving teaching and learning 1. Getting to know students
Study s&ills audit$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale nabling students to re lect on their approaches to learning is crucial in theirde$elopment as independent learners# ecti$e sel e$aluation generates pridein success/ and modi ication and impro$ement become a natural part o thelearning process#
o! to use The study s!ills audit as!s students to assess their abilities in generic studys!ills# Ising the ord iles on the &@ *4-/ teachers can insert e tra lines toadd sub ect speci ic s!ills i these are rele$ant/ or they can change the list ostudy s!ills#
The student assesses their o"n per ormance/ chooses one o the s!ills orimpro$ement and de$ises a plan on ho" to achie$e this# 6t is important that suchtargets and actions are )-A*T 2)peci ic/ -easurable/ Attainable/ *ealistic/Time speci ic J other"ise they may pro$e ine ecti$e# )tudents 2and teachersmay bene it rom some guidance on the setting o )-A*T targets#
+ ample
'ere are e amples o ho" the bo es on the audit might be used#
Action. hat "ill 6 do to meet my target1
Work through some o the !ractice e"ercises in my bookletWork through the e"am!les on the Maths #ebsite$ttend home#ork club ne"t Tuesday to go through my ans#ers #ith a teacher
$idence. 'o" "ill 6 !no" that 6 ha$e met my target1
% #ill understand !ercentages better% #ill get a better mark in my ne"t test
Teacher comment> eedbac!
This looks like a sound strategy or im!ro&ement' % at any !oint you eel like you are gettingstuck( let me kno# and #e can go through it again together'
% think you ha&e underrated your understanding o !ercentages'
50 templates for improving teaching and learning 1. Getting to know students
+ isting &no!ledge
1ationale )tudents bring !no"ledge "ith them "hen they enter the classroom# )ome maybe entirely ne" to the material# 4thers may ha$e co$ered the sub ect or topicbe ore or they may ha$e an interest "hich they pursue outside ormal education#Teachers need to be a"are o this pre e isting !no"ledge in order to o erappropriate le$els o challenge and support#
o! to use Teachers can use the orm to capture in ormation about students# The teachercan input the rele$ant topics/ sub ects/ or sections o the speci ication onto the
orm and students can score themsel$es against each part#
6nterpretation o the results may re?uire some care/ as students are ma!ing theiro"n assessment and may under or o$er estimate their !no"ledge#
This orm could be used or a "hole course or or part o a course#
The results can be used to in orm the choice o topics or conte ts or learning
and>or to select students or group "or! or teams. students can be matched "iththose "ho ha$e similar or complementary le$els o prior !no"ledge# Thein ormation can also help teachers ta!e ad$antage o the indi$idual e pertise ocertain students#
*ate your !no"ledge o the ollo"ing topics 2tic! the rele$ant column
Topic>issue
+Dno"
nothing
,Dno" a
little
3Not sure
(Dno"
?uite alot
5Dno"lots
The origins o the uni$erse
The solar system
The speed o light
Telescopes
)pace e ploration )atellitesThe history o astronomy
)pace in the media and ilm
&omments or ?uestions
% kno# a lot about s!ace in the media because % #atch a lot o science iction ilms'% kno# something about s!ace e"!loration and the solar system because % #atched the ne#sabout the Mars e"!lorer s!ace mission'
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 2: Setting the scene for learning
Introduction
Setting the scene for learning
This section is concerned "ith the creation o an ethos and set o e pectations that "ill allo" thema imum amount o learning to ta!e place# The aim is to ensure that all students are a"are o"hat they are doing and "hy/ "hat is e pected o them in terms o beha$iour/ attitudes andapproaches/ and to ma!e clear the responsibilities o students and teachers#
%eing e plicit about e pectations and in$ol$ing students in de ining ground rules promote trust andcooperation# 6t results in classrooms "hich are more easily managed and more e ecti$e places orlearning# )tudents bene it "hen they are helped to plan their "or! and to prepare e ecti$ely orlessons and home"or!# 'elping them to see the big pictureB also enables them to learn moree ecti$ely#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 2: Setting the scene for learning
3he big picture$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale According to )mith 2+99< / helping students to see the big pictureB is anessential part o "hat he calls the Accelerated Learning Cycle # 6t allo"s studentsto connect "ith the o$erall learning e perience be ore starting to engage "ith thedetail# Dno"ing the big pictureB enables students to access and understand the
lin!s bet"een separate learning e periences 2)mith/ Lo$att and ise/ ,003 #
o! to use The orm could be completed in ad$ance and gi$en out to students/ although it isli!ely to ha$e more impact i students ill it in themsel$es as a learning acti$ity#For e ample/ students could be gi$en separate elements to research and
eedbac! to the rest o the group/ "ith the aim o creating a de initi$e $ersion#
+ ample
)ub ectGeology
Title o acti$ity>unit+olcanoesLength o teaching
$ll lessons in block E,our #eeks
&ontentTy!es o &olcanoCauses o &olcanoes-a.ards caused by &olcanoes/redicting eru!tions
+olcanoes and landsca!es-uman uses o &olcanoes Acti$ities
%ndi&idual research using books( C01R2M( internet to ans#er 3uestions on#orksheetGrou! !roject about one chosen &olcano2ne test
The grou! !roject #ill be !eer1assessedThe timed essay #ill be graded using the e"am board mark scheme
6mportant to remember The !resentation or the grou! !roject #ill be in the i th lesson 567 st May8The test #ill be in the inal lesson 569 rd May8Watch ::C 6 !rogramme at ;'9< !m on 7= th May about &olcanoes
4ther
The #orksheet and the list o recommended resources are on the schoolintranet under >geology?&olcanoes*
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 2: Setting the scene for learning
%round rules$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale &ooperation bet"een and "ithin groups o learners and teachers is essential ore ecti$e learning# &ooperation depends on trust and trust promotes cooperation#
An agreed set o ground rules 2sometimes re erred to as a ull $alue contractBhelps to promote trust and cooperation 2&lar!e/ ,005 and ma!es classroommanagement easier#
o! to use )tudents should be encouraged to discuss and agree on a set o classroom rulesor beha$iours that "ill acilitate a positi$e learning en$ironment# 4ne approach"ould be as ollo"s.
+# @i$ide the class into small groups#,# =i$e each group a sheet "ith a particular heading to discuss 2e#g# noise levels /behaviour to each other / sa ety #3# )tudents decide "hat they thin! "ould be good rules and "rite them on thesheet#(# =roups then circulate to the ne t sheet/ adding to or commenting on the
suggestions on the sheet#
4nce all groups ha$e seen e$ery sheet/ the ideas can be discussed and agreed2the teacher is li!ely to ha$e an editing role here/ although it is important that therules re lect student opinion and use their o"n "ords #
A inal $ersion can be made into a poster and displayed prominently# 6t isimportant that the agreed rules are en orced rom the outset 2-ui s and *eynolds,005 #
+ ample
e discussed "hat "as important to help us learn e ecti$ely#
These are the rules "e agreed.
We should arri&e on timeWe should al#ays bring a !en( !encil and te"tbookWe should be riendly to each otherWe should com!lete our #ork on time and do it as #ell as #e canWe should listen to each other
We should acce!t that other !eo!le may ha&e a di erent !oint o &ie#We should not shoutWe should not s#earWe should turn o our mobile !hones and !ut them a#ayWe should listen to our teacher and other members o sta and do #hat they askWe should not do anything dangerous or anything #hich might hurt someone 5includingoursel&es8When #e are all listening to the teacher #e should !ut u! our hand i #e #ant to saysomethingWe should obey the school %T rules i #e use the com!utersWe should try and enjoy our lessons@
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 2: Setting the scene for learning
Personal learning plan$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale Pro$iding e plicit instructions to students helps them understand e actly "hat ise pected o them# 6t can help them to plan their "or!/ prepare e ecti$ely orlessons/ achie$e their desired learning outcomes and incorporate their personaltargets# 6t is particularly help ul or those students "ho ind it di icult to organise
themsel$es/ o ten the case or students "ith conditions such as dysle ia ormental health di iculties 2'ollo"ay/ ,00(/ ,00< # 6t is part o the process opro$iding the big pictureB/ one o the !ey stages in "hat is sometimes !no"n asthe Accelerated Learning Cycle 2)mith/ +99< #
o! to use The orm can be used at the start o a course/ module or acti$ity# There areopportunities or di erentiation by tas! and outcome in that each student couldbe gi$en a di erent tas! or be allo"ed to choose rom a range o options such as"hat to learn/ "hat to use/ and "hat to produce#
+ ampleName Emma Rudd )ub ect English
AimsThis plan is to help me learn the ollo"ing.Who #as William Words#orth and #here did he li&eAWhat kinds o things did he #riteATo ind a !iece o #riting by Words#orth that % like or dislikeTo e"!lain #hat % like or dislike about it
"eadline
6 "ill complete this "or! by.,riday 9< th No&ember
#rganisation of wor$6 "ill be "or!ing 2tic! .2n my o#n
%esources6 "ill be using.My anthology o !oems$n encyclo!aedia rom the library$ny other resources % can ind
&or$6 ha$e to produce.6B< #ords o my o#n #riting$ co!y o a !iece o Words#orth*s #ork % like or dislike 5can be a !hotoco!y8
Assessment6 "ill be assessed by.Mark out o 6<
#ther things to remember % can discuss this #ith my teacher i % ha&e !roblems% need to im!ro&e my s!elling
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 2: Setting the scene for learning
7rganising myself$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale Pro$iding e plicit instructions to students encourages them to see "hat ise pected o them# 6t can help them to plan their "or!/ prepare e ecti$ely orlessons/ achie$e their desired learning outcomes and incorporate their personaltargets# 6t is particularly help ul or those students "ho ind it di icult to organisethemsel$es/ o ten the case or students "ith conditions such as dysle ia ormental health di iculties 2'ollo"ay/ ,00(/ ,00< # 6t is part o the process opro$iding the big pictureB/ one o the !ey stages in "hat is sometimes !no"n asthe Accelerated Learning Cycle 2)mith/ +99< #
o! to use This orm is best use at the start o a course/ module or acti$ity/ especially "hereit is possible to predict a pattern o re?uirements such as the dates home"or! isdue to be collected# )ome o the in ormation can be pro$ided directly by theteacher/ but it may be help ul to get students to discuss some o the sectionsbe ore con irming 2e#g# hat e?uipment do 6 thin! 6 "ill need or these lessons1B
+ ample
)ub ect:iology
Teacher Mr James
@ays>times o lessonsMondays '7B17<'9<Thursdays 7<'DB176'<<
hat do 6 need to remember1
Sa ety rules in the labClassroom rules on the !oster
?uipment Always needed
/en( !encil( ruler( calculator:iology te"tbook
So!eti!es needed ab coat
Sa ety goggles
Mr James #ill tell me #hen % need these' % get them rom the lab technician in room D6 and %return them at the end o the lesson
'ome"or!Set e&ery ThursdayCollected e&ery Monday%nstructions are al#ays on the noticeboard outside room D6
4ther % can see Mr James at 76'7< on ,ridays in Room D< i % #ant to
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 2: Setting the scene for learning
ome!or& record$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale Pro$iding a structured set o instructions or home"or! helps students tounderstand the tas! and be con ident about "hat is re?uired# This a$oids thesituation in "hich home"or! is set in a rush at the end o a lesson and the inerpoints o the instructions 2and support a$ailable ris! being lost#
o! to use Teachers can ill in the instructions or students can ill them in themsel$es on thebasis o "hat they are told or "hat is agreed# There is an opportunity or teachersto comment on studentsB understanding o the tas! be ore it is completed#
Alternati$ely/ the eedbac! bo could be used 2or modi ied or the purpose opro$iding eedbac! on the completed acti$ity#
+ ample
'ome"or! acti$ity/onds case study
@eadline-and in 7 th 0ecember
*e?uired outcomes$ older containing4
6B< #ords to ans#er the ollo#ing 3uestion4 >0escribe and e"!lain theood #eb o a ty!ical English !ond*
My o#n diagram o a !ond ood #eb
/hotogra!hs rom our &isit to :ailey*s !ond labelled to sho#!lants and animal s!ecies
*esources a$ailable or needed/hotos are a&ailable to do#nload rom the + E
Ecology te"tbooks !ages FB1= discuss !onds
Personal target
% #ant to im!ro&e my #ritten descri!tions com!ared to my last casestudy
Notes>comments% % #ant to % can use %T or the #riting and or labelling the !hotos% should sho# the dra t to Mrs :ro#n on the 76 0ecember or hercomments
$aluation>assessment> eedbac!)ou ha&e a good understanding o the task' % look or#ard to seeing the
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 2: Setting the scene for learning
Student8teacher contract$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale A student>teacher contract is a "ay o setting out ormally the responsibilities ande pectations o students and teachers# 6t is help ul to the teacher because itma!es it clear that learning and teaching are shared acti$ities "hich/ to be moste ecti$e/ need both parties to collaborate# 6t is use ul to students because it ise plicit about "hat is re?uired o them and reassures them that they can e pectcertain things in return#
Learning contracts can be seen as part o the promotion o trust and cooperationin the classroom#
o! to use )tudent>teacher contracts need to be used at the outset o a course# They can beused in con unction "ith discussions on ground rules or classroom beha$iour/although they are not usually open to negotiation#
These types o contracts are most li!ely to be e ecti$e "hen there is aninstitutional rame"or! "hich supports their use and "here their contents
do$etail "ith the systems and procedures or pastoral support and guidance#They should be tailored to the indi$idual re?uirements o sub ects "hereappropriate#
%oth the student and the teacher should be gi$en a copy o the completedcontract#
For students "ith special educational needs or disabilities/ the learning contractcan be used to speci y any additional support to "hich the student is entitled#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 3: Managing student presentations
Introduction
)anaging student presentations
)tudent presentations are used increasingly by teachers# They are a orm o peer e plainingB/ oneo the teaching strategies "ith large positi$e e ects on learning according to -arCano 2+998 # Theyalso lend themsel$es to peer assessment "hich also has a ma or impact on learning 2'attie et al #/+99< #
For these bene its to accrue/ presentations need to be "ell structured and "ell managed# Thissection pro$ides resources intended to impro$e the planning o presentations/ the pro$ision oresources or audiences/ and the method o peer assessing presentations#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 3: Managing student presentations
Planning a presentation$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale &larity regarding goals and e pectations about student presentations is importantas many students get understandably an ious about "hat they see as
per ormingB in ront o their peers# 4 course/ the more presentations are aroutine part o learning/ the less o a problem this "ill become#
Petty 2,00< ad$ocates presentations as part o the phase in "hich studentsapply their ne"ly ac?uired !no"ledge be ore re$ie"ing it# ith regard toaudience/ Petty 2,00< notes that presentations "or! best "hen students presentto their peers/ but not to their close riends or their o"n group#
o! to use This orm should be used "hen the tas! is being set# 6t enables the students torecord all the necessary details be ore preparing their presentation#
The details could be set by the teacher or negotiated "ith the group#
+ ample
=roup name :lue team
=roup members Sam( $mina( Robert( Me
Topic The li e o a amous com!oser
Guidelines Should be no longer than B minutesE&eryone in the grou! must s!eak
Format se /o#er!oint including images
?uipment needed Com!uter/rojectorScreen
)etting Room 6B
Audience -al o Mr Rogers grou! 5year 8
Preparation schedule 0ra t must be com!leted by 7B MayComments back rom teacher by 7; May,inal &ersion ready or 67 May
'o" presentation "ill be udgedWill be assessed on the 3uality o the content 5DBH8( style o!resentation 56BH8 and ability to deal #ith 3uestions 59<H8',urther details are on the intranet
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 3: Managing student presentations
Notes from a presentation$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale Presentations can be e ecti$e learning strategies/ especially or the presenters#For the audience to gain ma imum bene it it is o ten use ul to pro$ide resourcesto use during the presentation 2such as notes to annotate or to ta!e a"ay at theend# 4ther"ise/ students may place a lo" $alue on being the audience or theirpeers#
o! to use This orm is or students to use or ma!ing notes on a presentation i thepresenter has not produced their o"n materials#
+ amplePresentation title
The li e o Mo.art
Presenter2sSam( $mina( Robert
Dey points o presentation>discussion
Mo.art I li&ed 7=BF1 7
:orn in $ustria
/robably the most amous and in luential com!oser o the Classical era' Com!osed more than F<< #orks
,amous o!eras include ,igaro and 0on Gio&anniCause o death is not kno#n or certain I but cons!iracy theoriessuggest he may ha&e been !oisoned
-is li e has been turned into the ilm >$madeus*
&onclusions reached
/robably the most !o!ular and amous com!oser e&er
0ied young 59B8 I could ha&e !roduced e&en more brilliant #ork i he hadli&ed longer
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 3: Managing student presentations
"hec&list for presentations$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale )el assessment can ha$e a signi icant positi$e impact on learning 2'attie et al #+99< J see also )ection <# This chec!list ocuses on some o the criteria thatma!e an e ecti$e presentation# The ocus is on the ?uality o the presentation asan acti$ity rather than on the content# A separate chec!list "ould be re?uired orthe content#
o! to use )tudents should use this chec!list during the preparation phase o apresentation# &ompleting it should help them assess the e ecti$eness o theirpreparation/ pro$ide an indication o their strengths and "ea!nesses aspresenters and identi y issues that re?uire particular attention#
'ere is a list o ,0 good points about presentations# 6ndicate ho" con ident you eel about ma!inga presentation by tic!ing the rele$ant bo #
'0 good points about presentations&on ident Insure
'Not
con ident
Before the presentationFollo"ing any guidelines and ad$ice pro$ided
Planning an introduction to gain the audienceBs attention and gi$e ano$er$ie" o the presentationPlanning a conclusion to summarise the content o the presentation
-a!ing sure each point lo"s rom the one be ore
Learning all or most o the presentation
Preparing small cue cards as a reminder o !ey points
Thin!ing about the layout o the room
Preparing notes or the audience
Preparing $isual aids to enhance the presentation
&hec!ing that any e?uipment is set up and "or!ing be ore thepresentationPractising the presentation in ad$ance
During the presentation Appearing con ident
-aintaining eye contact "ith the audience
)miling regularly through the presentation
)pea!ing clearly and not rushing the presentation
)pea!ing loudly enough or all the audience to hear
mphasising !ey points
Ising suitable language or the topic and audience
ncouraging ?uestions and participation rom the audience
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 3: Managing student presentations
Assessing a presentation$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale )el and peer assessment can ha$e a positi$e impact on learning 2'attie et al #+99< J see also section <# This template as!s students to sel or peer assess apresentation#
o! to use The assessment orm allo"s the student to assess their o"n presentation or thato a peer or peers# The emphasis should be on positi$e comments andsuggestions or impro$ement# As "ith all peer assessment/ some ad$ancetraining on ho" to do this constructi$ely may be re?uired# The section on @etailso presentationB might be used to note do"n the names o presenters/ the title othe presentation and>or other practical details#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section : !ffective group work
Introduction
+ffective group !or&
=roup "or! is already a common eature o many classrooms# hether in the orm o pair or largergroupings it can be a highly e ecti$e "ay o "or!ing and learning/ ta!ing ad$antage o thecombined strengths o the di erent members o a team# 'o"e$er/ i managed ine ecti$ely/ littlelearning may ta!e place# Teachers need to be particularly a"are o the ma!e up o groups andshould get students used to "or!ing "ith a $ariety o others#
This section pro$ides resources to impro$e the e ecti$eness o group "or!# They includetemplates or establishing rules or agreed "ays o "or!ing/ setting clear e pectations about tas!s/roles and outcomes/ and being clear about ho" group "or! "ill be assessed and e$aluated .
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section : !ffective group work
1ules for discussion$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale &ooperation bet"een and "ithin groups o learners and teachers is essential ore ecti$e learning# &ooperation depends on trust and trust promotes cooperation#
An agreed set o rules or group "or! and discussion helps to promote trust andcooperation 6t also ma!es classroom management easier 2&lar!e/ ,005 #
)ee also the ground rules template on pages +9 ,0#
o! to use )tudents should be encouraged to discuss and agree a set o rules orbeha$iours "hich "ill acilitate e ecti$e "or!ing in pairs or groups# 4ne "ay todo this "ould be as ollo"s.
• @i$ide the class into small groups#• =i$e each group a sheet "ith a particular heading to discuss 2e#g ' noise
levels / behaviour towards each other / sa ety #• )tudents "rite on the sheet "hat they thin! "ould be good rules#• =roups then circulate to the ne t sheet/ adding to or commenting on the
suggestions on the sheet#• 4nce all groups ha$e seen e$ery sheet/ the ideas can be discussed and
agreed 2the teacher "ill probably need to ta!e an editing role here/ although itis important that the rules re lect student opinion and are "ritten in their o"n"ords #
• The inal $ersion should be made into a poster and displayed prominently#• The agreed rules need to be en orced rom the outset 2-ui s and *eynolds/
,005 #
6t may be necessary or teachers to demonstrate "hat it means to discuss in aairB "ay 2 or e ample/ one person spea!s and the others listen "ithout
interrupting # The teacher should also be a"are that establishing pairs andgroups re?uires some thought and planning to a$oid problems "hich aresometimes caused by issues such as gender and riendship 2 or urther ideas onthis see &lar!e/ ,005 #
+ ample
e discussed "hat "as necessary to ma!e sure our discussions are use ul and air#
These are the rules "e agreed.
2nly one !erson should s!eak at a timeWe should !ay attention #hen #e are listeningWe should look at the !erson #ho is talkingWe should not interru!t unless #e are in&ited toWe should ne&er shoutWe should ne&er deliberately o end other !eo!leWe should remember that it*s 2K to ha&e a di erent !oint o &ie#We should remember it*s 2K to change your mindE&eryone should ha&e the chance to say their !iece
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section : !ffective group work
1evie! of discussion$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale @iscussions are e ecti$e learning strategies that allo" students to e press/share and de$elop ideas# For the ma imum bene it it may be necessary orstudents to ma!e some notes as a record o the discussion and the !ey pointsthat emerge#
o! to use This orm is or students to use to ma!e notes on a discussion# 6 appropriate/ theorm could be di$ided into sections or points in a$our and points against or to
represent di erent standpoints "hich emerge#
+ ample
@iscussion title
%s the /remiershi! the best ootball league in the #orldA
Dey points o discussion
%t*s not easy to agree on #hat #e mean by the >best*
Some !eo!le think the style o ootball is the most entertaining I does this make it bestA
%t attracts many o the #orld*s best ootballers I does this make it bestA
% it #ere( the best English teams #ould #in the Cham!ions eague and the Su!er Cu! moreo ten than they do
The /remiershi! is the most !o!ular ootball league or T+ &ie#ers o&erseas
&onclusions
%t might be the most amous league( but the lack o success o England in internationalcom!etitions suggests it is not the best in terms o the standard o ootball
$aluation>assessment> eedbac!> urther ?uestions
% it is not the best( #hich league isA We could not agree on this' Most !eo!le thought it#ould be %taly or S!ain'
Teacher eedbac!
$ good summary' 0uring the discussion !eo!le #ere using lots o rele&ant statistics #hichthey had researched' )ou could ha&e noted some o these do#n during the discussion' ook atJohn*s e"am!le on the door or ideas'
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section : !ffective group work
%roup tas& management$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale Pro$iding e plicit instructions to students helps them to see "hat is e pected othem# 6t can help them to plan their "or! and prepare e ecti$ely or lessons# 6t isparticularly help ul or those students "ho ind it di icult to organise themsel$es#This is o ten the case or students "ith conditions such as dysle ia or mentalhealth di iculties 2'ollo"ay/ ,00(/ ,00< # 6t is part o the process o pro$iding the
big pictureB/ one o the !ey stages in "hat is sometimes called the AcceleratedLearning Cycle 2)mith/ +99< #
o! to use The orm could be used at the start o an assignment# 6n order to use it e ecti$elythere needs to be some discussion "ithin each group as to "ho does "hat andho" J the teacher may need to pro$ide guidance/ the e tent o "hich "ill dependon the le$el o independent learning s!ills "ithin the class#
+ ampleTitle o tas!(hat is this activity called?
The S!ace Race 1 research taskPurpose>aim(hat are we trying to learn?
Kno#ledge4 What #ere the main eatures o the >s!ace race*AE&aluation4 0id the bene its out#eigh the costsA4utput(hat have we got to %roduce or do?
$ i&e1minute !resentation using /o#er!oint and a set o notes or my o#n ileTime rame)ow long have we got? (hat is the deadline?
T#o #eeks to !re!are or the !resentation in the lesson on 7D March*oles(ho is doing what in the grou%? Me4 researching the beginning o s!ace race in 7 D<s?B<s( including costsSte&e4 s!ace race in 7 F<s I to the moon( including costs,rankie4 bene its o s!ace race in general$ll o us4!re!aring the !resentation ne"t #eek-ethod)ow are we going to do it?
,irst t#o lessons4 research on our o#n( third lesson4 discuss?share ideas( ourth lesson4!re!are
*esources(hat can we use to hel% us?
Te"tbooks in library( com!uters in room B6 during lessons( N$S$ C01R2M( &ideo on themoon landings)upport(hat hel% is available?
Mr -utchings during lessonsibrary sta can ad&ise on resources
E"am!les o last years #ork on intranet Assessment)ow will this work be *udged?
The !resentation #ill be assessed by !eer1assessment using the standard criteria'Mr -utchings #ill also check that % ha&e a ull set o notesThe assessment is or internal use only 5not !art o the inal grade8
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section : !ffective group work
Allocation of group roles$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale 6n group "or! the allocation o roles implies that each indi$idual is an importantpart o the group and helps create a eeling o accountability# This promotes asense o "orth and belonging "hich is one o the important bene its ocooperati$e learning# Assigning roles pro$ides e plicit e pectations and can addto the sense o order in the group "or! 2Fogarty/ ,00, #
6t is important to note that in most group situations the allocated role is not theonly contribution that the student ma!es they are e pected to contribute to thegeneral "or! o the group in addition to their allocated role#
o! to use 6t is unli!ely that all o the roles identi ied here "ill be rele$ant or any one tas! soteachers need to be selecti$e about the most appropriate roles or a particularacti$ity# 6n many cases it "ill be sensible to allocate more than one role toindi$idual students#
The allocation o roles may be decided by the teacher or le t to the group
members 2i the teacher is con ident that this "ill lead to appropriate outcomes #6n the irst instance the teacher can "rite the names on the orm in ad$ance othe lesson#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section : !ffective group work
%roup !or& feedbac&$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale ecti$e teaching methods are those that set challenging goals and pro$idestudents "ith eedbac! "hich helps them progress to"ards those goals# ellmanaged group "or! is one such method#
This orm enables students to re lect on/ and ma!e a record o their learning a tera group acti$ity# The teacher can then monitor the learning and pro$ideappropriate eedbac!#
o! to use The purpose o this orm is or students to collect in ormation rom a discussionor group acti$ity either rom their o"n group or rom a presentation by anothergroup# This is especially use ul in situations "here there "ould other"ise be nophysical product or notes rom the acti$ity#
There is space or teacher eedbac! at the bottom o the sheet "hich might beused to correct any misconceptions or to suggest "here the student could gone t "ith this topic#
+ ample
Acti$ity>tas!>topic What makes a baby into a toddlerA
=roup>student name2s Mina( aura( Ellen
Dey points o presentation>discussion
They are called toddlers because o the #ay they are learning to #alk 5toddle8They are starting to talk I they o ten start #ith #ords like >mama* or >dada*Toddlers o ten get common illnesses like chicken !o"Toddlers are starting to de&elo! !ersonalities and learn beha&iours
&onclusions reached
There is no e"act de inition o a toddler% a baby is able to start #alking they could be called a toddler
$aluation>assessment> eedbac!> urther ?uestions
What age range are toddlers normallyA
Teacher eedbac!
)ou ha&e !icked u! some o the main characteristics o toddlers' )ou are right to ask orclari ication o the age range I you*ll ind a good ans#er on !age 6= o the resources I makesure you add it to your notes abo&e'
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section : !ffective group work
%roup !or& evaluation$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale )tudents need to be encouraged to re lect on their ability to "or! "ith others tocomplete a tas!# They need to use this re lection to identi y areas orimpro$ement and appropriate strategies to acilitate these impro$ements#
o! to useThe purpose o this orm is or students to e$aluate group acti$ity a ter it hasbeen completed# There is space or teacher eedbac! at the bottom o the sheet"hich could be used to gi$e the teacherBs $ie" o the process# This is o tenhelp ul as a "ay o pointing out to students some o the less tangible bene its othe process or to remind them o their achie$ements along the "ay 2"hich thestudent may ha$e orgotten about #
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section : !ffective group work
Sno!balling$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale )no"balling is a "ay o collecting in ormation rom a brainstorm/ thoughte periment or round/ ensuring ull participation and more student discussionB2Petty/ ,00< # 6t can be used in many situations including the presentation o ne"ideas/ chec!ing current understanding and the teaching o learning and thin!ing
s!ills#Petty 2,005 ad$ocates sno"balling as one o ,8 methods o teaching "ithouttal!ingB# 'e ad$ocates the use o these techni?ues to ma!e students more acti$ein the initial presentation o ne" ideas or themes# 'e ?uotes studies by 'attie etal # 2+99< "hich suggest that the most e ecti$e teaching methods are those"hich set challenging goals and pro$ide students "ith eedbac! relating to theirprogress to"ards those goals# )no"balling is a cooperati$e learning method"hich enables this to happen#
o! to use • )tudents are gi$en appropriate resources or stimulus and rele$ant ?uestions"hich they are see!ing to ans"er#
• )tage +. At irst they "or! on their o"n/ recording their ans"ers#• )tage ,. Ne t they "or! in pairs/ sharing their ans"ers# They then discuss
and agree a common ans"er 2"hich may be di erent rom or based on theans"ers they ha$e already #
• )tage 3. )tudents then oin "ith another pair to orm groups o our/ or thesame purpose/ again agreeing on a common ans"er "hich is li!ely to includepoints rom both o the pre$ious bestB ans"ers#
• And so on i appropriate#• The students are then pro$ided "ith a model ans"er or mar! scheme and
as!ed to use this to assess or score their inal best ans"erB#
The orm is or students to use at each stage o the process#
+ ample
Topic or ?uestionWhat is a systemA se an e"am!le in your ans#er'
)tage +. -y ans"er $ system is a #ay o doing things 1 a method or a set o things linked together' )ou couldha&e a system or !laying ootball 5like D1D168( or a system like an ecosystem'
)tage ,. Pair ans"er The #ord system is o ten used to mean a #ay o doing things or a set o things linkedtogether' -o#e&er( in science( a system is a structure #ith in!uts( out!uts( and !rocesses',or e"am!le( an ecosystem has in!uts( out!uts and !rocesses'
)tage 3. =roup ans"er The #ord system is o ten used to mean a #ay o doing things or a set o things linkedtogether' -o#e&er( in science a system is a structure #ith in!uts( out!uts( and !rocesses' ,ore"am!le( an ecosystem such as a rain orest has in!uts 5such as sunlight and rain8( out!uts
5such as heat8 and !rocesses 5such as !hotosynthesis8' Systems can be closed 5#here the onlyin!ut and out!ut is energy8 or o!en 5#ith other in!uts and out!uts8' $n ecosystem is ane"am!le o an o!en system'
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 5: Graphic organisers
Introduction
%raphic organisers
=raphic organiserB is a term applied to $arious diagram based learning resources such as lo"charts and spider diagrams# )ome o these ha$e been around or a long time and some are morerecent# They are becoming increasingly popular as a tool a$oured by those approaches "hich aresometimes labelled as brain based learningB/ accelerated learningB or super learningB#
Fogarty 2,00, describes graphic organisers as a means o ensuring that thin!ing ta!es place inthe brain compatible classroomB# =raphic organisers usually re?uire students to trans ormin ormation rather than simply reproduce it in the same orm in "hich they recei$ed it# Theythere ore o er a degree o intellectual challenge and may ma!e it easier to assess the e tent to"hich the material has been grasped 2'ughes/ ,00+ #Their $isual nature ma!es them highly suitedto the needs o $isual learners#
=raphic organisers promote acti$e learning "hich lin!s to constructi$ist theories. learners constructmeanings by processing in ormation/ sorting it and loo!ing or connections and patterns# There isstrong e$idence to suggest that $isual representations help students to see these connections andpatterns 2Ausubel/ +978 #
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 5: Graphic organisers
Spider diagram$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale )pider diagrams are use ul or generating initial ideas about a topic or re$ising"hat has been taught# They begin "ith a central idea and then $isually brea! thatidea do"n into a number o categories#
A urther de$elopment o the spider diagram is the mind map 2%uCan/ +99+ # Thisuses e tra legsB to create ne" connections#
o! to use )tudents begin "ith a "ord/ idea or concept "hich they "rite in the centre o thecircle# The diagram can then progress in a number o "ays# For e ample/students could brea! the topic do"n into a number o categories "hich becomethe legsB# Alternati$ely the spider diagram can be used as part o the process ogenerating initial ideas about a topic# )tudents can "rite at the ends o thespiderBs legs any "ords/ ideas or phrases "hich they associate "ith the centralidea or concept# These can then be discussed and used to produce a summaryo the idea or concept#
There is no need to stic! to any particular number o legsB e"er or e tra can beused as necessary#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 5: Graphic organisers
9enn diagram$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale :enn diagrams are use ul or acti$ities that in$ol$e comparisons o similaritiesand di erences#
)imilarities are placed in the o$erlapping sections and di erences in the nono$erlapping parts# -ore than t"o shapes can be used i more complecomparisons are to be made#
o! to use The template here could be blo"n up to A3 siCe# hen using the &@/ te t bo escan be placed in the shapes as appropriate#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 5: Graphic organisers
Bubble :uotes$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale %ubble ?uoteB diagrams help students understand that there are a range o$ie"points on issues# This is an essential step i they are to de$elop s!ills oanalysis and e$aluation#
)tudents are pro$ided "ith an issue and ha$e to identi y the $ie"points thatdi erent indi$iduals or organisations may adopt to"ards it# ach $ie"point isrepresented $isually by a speech bubble and students "rite "ithin the speechbubble#
o! to use These bubble ?uote graphic organisers are use ul as a starting point ordiscussions or role plays and>or can be used as a method o brainstormingmaterial to be used in a longer piece o "riting# )tudents can be pro$ided "iththe di erent interests or may identi y them independently# Teachers could also"rite sentence starters "ithin the speech bubbles or all or some students#
6 you are using the &@ *4- $ersion/ each bubble contains a te t bo #
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 5: Graphic organisers
"aterpillar diagram$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale &aterpillar diagrams are used to de$elop and e pand on ideas/ o ten mo$ingrom the indi$idual case to the big picture# They can describe processes and
sho" ho" ideas can be lin!ed in a hierarchy or system#
o! to use)tudents can be gi$en the big idea and>or the starting point and try to "or! outthe inter$ening stages#
6 using the &@ *4-/ te t bo es are pro$ided "ithin the shapes#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 5: Graphic organisers
Advantages and disadvantages$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale This graphic organiser de$elops e$aluation s!ills#
The diagram is use ul because it re?uires students to consider $ie"s "hich maybe opposed to their o"n# 6t also helps rein orce the idea that conclusions shouldbe reached a ter consideration o more than one side o an argument# 6t may alsobe help ul as a $isual cue/ in that the e$aluation is li!ely to come do"n on theside "ith the most 2and best points in its a$our#
o! to use )tudents are gi$en an idea/ concept or argument to e$aluate# This could occur atthe start o teaching as part o initial idea generation or at the end as a summaryo e$idence and inal e$aluation#
)tudents identi y ad$antages and disad$antages 2or points or and pointsagainst be ore reaching an o$erall conclusion or e$aluation#
Teachers could gi$e out partially completed orms to gi$e students some initial
ideas or blan! orms i the students are capable o generating their o"n ideas onboth sides# Alternati$ely the teacher might decide to pro$ide partially completedorms or some students and not or others in order to di erentiate the acti$ity#
6n order to help "eigh up the strength o arguments/ students can ran! their lists2number them in order o importance or gi$e each point a score and add themup to see "hich side "insB#
+ ample
:ie">ideaJunk ood should be banned rom school dinners
Ad$antages>points in a$our @isad$antages>points against
There are healthier alternati&es School kids like junk ood
Children need to learn to eat healthyood
School dinners are horrible
Schools ha&e a res!onsibility or their!u!ils
/u!ils #ill just go to the chi! sho! instead
Junk ood can cause bad beha&iour )ou need to educate !arents about oodirst
Junk ood makes kids at and unhealthy %t #ill be more e"!ensi&e and someamilies can*t a ord it
$aluation2&erall % think junk ood should be banned but the alternati&es #ill ha&e to be &ery good
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 5: Graphic organisers
-lo! chart$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale Flo" charts can be used in $arious "ays to illustrate inter connections andprocesses such as a se?uence o e$ents/ a set o procedures/ or a se?uence tobe ollo"ed# 6n their simplest orm they are linear. A is ollo"ed by %/ then by &and so on# They can also become $ery comple / "ith multiple lin!s bet"een thedi erent elements or eedbac! loops 2"here lin!s are made to an earlier stage othe process and so on# 6n the more ad$anced orms o lo" chart it is common
or di erent shapes to represent di erent things/ or e ample a triangle mightrepresent a process/ "hereas a s?uare might represent a decision#
o! to use 6n the early stages o using lo" charts students can be gi$en an idea/ concept orargument to illustrate as a series o separate but lin!ed steps# Teachers couldgi$e out partially completed charts and as! students to ill in the gaps#
Alternati$ely/ they could gi$e out the re?uired content or students to sort into theright order# As they get more amiliar "ith lo" charts/ students can start to de$isetheir o"n se?uences#
6 the &@ is being used/ the lo" chart contains te t bo es in bet"een the arro"sand stages can be added or remo$ed using the diagram toolbar "hich shouldbecome $isible on the right hand $ertical toolbar "hen the user clic!s inside the
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 5: Graphic organisers
3imeline$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale 6n its simplest orm a timeline is a straight line representing a period o time#@ates may or may not be pro$ided and students "rite the details o a particulare$ent alongside 2or lin!ed to the rele$ant date# The result is a se?uence oe$ents presented in a $isual orm#
o! to use A $ariety o approaches can be ta!en "hen it comes to the in ormation to includeon the timeline. )tudents could be gi$en the in ormation to sort into se?uenceKthey could be gi$en a source and as!ed to ind the in ormation to sort rom "ithinthe sourceK or they could be set a more open ended research tas! "here the endproduct is a timeline# The scale could be pro$ided or le t or the student to add tothe timeline as appropriate#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section 5: Graphic organisers
Brain drops$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale %rain dropsB diagrams 2Fogarty/ ,00, stimulate thin!ing about the di erentelements that ma!e up a "hole# This might be ad$antages/ disad$antages/reasons or actors that need to be considered#
o! to use%rain drop diagrams can be used to generate initial thin!ing or to re$ise a topica ter it has been taught# The teacher "ould normally pro$ide the title or mainheading in the umbrella to pro$ide the initial stimulus# )tudents can then ill in theraindrops and the inal de inition in the umbrella through brainstorming or groupdiscussion# For those using the &@ *4-/ there are te t bo es in each raindropand in the umbrella#
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; &onnect Publications ,007 7,
Equality of opportunityThe idea that all !eo!leshould ha&e the same
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section ": #eed$ack and self%assessment
Introduction
-eedbac& and self.assessment
Feedbac! occurs at all stages o the learning process/ either ormally or in ormally# 6t includescomments and responses rom the teacher to the student/ bet"een students/ and the studentBso"n sel re lection# In ortunately/ common practice in classrooms is o ten not best practice "here
eedbac! is concerned/ as it o ten concentrates on grades or mar!s rather than identi yingimpro$ements#
$idence suggests that ormati$eB eedbac!/ "here the emphasis is on inding "ays to impro$e/has some o the greatest positi$e e ects on learners/ and the greatest e ects are on the "ea!estlearners 2%lac! and illiam/ +998 # %est practice is based on the idea that "e should ind out "hatstudents already !no"/ correct any misconceptions/ and then build on this# )tudents shouldunderstand the goals "ell enough to be able to gi$e themsel$es ongoing eedbac! 2Petty/ ,00< #
Pages +09 ++0 include urther guidance on impro$ing ormati$e eedbac!#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section ": #eed$ack and self%assessment
Assessment feedbac&$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale The purpose o this orm is to help teachers gi$e e ecti$e eedbac! "henstudents ha$e completed a piece o "or! or assessment# 6t allo"s the teacher topro$ide e plicit ad$ice on errors or omissions in order to impro$e studentsBconstructs and to pro$ide positi$e and speci ic encouragement "hereappropriate# 6t incorporates the studentBs o"n eedbac! "hich should allo" aninsight into ho" "ell they understand their o"n position#The orm emphasises inding "ays to impro$e rather than grading "or!/ one othe hallmar!s o good ormati$e assessment 2Petty ,00< #
o! to use This orm is designed to pro$ide eedbac! on assessed "or!# The ?uestion 2ortitle and the criteria or assessment need to be added in ad$ance so that thestudent !no"s "hat is being assessed and ho"#The student can ill in the sel e$aluation bo es be ore the "or! is submitted# Theteacher then ills in their e$aluation and comment be ore returning the sheet tothe student# The student can then identi y a small number o targets or the ne tpiece o "or!#
+ ample
Guestion>tas!To "hat e tent can "ater be used sustainably1
Target2s rom pre$ious "or!
My target #as to im!ro&e my structure I % ha&e done this Assessment criteria)ow your work will be *udged
)el e$aluation)ow you thoughtyou did
Teacher e$aluation)ow the teacher thought you did
'o" "ell ha$e you obeyed the command "ords1 +ery #ell % agree I you ha&e discussed both sides
To "hat e tent do you sho" understanding o the!ey "ords1
+ery #ell uite #ell( but you needed to de ine>sustainably* more clearly
To "hat e tent ha$e you addressed all the issuesposed by the ?uestion1
+ery #ell uite #ell I you could ha&e said moreabout the global scale
'o" "ell do your paragraphs relate to the ?uestion1 +ery #ell % agree
'o" "ell de$eloped is your case study !no"ledge1 $ bit sketchy' %#as not sure #hichcase studiesa!!lied
)ou could ha&e used the ollo#ing casestudies4$ral Sea( Water $id !rojects in $ rica
To "hat e tent do you use other e$idence/ e amplesand illustrations to support the points made1 % used lots o dataand e&idence % disagree I you ha&e not used anydates or numbers?si.es in your ans#er
Teacher comment
This #as good o&erall' )ou ha&e im!ro&ed the structure'The main areas or im!ro&ement are the use o case studies and actual material?e&idence to su!!ort yourarguments')ou also need to mention the global scale 5!atterns o #ater resources and consum!tion or the #orld as a #hole8
Targets. hat 6 "ill do to impro$e my "or! ne t time1
% aim to im!ro&e my case studies and actual content
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section ": #eed$ack and self%assessment
Self.assessment$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale Feedbac! can be pro$ided at all stages o the learning process# This includeseedbac! to and rom the student and teacher/ bet"een students 2peer eedbac!
and the studentBs o"n eedbac! to him>hersel #
$idence suggests that ormati$e eedbac! has some o the most positi$e e ectson learners# The greatest e ect is on the "ea!est learners 2%lac! and illiam/+998 #
This sel assessment sheet is an e ample o the studentBs o"n eedbac! tothemsel$es# 6t co$ers a "ide range o s!ills and abilities/ not ust sub ect!no"ledge#
o! to use The orm should be used during a course or module# For each area the studentis re?uired to rate themsel$es and pro$ide comments/ and at the end to suggestactions to"ards reaching their goals# The teacher can re$ie" the orm andpro$ide urther ormati$e assessment in discussion or through "ritten comments#
*ate your progress using the ollo"ing scale.+ Insatis actory , )atis actory 3 :ery good ( cellent
(nowledge and understanding)ow well have I learned and understood the !aterial covered?
*ating &omment
Anal)sis)ow good a! I at working out what $uestions !ean? )ow well can I a%%ly theory and conce%ts to di erent %arts o thecourse?
*ating &omment
*+aluation)ow well do I weigh u% strengths and weaknesses or di erent %oints o view be ore reaching a conclusion?
*ating &omment
ersonal organisation, attitude and beha+iour Do I always have the right e$ui%!ent? Is ho!ework done on ti!e? A! I %unctual to lessons? Do I always %ay attention?Is !y work always co!%leted?
*ating &omment
In+ol+ement and initiati+e)ow con ident a! I at contributing to discussions or suggesting ideas? )ow o ten do I take the initiative and ind e+trahel% or e+tra !aterial when a%%ro%riate?
*ating &omment
Standard of wor$)ow satis ied a! I with !y %rogress and attain!ent so ar?
*ating &omment
ActionsTaking all the above into account" what do I need to do to achieve !y goals in this sub*ect?
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section ": #eed$ack and self%assessment
3opic revie!$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale *e$ie"ing learning should be a continuing and regular process# At the end oteaching a topic/ teachers need to ensure that students ha$e an understanding othe structure o "hat they ha$e learned# 6 they do/ then material is li!ely to gointo permanent memory 2Petty/ ,00< # This orm assists that process by as!ingstudents to summarise the !ey points o a topic#
ell structured note ma!ing at the end o a topic has positi$e e ects on learningaccording to -arCano et al # 2,00+ # These notes are also use ul "hen it comes tore$ision#
o! to use At the end o a topic students ill in the orm to summarise the !ey learningpoints# This might be supported through a group or class discussion#
There is an opportunity or teachers to add ormati$e assessment comments#
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Topic Shanty to#ns
Dey ideas and conceptsShanty to#ns are >marginal* or in ormal settlementsThey are irregular( lo#1cost d#ellings( usually on land belonging to third !artiesMost o ten located on the edge o citiesShanty to#ns are mostly ound in de&elo!ing nations( #ith an une3ual distribution o #ealthSome shanty to#ns ha&e !o!ulations a!!roaching that o a city
)ummary o main points0#ellings are o ten assembled rom !ieces o !ly#ood ( corrugated metal ( sheets o !lastic( and any other material that #ill !ro&ide co&erShanty to#ns usually ha&e high rates o crime( suicide( and disease2n the other hand( they may also be !laces o ho!e( #ith a sense o a counter1culture%n 6<<D( it #as estimated that 7 H o Rio s !o!ulation li&ed #ithin a&elasRocinha( /a&Lo.inho( /arada de ucas( Cidade de 0eus ( Mar and Turano are some o the most
amous o Rio s a&elas%n general( shanty to#ns become more de&elo!ed and established o&er time( and buildingsbecome im!ro&ed as !eo!le in&est in them
)ources o in ormationGuardian article 79 May 6<<FModule booklet !ages 79167
4ther % need to learn the Rio case study or e"ams
Feedbac!$ good summary' se !age 7; o the module booklet to add a e# more rele&ant acts and
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section ": #eed$ack and self%assessment
+ am revie!$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale The purpose o this orm is to encourage students to re lect on their e ampreparation and techni?ue as "ell as their actual ans"ers# The mar! or grade isnot the main ocus here# )tudents need to re lect on and respond to the
ormati$e comments made by the mar!er# There ore it is important that anycomments made by the mar!er should "here$er possible ollo" the guidelines
or e ecti$e ormati$e assessment outlined on pages +09 ++0#
o! to use )tudents should complete the orm "hen their papers 2and comments arereturned# The purpose o the student scoring themsel$es on preparation andtechni?ue is to pro$ide a simple summary o their strengths and "ea!nesses inthese areas# The completed sheet can be retained by the teacher or student andused as a ocus or discussion about impro$ements or as part o a process otarget setting#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section ": #eed$ack and self%assessment
Assessment profile$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale Formati$e eedbac! pro$ides the ideas and guidance that students need toimpro$e their "or! and supports them as autonomous learners "ho areresponsible or their o"n learning#
This sheet enables students to record and re lect on the comments and ad$ice"hich they ha$e recei$ed o$er the course o a topic or module# Note that theyare not re?uired to record the mar! or grade although o course this could beadded by editing the orm# 'o"e$er/ e$idence suggests that instructi$ecomments are more e ecti$e in raising per ormance than mar!s and grades2%lac! and illiam/ +998 #
o! to use )tudents can complete the orm each time "or! is returned or on completion othe topic>module# The column headed Marker,s co!!ents re ers to thecomments made by the teacher on the original piece o "or!# 4nly a summary othe !ey points is re?uired here# This ocuses the student on the nature o theteacherBs comments and helps them identi y patterns in their "or!#
+ ample
Tas!e'g' essay" %resentation
Topic>issue -ar!erBs comments -y comments
+ Short e"am3uestion 56<<D8
Stalin*s rise to!o#er
Need to be mores!eci ic and !recise
% need to use moredates and names inmy ans#ers
, Short e"am3uestion 56<<F8
Stalin and the/olitburo
$ good ans#er #ithlots o rele&antcontent 1 butunbalanced' Need tomanage time better
% need to take morenotice o the ratioo marks to minutes
3 Essay 3uestion56<<98
Stalin and -itler Structure oans#er is good I but
ran out o time'Time managementa!!ears to be mainissue
% need to im!roðe balance
bet#een !lanning myans#er and #ritingit so that % do notrun out o time
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section &: !ssa's and longer pieces of writing
Introduction
+ssays and longer pieces of !riting
There are many "ays to brea! up the stages in$ol$ed in the comple process o "riting an essayor longer piece o te t# The per ectB essay style is also open to a degree o interpretation# 'o"e$er/it helps students i the teacher points out the $arious stages in$ol$ed and suggests a ormat andprocess or getting rom the ?uestion to a "ell structured ans"er#
This section is di erent rom other sections in the boo! in that each o the pages can ollo" on romthe pre$ious one/ although they can also be used separately#
There are i$e steps on the road to a sound essay.+# @ecoding the ?uestion,# %rainstorming ideas3# )orting ideas into a plan(# riting5# *e$ie"ing and amending
-any students only get as ar as numbers , and (#
The ollo"ing orms aim to gi$e students a structure to ollo" using these stages.• @ecoding the ?uestion• %rainstorming ideas and sorting into a plan• riting/ re$ie"ing and amending
For more in ormation to help students "rite "ell structured paragraphs see the (riting better %aragra%hs template#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section &: !ssa's and longer pieces of writing
Decoding the :uestion$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale -any o the common errors made by students in tests and e ams occur notbecause o lac! o !no"ledge or s!ills but because they are not clear about thenature o the tas! that has been set# This is particularly the case "ith essays andlonger pieces o "riting "here the instructions are o ten ?uite open and general#
or!ing out the e act demands o a ?uestion by ta!ing each part o it in turn andocusing on its e act "ording is thus an important initial stage in constructing a
success ul ans"er#
o! to use )tudents can complete this orm "hen an essay has been set# They may needguidance on the e act meaning o co!!and and key "ords and re"ording the?uestion is by no means a simple tas!# 6t may help to complete the orm in pairsor groups so ideas can be shared#
+ ample
Title or ?uestion>$ll citi.ens o the K should ha&e e3ual rights'* To #hat e"tent do some indi&iduals andgrou!s in the K e"!erience ine3uality and discriminationA
&ommand "ords are the instruction "ords that tell you "hat to do e#g# outline/ describe/ discuss/identi y/ assess#
6n this ?uestion the command "ords are. To #hat e"tent
This means 6 should. Judge ho# much o something is occurring
Dey "ords are the "ords in the ?uestion that tell you "hat your ans"er should include# They areo ten technical "ords used in the sub ect#
6n this ?uestion the !ey "ords are. Citi.ens( e3ual rights( ine3uality( discrimination
6 "ill use the ollo"ing de initions o !ey "ords#These de initions could be used in your answer" es%ecially in the introduction
Citi.ens /eo!le #ho are members o a country
E3ual rights E&eryone in a country has the same reedoms and !rotections
%ne3uality /eo!le ha&ing di erent amounts o things such as money
0iscrimination /eo!le being treated un airly
Loo! at your ans"ers abo$e and use them to re"rite the ?uestion in your o"n "ords
Most !eo!le agree that e&eryone in the K should ha&e the same reedoms and !rotection
but are some indi&iduals and grou!s actually treated un airly( leading to them ha&ing lessA
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section &: !ssa's and longer pieces of writing
Decoding the :uestion
@ecoding means "or!ing out e actly "hat a ?uestion is about and ho" it should be ans"ered#This is the essential irst step in producing a success ul ans"er#
Title or ?uestion
&ommand "ords are the instruction "ords that tell you "hat to do e#g# outline/ describe/ discuss/identi y/ assess#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section &: !ssa's and longer pieces of writing
+ssay brainstorm$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale =etting started on an essay or long piece o "riting can pro$e a barrier or manystudents# This orm helps stimulate thin!ing by as!ing students to identi y thesorts o eatures that might be included in their ans"er and then to deri$e thesubstanti$e content rom these#
o! to use )ome o the eatures may re?uire urther e planation# Also/ only some "ill berele$ant to a particular title# 4nce the students ha$e a list o material they mayneed support in selecting "hich is most rele$ant# This process might be helpedby pair or group "or!/ or e ample in the orm o sno"ballingB 2see pages 53 ( #
+ ample
Title or ?uestionTo #hat e"tent #ould you agree that ondon is the #orld*s greatest cityA
%elo" is a list o eatures that might be included in an essay# 'o"e$er/ not all o them "ill berele$ant to e$ery essay# &ircle the eatures that you thin! should be included in this essay# As youcircle the eatures thin! about them in more detail# hat e actly "ould you include1
No" brainstorm the content that might go into the essay/ that is all the things you ha$e co$ered inthe sub ect that could be rele$ant# Ise the items circled to gi$e you hints#
%elo" is a list o eatures that might be included in an essay# 'o"e$er/ not all o them "ill berele$ant to e$ery essay#
&ircle the eatures that you thin! should be included in this essay# As you circle the eatures thin!about them in more detail# hat e actly "ould you include1
@iagrams &ase studies amples &onclusion Theories
&alculations Names o placesor people 6ntroduction Ans"er to the
No" brainstorm the content that might go into the essay/ that is all the things you ha$e co$ered inthe sub ect that could be rele$ant# Ise the items circled to gi$e you hints#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section &: !ssa's and longer pieces of writing
+ssay planning$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale -any longer pieces o "riting are hampered by lac! o planning# )tudents simply"rite points do"n as they come to mind# This approach "ill certainly limit themar!s they can achie$e# To gain high mar!s essays need to be coherent and "ellorganised# This template di$ides the process o essay planning into three parts.introduction/ main themes and conclusion and ad$ises students about the sortso material that might be included in each part#
o! to use The orm assumes that initial brainstorming has already ta!en place so studentsalready ha$e an idea o the o$erall content o the essay# They may need supportin understanding and identi ying terms li!e key the!es and key debates #
)tudents could hand in this orm as a co$er sheet "hen they submit the essay#
+ ample
Title or ?uestion
To #hat e"tent #ould you agree that ondon is the #orld*s greatest cityA
ssays should start "ith an introduction# Typically this "ill e plain the !ey terms and debates thatthe essay "ill co$er# 6denti y !ey terms and debates in the bo belo"#
6ntroductionGreatest I #hat e"actly does this meanA Si.eA -istoryA CultureA WealthA /o!ularityAMi"tureA0ebates I the arguments that it is the greatest and the arguments that it isn*t I its !roblemsand the claims o other cities
No" try to identi y bet"een three and si main themes o the essay#
-ain themesThe claims o other cities to be the greatest$rguments that it is the greatest city$rguments that it isn*t
Ne t/ put these themes in the order you thin! most suitable or this title#
7' $rguments that it is the greatest city
6' $rguments that it isn*t
9' The claims o other cities to be the greatest
ach o these themes may ta!e up one paragraph o the essay#
ssays usually end "ith a conclusion "hich sums up the main arguments and ans"ers the?uestion set# Loo!ing bac! at the ?uestion/ place your o$erall ans"er to it in the bo belo"#
&onclusion. ans"er to ?uestion>title
%t is a great city in many #ays but so are others such as /aris and Ne# )ork and /eking' %t isim!ossible to say #hich is actually >greatest* and !ointless really
ssays should start "ith an introduction# Typically this "ill e plain the !ey terms and debates thatthe essay "ill co$er# 6denti y !ey terms and debates in the bo belo"#
6ntroduction
No" try to identi y bet"een three and si main themes o the essay#
-ain themes
Ne t/ put these themes in the order you thin! most suitable or this title#
ach o these themes may ta!e up one paragraph o the essay#
ssays usually end "ith a conclusion "hich sums up the main arguments and ans"ers the?uestion set# Loo!ing bac! at the ?uestion/ place your o$erall ans"er to it in the bo belo"#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section &: !ssa's and longer pieces of writing
<riting better paragraphs$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale )ome students e perience di iculties in constructing "ell structured paragraphs#This orm assumes that paragraphs should start "ith a statement o their theme/de$elop the theme/ then pro$ide e$idence and e amples be ore lin!ing to thene t paragraph# This orm ignores any e$aluati$e element "hich teachers mayneed to add i that s!ill is re?uired by the title# Teachers may "ant to adapt the
orm to suit their o"n sub ect and ideas about paragraphing#
o! to use The acti$ity should end "ith students "riting their paragraph in ull# Although bestcompleted indi$idually it "ould be use ul or students to compare and e$aluateeach otherBs paragraphs#
+ ample
Title or ?uestionTo #hat e"tent #ould you agree that ondon is the #orld*s greatest cityA
@ecide on the theme o the paragraph you are going to "rite and its lin! to the ?uestion#
Theme o paragraph%n this !aragra!h % #ill be 3uoting e&idence #hich suggests that ondon could be regarded asone o the #orld*s greatest cities 5i not the greatest8' %t is !art o the argument in a&ouro the statement in the 3uestion'
The irst sentence o a paragraph usually states its o$erall theme
First sentence%t can be argued that ondon is one o the #orld*s great cities'
Then it goes on to de$elop the main point by including one or t"o urther sentences o e planation#
The paragraph "ill then need some e$idence
hat e$idence "ill you put in this paragraph1
$idencee'g' case studies" e+a!%les" igures
% #ill mention its !o!ularity #ith tourists( its economic strength( its historical im!ortance(and some o its key eatures'
The last sentence o the paragraph can lin! it to the ne t
Last sentence0es!ite its historical signi icance( im!ortance to the global economy and #orld#ide ame(other cities can also make a claim to be the #orld*s greatest'
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section (: )evision
Introduction
1evision
*e$ision is an area "hich many students ind daunting and di icult so they "ill bene it rom clearinstructions on "hat constitutes e ecti$e re$ision# *ecent research has shed light on some o thelin!s bet"een brain acti$ity and recall# This includes types o acti$ities/ the duration o acti$ities/ thele$el o moti$ation and the physical>mental state o the student#
)tudents may need to be directed to"ards 2or taught ho" to use the acti$ities "hich are mostli!ely to help them recall "hat they ha$e learned/ and should be made a"are o the actors thatin luence the e ecti$eness o their re$ision# 6t is also important to remember that learning is ma!ingsense o things/ not ust remembering 2Petty/ ,00< #
)mith 2+998 suggests some !ey points in relation to re$ision.• *epetition>rote learning 2using categorical or semantic memory can be e ecti$e or
remembering material but needs regular rehearsal/ and the conte t o the learning may not be"ell remembered#
• Lin!ing memory "ith other senses or mo$ement 2procedural memory can be more e ecti$e/but may be di icult to achie$e in some classrooms or or some conceptual sub ects#
• -emory "hich is associated "ith locations and circumstances 2conte tual memory is o tenmost e ecti$e J but is di icult to achie$e and is poor or recalling details unless connected "ithother memory systems#
• )ome e$idence suggests that the most e ecti$e length o time or chun!s o re$ision ischronological age plus one or t"oB 2in minutes up to a ma imum o ,5 minutes be ore ta!ing a
brea!#• Pre$ie" o in ormation and re$ie" o in ormation are essential stages#• Ise the )&4T) &LAN -AP) model to aid recall# This is the idea that the best re$ision
techni?ues are. )ensory>&olour ul and $isual> 4utrageous>Thematic or topical>)e?uencedK&hun!ed>Located>Associated>Numbered>-nemonics>Alliteration/ rhythm/rhyme>Personalised>)hared#
• )tudents should be encouraged to consider the importance o -4))2-oti$ation>4utcome>)trategies>)tate in e ecti$e re$ision and recall#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section (: )evision
1evision timetable$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale *e$ision is a daunting prospect or most students# They "ill need support ininding "ays o ma!ing the process manageable and achie$able# &reating a
re$ision plan or timetable "ill help them ocus on the time a$ailable and the tas!ahead# 'o"e$er/ it can be a comple process/ re?uiring students to match the
amount o time needed to the amount o time a$ailable# They "ill need toanticipate their commitments o$er se$eral "ee!s and brea! do"n the material tobe re$ised into manageable sections#
)ome students "ill "ant to create a detailed plan "hilst others "ill "ant to !eep it?uite basic# ither approach is acceptable but it is not ad$isable to a$oid astrategy altogether#
4n the irst attempt many students may be unrealistic about both the timea$ailable and the time re?uired#
o! to use )tudents should be as!ed to ill in the rele$ant sections realistically# They should
be reminded that this is or their o"n use they are not trying to impress theirteacher "ith unrealistic amounts o time set aside or re$ision#
The aim is to come up "ith a "ee!ly plan o t"o hour slots or re$ision# Theyshould !eep it relati$ely simple there is no point spending hours creating ahighly detailed re$ision schedule "hen things are li!ely to change# This helps toa$oid the situation "here a student spends more time "riting and changing theirschedule than actually re$ising#
*eassure students that e$en i they donBt stic! to the plan completely it "ill stillbe use ul in pro$iding guidelines to help structure their re$ision#
Step #$ <ee&ly planner Thin! about "hen you ha$e ree time each day 2be realistic # Place a tic! in any o the time slots
"here a clear t"o hours are a$ailable or re$ision# 6 your "ee!s $ary you may need to ill in one othese tables or each "ee!#
@ay arly morning Late morning arlya ternoon
Late a ternoon $ening
-ondayTuesday
ednesdayThursdayFriday)aturday
)unday
Step '$ 3otal hours available before first e am'o" many slots ha$e you highlighted or re$ision1'o" many "ee!s until your irst e am1Number o slots , number o "ee!s M total number o hours or re$ision
Step ($ Dividing your time bet!een sub=ects@i$ide the total number o hours a$ailable bet"een your sub ects
)ub ect Number o hours
Step *$ Is this enough time6Thin! o all the topics you need to consider or each sub ect# 6 you are not satis ied that you ha$e
enough time to re$ise them all/ go bac! to )tep + and ind some more time or re$ision# Hou canthen repeat )teps , to (#
6 you are satis ied that you do ha$e enough time/ go bac! to your "ee!ly planner and decide"hich sub ect to re$ise "hen# rite your plan do"n some"here 2li!e a diary "here you "ill see itand ma!e use o it#
Step 5$ >eep it under revie!-a!e use o the abo$e se?uence to !eep your re$ision under re$ie"# 6 some things are aster orslo"er than e pected you can update your plan# )imilarly/ i other e$ents or acti$ities crop up/ you"ill need to put them into your "ee!ly plan and ad ust the re$ision times#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section (: )evision
+ffective revision$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale This sheet brings together some o the e$idence about "hat "or!s or re$isionand recall# The chec!list is based on the ideas o )&4T) &LAN -AP) and-4)) 2)mith/ +998 outlined on page 95#
o! to use)tudents should be as!ed to re lect on the methods they use or re$ision andindicate "hich they do or do not use# )ome o the ideas and their bene its mayneed to be discussed or e plained# 6t may be use ul or a "hole group discussionto ta!e place be ore students are as!ed to comment on "hat they might dodi erently#
)tudents need to be a"are that di erent methods o re$ision are li!ely to bemore or less e ecti$e depending on their pre erred learning styles#
This is a list o acti$ities that are !no"n to be e ecti$e "ays to re$ise and recall in ormation# Tic!the ones you normally use# &onsider using some o the others#
Turning te t into pictures or pictures into te t
Ising di erent coloured paper or highlighters
Putting material into strange or outrageous conte ts
&reating spider diagrams and mind maps
-a!ing re$ision cards
Learning material in di erent places
-a!ing numbered lists
-a!ing up rhymes
Learning "ith or teaching other people
*ecording yoursel and listening bac! to it
Place a tic! or cross as appropriate or each o the ollo"ing ?uestions# The more tic!s/ the moree ecti$e your re$ision is li!ely to be#
Am 6 al"ays clear about "hy 6 am learning things1
@o 6 gi$e mysel re"ards during re$ision1
Am 6 a"are o ho" the in ormation 6 am learning its into the course as a "hole1
@o 6 e$er $isualise mysel achie$ing the outcome 6 "ant1
@o 6 ha$e a suitable space and en$ironment or re$ising1
@o 6 eat and drin! sensibly during the re$ision period1
@o 6 ha$e the resources 6 need or re$ision1
@o 6 ha$e a method o testing mysel 1
@o 6 re$ise material more than once1
Am 6 ree rom inter erence "hen 6 "ant to re$ise1
@o 6 ha$e enough brea!s during re$ision1
4$erall/ ho" use ul do 6 ind my strategies or re$ision and is there anything 6 can do to impro$e1
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section (: )evision
)emory aids
-emory aids are de$ices or tric!s or remembering acts or se?uences# They "or! best i youma!e them up yoursel / i they are unny or outrageous or i they lin! to something else you !no"#They do not ha$e to be "ords you can dra" a picture i it helps#
+ ample #$ )emory aid'o" can 6 remember "hich "ire goes "here in a plug1
The b - ue "ire goes to the - e t and b %o"n "ire goes to the %ight
+ ample '$ )nemonic A mnemonic is a method o recalling a se?uence o !ey "ords by associating the irst letters o these?uence "ith the irst letters o each "ord o a memorable phrase or sentence#
'o" can 6 remember the order o the colours in a rainbo"1
%ed/ o range/ ) ello"/ g reen/ b lue/ indigo/ +iolet
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section (: )evision
+ am chec&list$ 3eachers4 notes
1ationale 6t seems that the importance o e aminations !eeps gro"ing# For most studentssound e am techni?ue is a prere?uisite or success#
)tudents need to be "ell prepared or e ams and to be a"are o good practiceonce they are in the e amination room#
o! to use The chec!list includes t"enty pieces o good ad$ice or students ta!ing ane amination#
To in$ol$e students acti$ely in the chec!list/ they could generate their o"n list oe am tips through discussion in pairs or groups or through sno"balling 2seepages 53 ( # They could then compare it to the list here#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section *: +hecklists for reflective teachers
Introduction
"hec&lists for reflective teachers
The aim o this section is to pro$ide starting points or teachers "ho "ant to re$ie" and impro$etheir teaching# The chec!lists ocus on di erent aspects o teaching. presentation o ne" material/?uality o eedbac!/ ?uestioning techni?ues/ ?uality o "ritten resources/ classroom en$ironmentand e ecti$eness o home"or!#
They can be used by any teacher on their o"n initiati$e or could orm the basis o a peerobser$ation or discussion o current practice .
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section *: +hecklists for reflective teachers
Am I presenting ne! material effectively63eachers4 notes
1ationale Teaching can be thought o in three stages. present/ apply and re$ie"# 6n manyclassrooms the presentation phase in$ol$es the teacher doing lots o "or! and
the students being $ery passi$e# 'o"e$er/ it is possible to include challenginggoals and rele$ant eedbac! or students as part o this presentation stage/ "iththe result that teaching and learning are both enhanced# Petty 2,00< suggeststhat there are three approaches to this.
+# Ising con$entional teaching methods more e ecti$ely# 'e ad$ocates theollo"ing se?uence. chec! prior learning/ set goals rele$ant to the learning o
ne" material/ e plain the ne" material/ mo$ing rom "hat is !no"n to "hat isun!no"n 2to include dialogue and chec!ing o understanding / then chec!that goals ha$e been achie$ed#
,# Teaching by as!ing 2instead o teaching by telling #3# Teaching "ithout tal!ing using resources that e plain the topic#
o! to use The chec!list can be used to help identi y areas that teachers might de$elop inthe uture and to reassure teachers that they are presenting ne" material in "aysthat are li!ely to ma imise learning#
6t could be used as part o a process o sel or peer assessment o lessons orparts o lessons#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section *: +hecklists for reflective teachers
Am I providing good feedbac&63eachers4 notes
1ationale The most e ecti$e eedbac! is ormati$e in nature that is it pro$ides the ideasand guidance "hich students need to impro$e their "or! and supports them asautonomous learners "ho are responsible or their o"n progress# Formati$eassessment plays a crucial role in learning 2'attie et al # +99< #
The best e amples o ormati$e assessment ta!e account o .
• @i erent intelligences and learning styles 2see pages 9 +0 #• The bene its o re"arding e ort as "ell as achie$ement#• The amount o learning that has occurred rather than the per ormance#• The need to moti$ate in order to promote sel esteem and learning#• The act that ormati$e assessment should be only part o an o$erall teaching
and learning policy 2&lar!e/ ,005 #
The templates pro$ided in the section on .eedback 2see pages 73 8( "illpro$ide support or teachers !een to de$elop their approach to ormati$eassessment#
o! to use The chec!list allo"s teachers to re lect on their use o ormati$e assessment# 6tshould assist in the identi ication o areas to de$elop as "ell as pro$idingreassurance about e isting approaches to pro$iding eedbac!#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section *: +hecklists for reflective teachers
Do my :uestions encourage higher.orderthin&ing6
3eachers4 notes
1ationaleFor most students/ tal!ing about the sub ect is an essential element o e ecti$elearning# This means that the use and de$elopment o $ocabulary is a po"er ultool or empo"ering students# As language de$elops/ so does the ability tounderstand and underta!e more comple tas!s# )mith 2+998 suggests thatstudents mo$e through a hierarchy o learning "hich can be characterised as!no"ledge/ comprehension/ application/ analysis/ e$aluation and synthesis# Ateach stage o the hierarchy the language used and the le$el o thin!ing re?uiredbecomes more comple # To support the upper le$els o this hierarchy/ teachersneed to use ?uestions "hich are o a higher order than those used lo"er do"nthe hierarchy#
o! to use The chec!list can be completed by the teacher alone or in discussion 2perhaps
a ter a lesson obser$ation # Thin! o the di erent ?uestions as!ed/ either asspo!en ?uestions or in the orm o tas!s or instructions#
All the ?uestions on the chec!list are higher order ?uestions/ so the more tic!s/the more o ten higher order ?uestions are being as!ed#
)ome ?uestions in the chec!list are ta!en rom 'eaco 2,00, #
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section *: +hecklists for reflective teachers
Do my :uestions encourage higher.orderthin&ing6
Do I use the ollowing kinds o $uestions? 6
"larification :uestionshat is meant by################################################################# ########################hat are the big ideas in################################################ #############################1
hat is the main problem "ith################################################# ####################1
&an you e plain#################################################################### #####################
"hec&ing assumptionshat assumptions are being made1
@escribe some $ie"points on this
6s this al"ays the case1
6n "hat "ays might these arguments be biased1
To "hat e tent can "e rely on this in ormation1
Providing reasons and evidencehat e$idence is there or############################################# ##############################1
hy do you agree>disagree1
'o" could "e ind out1
'o" much support is there or########################################### ##########################1
'o" strong is the e$idence or####################################################### ##############1
hat are the strengths and "ea!nesses o these arguments19ie!points
hy do some people thin!################################################################ ###########1
hat e$idence do people use to argue that################################# ################1
=i$e a counterargument to the idea that##################################### ###################
plain the opposite $ie" to your o"n opinion
hat "ould you do i ##################################################################### #and "hy1
hat "ould ################################################ ############do in the circumstances1
Implications and conse:uences
hat might ha$e happened i ###################################################################### #1hat "ould ha$e been the conse?uences o #################################### ###########1
ere there alternati$es to######################################################### ###################1
'o" could this outcome ha$e been changed1
hat di erence "ould it ha$e made i ######################################################## ##1
Predictionshat is li!ely to happen i ############################################## ##############################1
hat are the possible outcomes o ############################################# #################1
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section *: +hecklists for reflective teachers
o! good are my !ritten resources63eachers4 notes
1ationale The ocus or this chec!list is on "ritten resources such as "or!sheets/ readingmaterials/ presentations and documents# 6t is a chec!list or many aspects ogood practice on di erentiation/ learning styles/ readability/ student moti$ationand the pro$ision o positi$e ormati$e eedbac!#
o! to use The chec!list could be used as part o a teacherBs sel re lection or could be theocus or peer obser$ation or re$ie" by a colleague# Areas "hich are not tic!ed
probably need to be addressed by a change o approach and>or a change opolicy# Further use ul in ormation on resources can be ound in 'ollo"ay/ ,00(#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section *: +hecklists for reflective teachers
Is my classroom a good learning environment63eachers4 notes
1ationale The classroom is "here most teaching and learning ta!es place# To be a goodlearning en$ironment or all students/ a classroom should re lect the ideas andprinciples o e ecti$e teaching and learning#
The chec!list here is based on the ideas o )mith et al # 2,003 / &lar!e 2,005and =innis 2,00, # The main ocus is the physical en$ironment o the classroomrather than the teaching and learning interactions "hich are dealt "ith throughoutthe rest o this boo!#
o! to use Areas "hich are not ans"ered positi$ely may need consideration# This mayre?uire some e penditure or institutional change although many o the eatureson the list are ree or relati$ely ine pensi$e to implement# Any ?uestionsans"ered "ith a ?uestion mar! should be ollo"ed by an attempt to ind out Jthis may in$ol$e setting up a ocus group or discussion "ith students#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section *: +hecklists for reflective teachers
Am I setting effective home!or&63eachers4 notes
1ationale 'ome"or! is such a "idespread eature o the education system that it is almostta!en or granted# 'o"e$er/ research sho"s that home"or! is not al"ayse ecti$e at enhancing learning so its use needs to be regularly re$ie"ed# -ui sand *eynolds 2,005 pro$ide an accessible summary o the e$idence on thee ecti$eness o home"or! and this is re lected in the chec!list#
$idence suggests that home"or! is less e ecti$e or younger students# 6n thelo"er primary le$el/ home"or! may be completely ine ecti$e and in upperprimary should probably ne$er e ceed ,0 minutes per day# The e ecti$eness ohome"or! impro$es at secondary le$el but e$en in the upper years shouldprobably not e ceed 90 minutes per day#
o! to use The chec!list contains a list o ?uestions about those aspects o home"or! thatare thought to be most strongly lin!ed to e ecti$eness# Teachers should re lect
on their use o home"or! and ans"er the ?uestions to identi y areas o goodpractice and areas or impro$ement#
50 templates for improving teaching and learning Section *: +hecklists for reflective teachers
Am I setting effective home!or&6
6Purpose
Am 6 al"ays clear about the purpose o the home"or!1
@o 6 a$oid setting home"or! as punishment1
ome!or& and curriculum6s home"or! integrated into the lesson and>or topic1
@oes home"or! rein orce the main curriculum ideas1
Level and type of tas&6s the home"or! appropriate to the age and maturity o the students1
6s home"or! challenging but achie$able1
6s home"or! suitably di erentiated1
7rganisation Are students encouraged to use a home"or! planner to organise their "or!1
Are students encouraged to indicate the time spent on the home"or!1
Are there conse?uences or students "ho do not attempt the home"or!1
6s home"or! in line "ith any institution "ide approach>policy1
6s support or home"or! a$ailable outside lessons1
3he environment for home!or&&an 6 be sure that students ha$e an ade?uate home en$ironment orhome"or!16s home"or! o ten lin!ed to e$eryday li e and student e perience1
50 templates for improving teaching and learning ,i$liograph'
Bibliography
Allinson/ &# # and 'ayes/ E# 2+988 The Learning Styles /uestionnaire- an alternative to 0olb1sinventory? Eournal o -anagement )tudies/ ,5/ pp# ,<9 ,8+
Ausubel/ @# P#/ No$a!/ E# and 'anesian/ '# 2+9<8 #ducation 2sychology- A cognitive view # Ne"Hor!. 'olt *hinehart and inston%lac!/ P# and illiam/ @# 2+998 Inside the 3lack 3o+- 4aising standards through classroo!assess!ent # London. Dings &ollege )chool o ducation%lac!/ P#/ 'arrison/ &#/ Lee/ &#/ -arshall/ %# and illiam/ @# 2,003 Assess!ent or Learning-2utting it into %ractice # %uc!ingham. 4pen Ini$ersity Press%uCan/ T# 2+99+ The Mind Ma% 3ook # Ne" Hor!. Penguin&lar!e/ )# 2,005 .or!ative Assess!ent in the Secondary Classroo! # London. 'odder -urray&o ield/ F# E#/ -oseley/ @# :#/ 'all/ # and cclestone/ D# 2,00( Should we be using learningstyles? (hat research has to say to %ractice # London. Learning and )!ills *esearch&entre>Ini$ersity o Ne"castle upon Tyne@"ec!/ &# 2+999 Sel 5Theories- Their role in !otivation" %ersonality and develo%!ent # PsychologyPress. PhiladelphiaFogarty/ *# 2,00, 3rain Co!%atible Classroo!s 67 nd #dition8' 6llinois. )!ylight Pro essional
@e$elopment=innis/ P# 2,00, The Teacher,s Toolkit # &armarthen. &ro"n 'ouse Publishing'attie/ E#/ %iggs/ E# and Purdie/ N# 2+99< # ects o learning skills interventions on studentlearning- a !eta5analysis # *e$ie" o ducational *esearch/ <<#,. 99 +3<'attie/ E# 2,00( .actors that In luence Children,s Learning- 4esults ro! a study involving 9::!eta5analyses # Presentation at )*& )eminar )eries. Dno"ledge and )!ills or Learning toLearn/ Ne"castle ID/ 08>07>,00('eaco / @# 2,00, Di erentiating Instruction in the 4egular Classroo! # -inneapolis. Free )piritPublishing'errmann/ N# 2+99< The (hole 3rain 3usiness 3ook # Ne" Hor! -c=ra" 'ill'ollo"ay/ E# 2,00( )idden Disabilities- The Teaching 0it # Le"es. &onnect Publications'ollo"ay/ E# 2,00< Mental )ealth Issues- The Teaching 0it # Le"es. &onnect Publications
'ughes/ -# 2,00+ ) trategies or Closing the Learning ;a% # )ta ord. Net"or! ducational Press-arCano/ *#/ Pic!ering/ @# and Polloc!/ E# 2,00+ Classroo! Instruction That (orks # Ale andria/:irginia. A)&@-ui s/ @# and *eynolds/ @# 2,005 # ective Teaching- #vidence and 2ractice # London. )agePetty/ =# 2,005 Teaching Today- A %ractical guide" < rd edition # &heltenham. Nelson ThornesPetty/ =# 2,00< #vidence 3ased Teaching # &heltenham. Nelson Thornes