Consolidating the Learning

Learning objective? Check. Planned teaching? Check. Plenary to check the learning? Check:

‘What have I learned?’ ‘How did I learn it?’ What are my next steps?’

I find it funny that I have used these questions in my teaching since someone told me it was a good idea in my NQT year. Especially, now that I have realised that ‘used’ is probably the wrong verb. Now, I would more accurately report that they appeared in my lessons. The end of the lesson approached, the learning needed to be consolidated and these questions appeared to fit perfectly – a neat end to (what seemed like) well planned learning. However, theory and reality don’t always mix…in practice – they served no purpose as I never really dared myself to hear the answer.

With my activity complete and 5 minutes remaining – I would ask pupils to answer these questions, 3 seconds would drag painstakingly by then a student would take pity and throw some type of answer, in fact any type of answer into the equation. I recall one student who returned to ‘iambic pentameter’ in the plenary any time that we discussed Shakespeare. Relieved and determined to prove that the lesson was worth while, I’d take the answer and interpret it for them – giving students a summary of what I thought they should be learning – knowing that some of them wouldn’t have realised this and hoping that they would make some of the links and believe they’d had a successful lesson. They probably didn’t. The questions served no purpose.

I don’t know when this changed but today, I attended an inspiring session by Gary Pollard who made me realise that these questions now appear in my classroom with purpose. They are tools used for reflection – not only by the students but also by me. My plenary has transformed from a paper filling activity used to satisfy someone else - to a learning experience where students are reflecting for themselves and teaching me about the links between my lessons, other areas of the curriculum and even their interests outside of school. I am certain that hundreds and thousands of experienced teachers realised this a long time ago, but realising that I have realised is a lovely feeling…

What have I learned? I’m one step closer to being the type of teacher that I want to be. How did I learn it? By taking part in relevant and purposeful CPD that pushed me to reflect on my practice. What are my next steps? Reflect, reflect, reflect – it’s the most effective development tool I have come across.

Successes of the Secret Student

In my teaching career I have found that engagement and behaviour have a direct link. Once students are engaged their behaviour often improves. However, engaging students isn't always easy -particularly with lower ability groups. When I first began teaching I often planned the lesson around current events and using a variety of media such as music and videos but if the students weren't engaged in the first place we would never get there as I battled with behaviour and tore my hair out with frustration! Fortunately, this is a ghostly recollection from my first half term as an NQT but it reminded me of the progress that I have made and the small steps that I took to get there.

I remember trying to teach Dickens to a group of students - at first we were fine - they had all seen the movie at some point and understood the message. However, this wore off quickly; they became incredibly bored of the unfamiliar language and the extensive paragraphs I tried to get them to write. Lesson 1: Check previous attainment and make sure that you are setting realistic outcomes. If a student can't do it - they won't!

After seeking advice, I learned that Dickens (in the way it had been presented) had no use to these students - even though the skills I had to teach them were. Lesson 2: Consider the needs of the students. Once I had realised that the students needed to be able to explain themselves - I learned that they could practise this skill with any stimlus and, once they had mastered it, return to Dickens - setting them up for success instead of failure.

However, in order for this to be truly useful, the students had to know how to transfer their skills. Lesson 3: Make sure they know it is relevant I began linking my learning objectives to qualifications, GCSEs and the world outside of school. This worked for a large number of students - I found out their ambitions and their goals and was finally able to have sensible conversations about their behaviour and and their learning and whether they were choosing to make progress.

For some, the big picture was enticing but too far away to continue to be a detterent during a period 5 lesson after 2 litres of fizzy pop. Lesson 4: Never overlook the power of rewards - the biggest of which can be a genuine compliment. As I grew calmer and more confident, I looked for good behaviour and focussed on this - offering praise postcards and phonecalls for consistent work. To this day, I make more positive phonecalls than negative ones but I find that it is an investment worth making.

But what about the child who doesn't seem to care? The one who seemingly doesn't care if you call home and thinks the rewards box is "stupid anyway". The child who is content at never putting pen to paper just to show that they can or the child who disrupts the learning process in order to entertain his / her peers. The strategies above aided my planning and my composure but did not seem to motivate this child.

Perhaps I never 'unpicked' or 'solved' this child and that is why he wasn't engaged but on the surface he appeared defiant. He often said that he knew that he was clever and would apply himself if he felt it necessary; however, he had friends and a successful social life therefore education was unnecessary and he wouldn't take part. Hmmm... my views on myself as a successful teacher quickly unravelled. I sought advice from my superiors (head of department, head of year, buddies) but on this occasion it was to no avail. Lesson 5: Never under estimate the power of experience - teaching can seem isolated but when the doors begin to open students realise that they are part of a network. It can support you and them in the learning process.

However, after all of this- I was shattered. It is an exhausting process running around after 5 sets of 30 students throughout the day. I couldn't see it then but I was taking the responsibility for the behaviour of nearly 300 students in a working week - no wonder I was exhausted. On top of this, the more tired I became - the more difficult it was to keep up.

Now I employ a different strategy. Lesson 6: Students must take ownership of their actions so that they can be responsible for their actions and behaviour in the larger world. Although I continue to set students up for success - the I place the responsibility on them. One of the most successful strategies that has helped me to do this is the secret student (adapted from The Classroom Experiment, BBC)

The Secret Student

How does it work?

At the beginning of the year, I worked with the class to discuss what we wanted our environment to be like. However, with these particular students, it was important to be specific so we then discussed how this cold be achieved. I then summarised this into 8 statements (these included routines as well as expectations). For example:

• I come to lesson with a pen.
• I speak nicely to everyone.
• I put my hand up when I want to speak.

 Next, i wrote each student's name on a lollipop stick. At the beginning of each lesson, the smartest student is allowed to pick a stick a put it in the envelope.

The lesson then continues as normal. At the end of the lesson, I ask pupils to think about their behaviour during the lesson. They put their hand up if they think they would have earned the class a point. I use this as an opportunity to give praise some of the students - including pointing out some positive behaviour from those who don't have their hand up. Finally, if the student has earned their point they are revealed and recieve a round of applause (extremely powerful). However, if the student didn't recieve their point we discuss what we could have done as a class to support whoever the student was. So far, this has prompted students to highlight when they were distracting others or even if they struggled with the work.

It hasn't worked as a deterent every lesson but when the class recieved their reward lesson they appreciated it and continued to show the behaviour I expect of them.

I think that the success of this strategy is that it makes them realise they are partly responsible for others as they affect the learning that takes place in the classroom. It bonds them as a team giving them a reason to unite rather than bicker. But overall, it gives them (and me) a chance to reflect - what have we done to improve learning today?

My Classroom Experiment: Handing Over the Wooden Spoon

In the top drawer of my desk I have a wooden spoon. Perhaps it's not the most usual teaching tool to be found in an English teacher's classroom but I have found that it's one of my most powerful. 

In an environment where accountability is key, I have developed from a teacher into an assessor: I assess the work in my students' books, I assess their progress on a lesson by lesson basis, I assess my classroom and whether it encourages a suitable learning environment and I assess the type of characters coming into my classroom. I look for personalities, motivations and learning styles to target my teaching appropriately. However, I realised that I was guilty of spoon feeding my students. Although I had developed a classroom where students work hard to become poets, authors and critics - I was also developing a class full of very lazy learners with students relying on me to praise, reflect and set their targets. With this realisation, I have removed the spoon from my drawer. It sits on my desk as a reminder that it is my responsibility to prepare students for the 21st century world by teaching them to be learners as well as linguists.


Here are some of the ways I have used to hand the spoon to my students:

• The Accelerated Learning Cycle I was introduced to this by @JamiePortman. Since then, I have used the cycle to teach students about the learning process - they are becoming aware about the different stages of the learning cycle and how each stage contributes to effective learning.

• Learning Partners After working with @MissSCross, I was inspired to follow her example. By pairing pupils with other students of a similar ability, I have found that they are able to discuss their learning reflect on their work effectively.

• Learning Passport To help students to discuss their learning accurately I have developed organised the APP criteria into an English Passport. Students recieve a stamp from their Learning Partner when they can find evidence for each target - this allows them to track their own progress and it enables effective discussions about their next steps.

• Traffic Lights Inspired by The Classroom Experiment - I have been trialling the use of paper cups as a means of monitorring pupils constantly throughout the lesson. I have found that this has put the onus on the pupil to let me know if they need support rather than waiting for me to realise.

Following Twitter, I am aware that non of these techniques are new and are used - particularly in primary schools on a regular basis but they have reinspired my classroom and I am now seeing pupils engage with their learning process as well as their progress.

So, what have I learnt this term? How important it is to hand over my wooden spoon!

Here Goes...

When I first told people that I wanted to be a teacher, I was suprised to be warned that it could be a lonely profession with teachers isolating themselves within the walls of their classrooms. Fortunately, I have discovered that this is only one type of teacher - and in actual fact, the best teachers seem to be those who are willing to venture outside of this - to share ideas, resources, experiences and critcisms to ensure that their teaching is as current and motivating as possible. I have been inspired by teachers such as these within my own school and am over the moon to find that Twitter seems to be a gateway to a world full of teachers such as this. It is almost as though my computer is the portal to a new world of inspiration and creativity - in the same way that the wardrobe opened up new possibilities when the children discovered Narnia.

I love the idea that teaching is an adventure - it is a journey that requires preparation, endurance, has an element of uncertainty, has a goal (albeit ever-changing) and most importantly requires a positive approach and the support of the others - summing up why it is one of the most challenging but rewarding career paths to be chosen.