Teaching is at the core of our goal ‘Success For All’.  Good teaching means effective learning, and that is what we should be striving for in every lesson.  The ‘JRCS Framework for Teaching’ is designed to put in place a structure and pedagogy which supports these aims.  It is not a highly prescriptive curriculum, but a useful framework within which to plan and deliver effective lessons.

 

The key principles and beliefs underpinning the Framework are, in no particular order, as follows:

·         teachers are not super-human.  We should therefore do all we can to make the teacher’s job as manageable as possible, recognising time constraints and practical classroom issues

·         we need to build on prior learning at KS2, and both our pedagogy and curriculum should reflect students’ experiences at primary school

·         this Framework gives a great deal of attention to using oral work to develop understanding.  Just because a student has ‘got it down in his/her book’ does not mean they have learnt anything

·         the Framework provides excellent opportunities to develop students’ capacity to think for themselves, and is designed to ensure that students are required to engage with the learning right through the lesson.  There is little opportunity to disengage

·         emphasis is placed on the role of the teacher in modelling as part of the teaching process

·         the Framework emphasises the need for quality resources from a wide range of sources.  Wherever possible, text should be in ‘Arial’

·         students are expected to listen to both the teacher and each other.  The role of students ‘taking the lesson forward’ is an important part of the pedagogy

·         the Framework recognises the importance of having a basic structure to lessons in the first place.  Good learning takes place where there has been good planning, and clear ‘signalling’ to students as the lesson moves from one stage to the next

·         reinforcement or ‘over-learning’ is built into lesson structures.  This also provides an excellent opportunity for formative assessment, thus enabling the teacher to check for understanding and adjust planning when necessary

·         the Framework adopts a pragmatic approach to issues surrounding differentiation.  By establishing a pedagogy based on integration rather than total differentiation, the approach helps to make the teachers’ job easier, and ‘keeps the students together’, thus allowing equal access to quality texts, for example.  It challenges the more able, and supports those who move at a slower pace

·         the Framework recognises the importance of pace and challenge within lesson planning

·         the Framework should not be viewed as a straitjacket.  It is designed to be used flexibly.  The underlying issue should be one of ‘fitness for purpose’

 

Typical lesson structure

The Framework is based on three stages within every lesson.

Starter

Main teaching phase

Conclusion

 

Starter

·         the aim of the starter is to get the group settled and focused (‘warm up the brain’)

·         short tasks, quizzes or ‘brain teasers’ are often useful ways of getting students thinking

·         students should follow the same routines at the start of every lesson (eg, coats off, work, equipment and Planners out, bags on the floor)

·         the starter should review the last lesson and/or homework

·         it sets the aims for the lesson ahead

·         it’s not based on ‘hands up’

·         teachers should avoid confrontation with difficult students wherever possible

·         homework and ‘key words’ should be written in Planners

·         the starter should start quickly and not overrun

 

Main teaching phase

This section addresses the key learning objectives and is teacher-led

·         the whole class moves at the same speed

·         learning is assessed orally throughout the phase

·         opportunities are provided for students to develop their confidence in speaking and listening

·         a large part of the phase is interactive, both between teacher and students, and between the students themselves

·         it is not didactic, with the teacher as deliverer and the students in receipt

·         it is important for the teacher to plan the transition between each part of the phase carefully

 

There are a number of techniques which make up the repertoire of strategies the teacher can employ:

 

Teacher exposition/demonstration

This technique will often start off the main teaching phase.

·         it should employ a good range of resources

·         teachers should ‘commentate’ on their thinking when explaining or modelling

·         new language/spellings should be ‘flagged up’

·         teaching should not be punctuated by questioning the class.  Students should be concentrating on understanding what is happening, and on trying to remember what they have learnt

·         it should be made clear that students will have a chance to ask questions at the end of each ‘chunk’ of learning

 

Pair/group discussion work

·         this is a very good way of ensuring all students are engaged in the lesson, and provides excellent opportunities for students to think for themselves in a less pressurised setting than whole-class questioning

·         it provides a good link between teacher exposition and structured whole-class questioning or student demonstration

·         clear timescales and expected outcomes need to be set by the teacher

·         teachers should not be worried about all students ‘reporting back’.  The main aim of this technique is to allow opportunities for all students to engage with the learning

 

Structured questioning / dialogic approach to questioning

This provides opportunities to develop understanding.  Teachers should:

·         ensure a range of questions are asked from low to high order (‘descriptive, reflective, speculative’).  A useful guide is to use starters such as: when, where, who, what, which, why, how and what if

·         rarely use hands up - much better to select students to answer.  This enables teachers to ensure students have had adequate ‘thinking time’, and means questions can be targeted to push more able students

·         teachers should not be afraid to ask the same student a series of progressively more challenging questions

·         teachers should not repeat a student’s answer.  This encourages students to mumble.  If a student is too quiet, he/she should be encouraged to repeat the answer more audibly

·         if a student is reluctant to answer, then give them time to respond.  If this fails, rephrase the question or ask another instead.  Never move on to another student until you have gained a response and praised it, but avoid the temptation to ‘over-praise’ as this can make it lose its value for students

·         teachers should use the ‘mini-white board’ or active slate where appropriate

·         teachers should make use of mediational phrases and questions which are more about ‘wondering’ than asking.  Examples include: ‘I wonder how you knew that’ or ‘Let me tell you something you may not have thought of yet…what do you think of that?’.  Whilst not directly questioning a student, they can often act as a prompt or challenge to deeper thinking and responses.

 

Student demonstration

This is perhaps the hardest technique to introduce, but the one which can contribute the most to learning when successfully implemented.  It is very dependent on the creation of the right classroom ethos, and the teacher needs to train students in the routines:

·         it is best used towards the end of the main teaching phase

·         the teacher should model an explanation first, followed by a confident student

·         when students are at the front, the teacher should consider moving to the side of the room

·         listening students should be encouraged to give feedback, and ask questions of the student at the front

 

Independent practice

The aim is to reinforce and develop learning from the interactive parts of the main teaching phase, and will often be the last part of the main teaching phase.  Independent practice will usually involve students working as individuals, but in some practical subjects it may be more appropriate to work in groups:

·         time is provided for the teacher to support less able students

·         tasks can be set to develop further more able students’ thinking and understanding

·         independent practice provides opportunities to check understanding

·         the teacher needs to explain very clearly

how written or practical work should be presented

where it should be done

the importance of handwriting, spelling, punctuation, etc, where appropriate

any health and safety considerations

·         where appropriate, students should mark or evaluate their own or each others’ work at the end of the phase

·         this enables students to gain early feedback on their progress and understanding

·         for some practical subjects, more time may well need to be given to independent practice than is suggested in the broad guidelines

·         the independent phase of the lesson provides time for staff to ‘check’ students’ work as described in the assessment policy.  Students’ work should be ‘checked’ once every two periods taught

 

Conclusion

·         an opportunity for reflection

·         a chance for students to express what they’ve learnt, and for the teacher to check for understanding

·         the teacher should summarise key learning points

·         homework can be explained/demonstrated

·         opportunity to praise the group on how they are working

·         it is important for the teacher to protect this time and for a routine to be followed for every lesson

 

Pre-conditions for learning

For the Framework to be effective, there are certain pre-conditions for learning which need to be in place.

 

Awareness of learning styles

The JRCS Framework for Teaching encourages teachers to use a wide range of teaching strategies.  These will, by the very nature of the Framework, include pedagogical approaches based on visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning styles.

 

Teachers need to ensure they use the range of VAK teaching approaches when planning lessons and SoWs remembering that

·       it is unrealistic to expect we can use all approaches in every lesson

·       that certain learning objectives intrinsically suggest a particular learning approach

·       children can often have more than one preferred learning style

 

The School also needs to include opportunities for students to gain an understanding of their preferred styles to help them develop as independent learners.

 

Classroom culture

·         the Framework is about:

collaboration in the classroom, not competition or humiliation

integration, not ‘absolute’ differentiation

dialogue, not monologue

·         clearly we need to recognise that it will take time to train students to accept some aspects of the Framework

·         much of the work being led by the CIAS will help provide the support and training on some of the underlying pedagogy

·         it is important for teachers to make very explicit what they expect students to actually do at every stage in a lesson

·         teachers should always challenge behaviour that does not meet expectations, in line with the School Code of Conduct.  As always, it is the notion of respect which underpins both the JRCS Framework for Teaching and our Code of Conduct

 

Layout of teaching space

There are a number of principles that underpin how the space should be organised:

·         students should all be facing the main focus for explanation/demonstration/central resources (eg, OHP, ICT, TV, etc)

·         students should be able to see and hear each other

·         The best layout is a horseshoe, and the design of Castle Green has enabled us to achieve this in all teaching spaces

 

Use of the data projector

The ICT data projector plays an important role in the main teaching phase, for both the teacher and students.  It needs to be readily accessible by students.  Use of a remote graphics tablet helps enormously with this.