The wisdom is that there are benefits to both working with
groups and taking a step back. The folly is that by basing oneself only with
one group, the other children are missing out on important interactions with an
adult.
A later piece of workload management advice – to give
feedback during lessons – freed me from the bondage of only ever working with
groups and helped me to understand more of the adult’s role in the classroom.
More recently, my increased understanding of early years
practice (don’t get me wrong, I’m no expert), gained mainly through observation
of really skilled practitioners at work, has helped me to see that there is so
much to be gained from the ways that adults in classrooms interact with
children.
Teachers as experts
This concept is one which should influence all our ideas
about the adult’s role in the classroom.
One of the main things that teachers do as experts is to
share what they know – this isn’t the place for going into very much about how
that happens, but I will say that it is essential before children get to the
point when they are positioned at whichever workstations are present in the
classroom doing some sort of follow-up work.
In ‘What Does This Look Like In The Classroom?’ Doug Lemov
writes: ‘Teacher-driven dissemination of
material is critical at times. It’s one of the best ways to share knowledge,
and not only is knowledge critical to learning in and of itself, but it’s the
driver of rigour during more interactive applied activities.’ (p148)
In the article in ‘The Case for Fully Guided Instruction’,
Clark, Kirschner and Sweller argue that ‘decades
of research clearly demonstrate that for novices (comprising virtually all
students), direct, explicit instruction is more effective and more efficient
than partial guidance. So, when teaching
new content and skills to novices, teachers are more effective when they
provide explicit guidance accompanied by practice and feedback, not when
they require students to discover many aspects of what they must learn.’
Rosenshine, in his article ‘Principles of Instruction’,
says that before children begin the aforementioned period of follow-up work
there should be a period of time he terms as guided practice time. He writes: ‘The more successful teachers used this
extra time to provide additional explanations, give many examples, check for
student understanding, and provide sufficient instruction so that the students
could learn to work independently without difficulty.’
The near-myth of
independent learning
Whilst most agree that independence is one of the goals of
education, there are opposing views about how to go about achieving it. In
their book ‘What Does This Look Like In The Classroom?’ Carl Hendrick and Robin
Macpherson point out that ‘…independent
learning might be a desired outcome, but paradoxically, it may not be the best
way to achieve that outcome.’ (p203) There is no point in expecting a child
to become independent by simply asking them to do something independently –
imagine if swimming teachers did that!
Within any given lesson, though, there may be periods of
time which we call independent learning – we’ve already mentioned how it is the
time after a teacher has done their bit up at the front when the children are
at their tables (usually). But what does this period of so-called independent
learning look like?
In the previous quotation Lemov mentions that this time
within lessons should feature ‘interactive
applied activities’ and Clark, Kirschner and Sweller say it should contain ‘practice and feedback’. They also point
out that a focus on explicit instruction ‘…
does not mean direct, expository instruction all day every day. Small group and independent problems and
projects can be effective – not as vehicles for making discoveries, but as a means of practicing recently learned
content and skills.’
In ‘What Does This Look Like In The Classroom?’ Paul
Kirschner also writes: ‘…they’re a
student and you have to instruct them properly. And at certain points give them
the leeway to make use of what you’ve
taught them without you constantly standing in front of the class lecturing.’
(p216)
So, there should be a part in every teaching sequence where
children are allowed to work on their own, or with a partner or a group, to
tackle tasks related to the input from the teacher where they have the chance
to practice, use and apply the content and skills that have been taught. At
this point in the lesson or teaching sequence there should be interaction from
the teacher, part of which should be the giving, receiving and acting upon of
feedback.
The need for adult
interactions
We are now assuming that the adults in the classroom are the
experts, and that in each teaching sequence there will be a time when children
are able to practice what they have been taught. We often call this independent
learning to discern it from whole class-based activity, but if it follows
teacher input of any kind, it is not truly independent.
During that practice time, then, the experts should be
interacting with the children in the room, making judgements about when to get
involved and when to stand back. But in a class of 30 children it would be rare
for there to be a prolonged period of time when no child would benefit from
some interaction with an adult.
Early Years staff understand this principle well. Back in
the days of The National Strategies a practice guide entitled ‘Learning, Playand Interacting’ was published. It puts paid to misconceptions that some teachers of older
children have about how children learn in Early Years settings – it’s not just
all children playing and adults changing nappies and bringing out snacks,
something much more is happening:
‘Adults have a crucial
role in stimulating and supporting children to reach beyond their current
limits, inspiring their learning and supporting their development. It is
through the active intervention, guidance and support of a skilled adult that
children make the most progress in their learning. This does not mean pushing
children too far or too fast, but instead meeting children where they are,
showing them the next open door, and helping them to walk through it. It means
being a partner with children, enjoying with them the power of their curiosity
and the thrill of finding out what they can do.’
Interaction is key, and whilst children in Key Stage 1 and
above (right the way through to Further Education) are progressing on their journey
to independence, if the content is new and challenging, they are still novices
and will need quality interactions with experts to help them to learn. If that
is the case, then what is written above about Early Years interactions should
be applicable to all experts who are teaching novices.
The same document breaks down something which happens in a
high quality interaction. It points out that in those spur-of-the-moment,
reactive, responsive interactions, the whole cycle of teaching is happening,
sometimes at lightning speed:
‘…young children,
however, are experiencing and learning in the here and now, not storing up
their questions until tomorrow or next week. It is in that moment of curiosity,
puzzlement, effort or interest – the ‘teachable moment’ – that the skilful
adult makes a difference. By using this cycle (observation, assessment,
planning) on a moment-by-moment basis, the adult will be always alert to
individual children (observation), always thinking about what it tells us about
the child’s thinking (assessment), and always ready to respond by using
appropriate strategies at the right moment to support children’s well-being and
learning (planning for the next moment).’
In classrooms beyond the Early Years I’d suggest that
excellent teachers are also doing these things and that these are things that
all adults in the classroom should be aspiring to do.
Monitoring
independent practice:
To be able to make the most of every teachable moment,
adults in the classroom need to be vigilant and aware of what is going on in
the 30 minds before them. In order to do this the independent practice time
should be monitored. In the same article I have already quoted from, Rosenshine
writes: ‘Research has found that students
were more engaged when their teacher circulated around the room, and monitored
and supervised their seatwork. The optimal time for these contacts was 30
seconds or less.’ He goes on to clarify that where these interactions were
above 30 seconds the teacher hadn’t spent enough time at the guided practice
stage.
This monitoring of practice should then lead the adult to
make further decisions: is feedback
necessary at this point, or do they need re-teaching, and are there other
children who would benefit from that? Would some questioning or retrieval
practice help at this point? Basically, once monitoring has led to
understanding of how well the children are doing, there needs to be a response
from the adult: what sort of interaction
is appropriate at this point?
Sustained Shared
Thinking
Again, many Early Years practitioners will be aware of
Sustained Shared Thinking.
‘Sustained shared
thinking involves two or more people working together to solve a problem,
clarify an issue, evaluate activities, or extend a narrative. Key features
include all parties contributing to the interaction—one aimed at extending and
developing children’s thinking.’ (EEF Preparing For Early Literacy Guide)
SST provides some good pointers for making decisions about
appropriate interactions. Some of the following interactions would take above
30 seconds, but that would not necessarily be an indicator that the teacher
hadn’t modelled the learning enough in the first place – some of these
techniques, for example, are to extend thinking and further the learning.
Techniques that adults might use include:
•
tuning in—listening carefully to what is being
said and observing what the child is doing;
•
showing genuine interest—giving whole attention,
eye contact, and smiling and nodding;
•
asking children to elaborate—‘I really want to
know more about this’;
•
recapping—‘So you think that…’;
•
giving their own experience—‘I like to listen to
music when cooking at home’;
•
clarifying ideas—‘So you think we should wear
coats in case it rains?’;
•
using encouragement to extend thinking—‘You have
thought really hard about your tower, but what can you do next?’;
•
suggesting—‘You might want to try doing it like
this’;
•
reminding—‘Don’t forget that you said we should
wear coats in case it rains’; and
•
asking open questions—‘How did you?’, ‘Why does
this…?’, ‘What happens next?’
The above points were taken from a presentation by Professor
Iram Siraj-Blatchford, where she also included the following techniques:
- using encouragement to further thinking: ‘You have really thought hard about where to put this door in the palace but where on earth will you put the windows?’
- offering an alternative viewpoint: ‘Maybe Goldilocks wasn’t naughty when she ate the porridge’
- speculating: ‘Do you think the three bears would have liked Goldilocks to come to live with them as their friend?’
- reciprocating: ‘Thank goodness that you were wearing wellington boots when you jumped in those puddles Kwame. Look at my feet they are soaking wet’
- modelling thinking: ‘I have to think hard about what I do this evening. I need to take my dog to the vet’s because he has a sore foot, take my library books back to the library and buy some food for dinner tonight. But I just won’t have time to do all of these things’
On listening
The first two points on the list of SST techniques are both
about listening and hearing. If we do neither of these then any other
interactions we have with children whilst they are working will be misguided.
Mary Myatt has this to say: ‘I don’t think we spend enough time thinking about the quality of
professional listening. This is important, because I cannot expand on, probe
and challenge pupils’ responses unless I am paying careful attention to what is
being said. And when this close attention and response to pupils is in place,
then I am more likely to shift towards cognitively challenging dialogue.’ (‘The
Curriculum: Gallimaufry to Coherence’ p108-9)
If we want to question, check for understanding, have
dialogue that moves children’s thinking on, and so on, we must begin by
listening. Good Early Years practitioners know the power of standing back and
listening in before they intervene in any way - teachers mustn’t be too quick
to dive in and children should first be given the opportunity to grapple with
what they are doing.
On questioning and
checking for understanding
It is interesting to note that in all the techniques for
interaction mentioned above, only 5 involve questioning. Questioning is a
powerful tool, but is not the only one we have. Having said that, if an adult
spends their time questioning whilst children are carrying out independent
practice, they will be using their time pretty wisely.
In her book ‘The Curriculum: Gallimaufry to Coherence’, Mary
Myatt writes: ‘It is through the ‘to and
fro’ of questioning conversations in the classroom that I know not only whether
pupils have completed something, but whether they have understood and are able
to apply it in different contexts.’ (p55)
One of the principles of instruction that Rosenshine
observed is that ‘effective teachers also
stopped to check for student understanding. They checked for understanding by
asking questions, by asking students to summarise the presentation up to that
point or to repeat directions or procedures, or by asking students whether they
agreed or disagreed with other students’ answers.’
Questioning is very much part of the monitoring that we have
already looked at.
However, Martin Robinson mentions how it does more than
that: ‘You ask questions of kids who you
think need to be questioned at any particular point. You’re really testing out
what they know and don’t know, looking for depth of knowledge, and also it is about creating some sort of
atmosphere in which kids can ask each other questions that are interesting.
This is what you want, over years you want this class of novices to become a
classroom full of curious, interested and interesting students.’ (‘What
Does This Look Like In The Classroom?’ p153) Teachers who use questioning are
modelling to children that asking questions is an important and exciting thing
to do.
Questions can be closed (good for assessment and
clarification) or open (good for extending thinking and moving learning on).
On feedback and assessment
Once monitoring has taken place – often using questioning -
the assessment process has begun. But there is more to it than just
questioning: questioning is part of an overall conversation or dialogue between
child and teacher, novice and expert.
As Mary Myatt points out, ‘the most effective way to consider progress is to look at pupils’ work
and have discussions with them, over time.’ (‘The Curriculum: Gallimaufry
to Coherence’, p62) To get a good idea of what that dialogue might look like
the aforementioned Sustained Shared Thinking techniques are very useful. Not
only does this give a real purpose to the adult’s time in the classroom, it
also has the potential to eliminate ineffective written feedback which is given
after the lesson has ended, thus decreasing workload.
On differentiation
The definition of what differentiation is and what it should
look like varies depending on who you speak to. Recently there has been a
backlash against the three-way differentiation that was popular when I began
teaching. That kind of differentiation is limiting to children and often takes
a lot of preparation time.
One of the ways adults can use their time in class is to
support children with differing needs. Mary Myatt suggests that this ‘…support consists of live conversations and
additional unpacking of the material during the lesson …the support comes
through live conversations with those who haven’t grasped it or who are
struggling.’ (‘The Curriculum: Gallimaufry to Coherence’, p69) Again, the
Sustained Shared Thinking techniques play a part here.
In order for children to be motivated at all, they need to
have experienced success. Teachers should ‘…provide
an environment where students can genuinely see themselves being
successful…it’s about what kind of support you can give that allows both
individuals to perceive themselves as being successful.’ (Nick Rose,‘What
Does This Look Like In The Classroom?’, p116) Adults in the classroom can make
or break a child’s day, depending on the interactions they have – if nothing
else convinces you of what you should be doing whilst children are working,
hopefully this will!
Guided Interaction
The EEF’s Preparing for Literacy guidance (aimed at Early
Years practitioners) gives us a good piece of terminology to use to sum up everything
that has been discussed: Guided Interaction.
Whilst children are carrying out independent practice, the
adults in the room can be judicially practicing guided interaction with
particular children, or groups of children:
‘Guided interaction
occurs when an adult and child collaborate on a task and the adult’s strategies
are highly tuned to the child’s capabilities and motivations… Discussion is a
key feature of this approach and the use of a variety of questions helps to
develop and extend children’s thinking.’ (https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Preparing_Literacy_Guidance_2018.pdf)
