We all know that showing progress is key to getting judged as Good or Outstanding. But how can we do this? Here we have a look at five tips for demonstrating progress at any stage of a lesson!
We all know that showing progress is key to getting judged as Good or Outstanding. But how can we do this? Here we have a look at five tips for demonstrating progress at any stage of a lesson!
Learning Bags / Boxes: Display 3 bags / boxes either permanently on a display board in your classroom or on your whiteboard. Title them‘ Understand fully’,‘ need to learn more’,‘ don’ t get it!’ etc or use your 3 learning objectives. Students can then put their names on a post-it and put them‘ into’ the corresponding bag. This can then either be used to inform the next activities if it is a mini-plenary or for next lesson if you do it at the end.
Pass The Parcel: A brilliant way of assessing progress and learning and great differentiation if you cheat with the music! Questions are wrapped within the layers of the parcel— students then pass the parcel around and when the music stops they unwrap one layer and answer the question.
2 stars and a wish: This is a very effective form of peer assessment whereby pupils look at each others work at a suitable point in the lesson when you do a miniplenary. Identify 2 good point‘ Stars’ and then a wish, which is a target for improvement. At the end of the lesson they can then discuss what progress has been made towards the target and tick it off if completed.
Continuum line: This can either be done physically with the students standing in a line or on a washing line displayed on the whiteboard. At one end of the line it is‘ understand fully’, in the middle‘ need more learning’ and at the other end‘ don’ t get it!’. You can then either ask them questions or repeat the learning objectives and they either move in the line( asking each other questions to establish who knows more!) and shuffle about with a change of question or objective! Or they can again use post-its with the names on and place them on the washing line on the board.
Carelessly completed: What’ s wrong with this? Give students a piece of work / display something on the board with inaccuracies for them to identify and correct— it is good practice to also pick out what is done well and accurately too!
Kirstie recently read an interesting article about how to engage learners and ensure that they are absorbing the information we are sharing with them. The book“ Outstanding Teaching: Engaging Learners” by Andy Griffith & Mark Burns is available from Amazon and we are hoping to have a copy available for staff to read in the Teaching and Learning Centre soon. Until we are able to offer the book, here are the key points that Kirstie was able to pick out from the article.