6 principles (14 jul 2010)v2 patrick

7/28/2019 6 Principles (14 Jul 2010)v2 Patrick

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Using a Framework of

6 Key Principles to Increase theEffectiveness of Smaller Classes

Maurice Galton

Faculty of Education,

University of Cambridge UK

Professional Development Activitieson Small Class Teaching - Seminar

14 July 2010 Hong Kong


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Six Principles to guide

improvements in practice Clear statement of learning objectives

Extended questioning during whole class discussion

More active pupil participation

Increased cooperation between pupils by working in pairsand groups

Less use ofcorrective and more informingfeedback

More use of the assessment for learningapproach

Whenever possible exploration precedes instruction and examples aresituated in contexts that are meaningful to the pupils


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Justification for the Six Principles

1. Empirical: John Hatties meta analysis of

numerous studies shows that following

these principles results in considerablegains in attainment.

2. Theories of learning (particularly social

constructivist ones) predict many of theseempirical findings, particularly the idea

that talk drives learning.


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Six Principles

CURRICULUM

LEARNINGOBJECTIVES

PEDAGOGY

PUPILPARTICIPATION

PAIR/GROUP

WORK

QUESTIONING

FEEDBACK

ASSESSMENT

ASSESSMENT

FOR LEARNING


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Making Pupils Metacognitively Wise

CONCEPT

DEVELOPMENT

KNOWLEDGE ANDSKILLS ACQUISITION

STRATEGIC

THINKING

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Mainly by direct instruc t ion

to whole class

Mainly through whole

classes interact ive teachin g

and group work

using plan-do-review cycle

with emphasis on

task-processing feedback

Assessment through

dialogic questioningand

extended written work Assessment mainly by

short , quick quest ioningand

short answer written tests

Assessment mainly through

pupil ref lect ion, self-evaluation

and class d ebr ief ing


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First Key Principle: Specifying

learning objectives

Too often objectives are specified only in terms

of the content or task (e.g. To count in tens fromone to a hundred, to memorise the words of asong/poem)

Teachers need also to consider the purpose

behind these activities. Is it to facilitate problemsolving (counting), to aid comprehension(recitation), etc?


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Teachers tend to identify what pupils

will donot what they will learn.

Which of the following tell pupils about learning?

(success criteria which are shared with pupils)

1 To make a Christmas decoration2 To be able to interpret a pie-chart

3 To improve ball throwing skills

4 To complete exercise 3a in your maths text book5 To discuss what foods are good for us

6 To know when to use a and the

7 To draw and label a diagram of a simple electric circuit


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Some key action words when

specifying learning objectivesLow level (transmission): to recall, define, identify,

state, recognise, name, list, measure

Medium level (application): to use, show, perform,explain, illustrate, predict, interpret

Higher level (understanding): toclassify, design,organise, compose, discover, summarise,conclude, separate


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Using key action words when

specifying learning objectivese.g.To count up to one hundred in tens and to use

this method toperform simple calculations more

rapidly. (low to medium level)

e.g. To memorise a poem and demonstrate

comprehension by actingout the parts of various

characters in the narrative. (low to medium

level)


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Some key questions when specifying

learning objectives Have I not only described the activity but also its

purpose?

Have I described the purposes in terms ofexpected pupil behaviour using action words?

Have I linked the stated objectives to

appropriate use of teaching methods? In general

the higher the level the less direct instruction

and the greater use of teaching strategies based

on the six principles.


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Second Key Principle: Extended

questioning during class discussion Much questioning consists of rapid

exchanges between the teacher and an

individual pupil.

These exchanges have been described as

cued elicitationsin which the teacher asks

questions while providing heavy clues as tothe answers required.


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Second Key Principle: Extended

questioning during class discussion

In promoting higher level objectives, pupils

need to partake in more thoughtful

discourse. This requires teachers

To provide some thinking (wait time).

To use encouraging phrases such as,

Interesting. Can you say more? Does

anyone else want to add more? rather than

repeating the first answer.

To use classroom space flexibly.

example

example


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Dialogic Teaching

Change in questioning strategies to promotedialogic talk:

structured and cumulative questioning

which guide and prompt, reduce choices,minimize risk and error and expeditehandover of concepts and principles

training which enables pupils acquire a

repertoire oflearning talk, which includesthe ability to explain, to argue cases, to givereasons to back up assertions and to arrive atconclusions through negotiation


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Some key questions about

extended class discussion

How many pupils generally participated?

Were thinking times sufficient? Did the pupils responses indicate that

more than simple recall was taking place?

Did my (the teachers) responses help toextend discussion?


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Third Key Principle: More active

pupil participationWhen endeavouring to apply newly acquired

knowledge to novel situations, pupils generally

find it easier to gain understanding throughlearning by doing. It helps if

The context is a familiar one

Ideas are shared through activities such as

brainstorming, creating concept maps, etc as

a form of initial scaffolding


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Some key questions about

active pupil participation As far as possible was the task situated in

a context which was meaningful for the

pupils? Was there some initial exploration of the

pupils ideas before activity began?

Was the task sufficiently motivating? Did pupils demonstrate understanding byreaching reasonable conclusions?


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Fourth Key Principle: Increased

cooperation between pupilsGroup and pair work often fails because

There is not sufficient academic challenge.

Organisation allows only some children toactively engage in the task.

Rules of cooperation have not been establishedand are not re-enforced.

Class does not engage in a debriefing session inwhich they discuss how well they workedtogether, etc and ways of doing better next time.


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Key questions about increased

cooperation between pupils Was adequate time allowed?

Did the task allow most of the pupils to

actively participate for most of the time?

Were pupils reminded about the rules (e.g.

taking turns, listening carefully etc.)?

Did the class have a chance to discuss

how well they worked as a group/pair?


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Fifth Key Principle: Less use of

corrective and more informingfeedback Much feedback consists of showing pupils

where they went wrong and then

providing the right answer (correctivefeedback)

Feedback can also be used to help pupils

to learn how to spot their own mistakesand eventually to self-correct (informing

feedback)


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3 Kinds of Feedback

1 About Self: should focus on effort rather than onperson. Thus Thats a good tryrather than Well

done. Purpose is re-enforcement.

2 Task processing: (informing) Where have yougot to? What do you think may have gone

wrong? What are you going to do next?

Purpose is self-regulation.

3 Evaluative: (corrective) most powerful when it isabout faulty interpretation rather than supplying

missing information. Show me how you got that

answerrather than, You need to do it like this.


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Effect of Feedback (Ranked by Effect Size)

Teachers: Rank Effect

provide cues

(What do you think might happen if?)

1st big

ask for explanation

(How did you get that answer?)

2nd big

praise effort

(That was a good try.)

3rd big

praise correct answer(Thats correct! Well done.)

4th medium

correct answer

(You need to add these two numbers.)

5th small


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Key questions about less use of

corrective and more informingfeedback Did I praise effort as well as success?

Did my questions help pupils to spot

where they went wrong or how they couldimprove their work?

When correcting a piece of work did I get

the pupil to show me how s/he arrived atthe answer?


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Sixth Key Principle: Use of the

assessment for learningapproach

Assessment for learning makes use offormative assessment in order to diagnose

pupils learning difficulties and therebyprovide the required teaching to remedythese deficiencies. At its lowest it employs

techniques such as traffic lightsto sortpupils into groups for attention. At its bestit is personalised and caters for individualneeds.


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Key questions in the use of the

assessment for learningapproach Were the forms of classroom organisation

sufficiently flexible to allow groups of pupils

with similar learning needs to come together?

Was much of the formative assessment based on

what pupils said and did rather than what they

wrote? Did I build these oral assessments into a pupil

profile?


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Professional Development

In facilitating teachers paradigm shift in

pedagogy, the approach ofLearning Circles

has been crucial. Both inter-school sharing acrosssubjects and intra-school sharing of pedagogical

issues, which focuses at any one time on a specific

aspect of pedagogy, allows teachers to observe and

evaluate each others classroom practice and

thereby enhances the participants professionalism.


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How can teachers best monitor and

evaluate their small class practice?

When applying the six key principles,teachers are advised to ask a colleague

for help in monitoring their classroompractice. (If that is impossible, then theycan record their lessons.)

To ask pupils for evaluation data.(Asking pupils merely whether theyenjoyed the lesson or learned anything isunlikely to be useful.)

example

example


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How do teachers know that theyre doing the things

that will help promote learning in smaller classes?As a group (or individually)

Regularly review progress by asking

themselves a number of key questions Then try to identify the sources of evidence

Then consider what explanations that

different kinds of evidence provide Then discuss what actions need to be taken

next (e.g. to re-plan the lesson)


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A simple evaluation toolQuestions

for

reflection

Sources of

evidence

What does

the evidence

tell us?

What actions

should we

take?

Q 1.Q 2.

Q 3.

Q 4.

Q 5.

Q 6.

Video clips,observation

records,

pupils

evaluation,pupils talk,

etc.


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Some Indicators of SuccessWhat teachers of small class might look for

1. A shift from interactions with pupils which are briefand random to those that are longer and more sustained.

2. Lessons that often provide opportunities for pupils toexplore their ideas before formal instruction begins.

3 An increase in the proportion of pupil talk, much of itoccurring between pupils.

4. Evidence of ability to assess pupils understanding onthe basis of what they say rather than what they write.

5. Willingness to change classroom layout to meet the

requirements of different learning tasks and differentkinds of learning talk.

6. Encouragement to pupils to reflect critically on theprocedures and methods used when actively engaged on

tasks.


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Key References

Hattie, J. and Timperley, H (2007) The Power of

Feedback,Revue of Educational Research, 77(1):81-112.

Hattie, J. (2005) The paradox of reducing class sizeand improving learning outcomes,International

Journal of Educational Research, 43 (6) 387-425.

Watkins, C (2003)Learning: A sense-makers guide,London: Association of Teachers and Lecturers(ATL).

Galton, M. (2002)Learning and Teaching in thePrimary Classroom, London: Sage Publication.

Wood, D. (1998)How Children Think and Learn,

Oxford: Blackwells

6 principles (14 jul 2010)v2 patrick

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