Key strategies for Planning for challenge

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Key issues addressed by the study• This study explored

– the extent to which pupils are challenged in their work – the most effective strategies for promoting challenge– teachers’ perceptions about challenging pupils

The key elements of the study

• This study included– a survey which found out about pupils’ perceptions

about challenge– a literature review which looked at the evidence for

constructing challenge in the curriculum– focus groups where teachers discussed their

experiences of constructing challenge

The survey: pupils’ experience of challenge

• A significant proportion of pupils felt that they were under-challenged in their school work from 2008-2010.

• In 2008, 31% of secondary pupils said that lessons were not too difficult for them. By 2010, this had risen to 58%. However, 16% were finding lessons too easy.

• There was some correlation between pupils finding lessons hard and their (self-reported) attainment level. So those reporting a higher attainment level were less likely to say that they found lessons too difficult.

The literature review: promoting challenge• A number of strategies

were found to be effective for promoting challenge

• These were teachers– using strategies such as

collaborative enquiry and problem solving

– encouraging pupils to take responsibility for their learning

– building on pupils’ starting points

The literature review:collaboration and enquiry • Using collaborative enquiry and problem solving was

found to be effective for promoting challenge• This involved

– establishing areas of the curriculum that can be explored with investigation

– changing pupils perceptions of learning from being about receiving knowledge to investigating issues

– developing pupils’ group work and thinking skills

• For example, teachers encouraged pupils to generate their own questions and enquiries in science lessons. They discussed their ideas with their peers and used a computerised database to help them with their investigations.

The literature review: taking responsibility• Encouraging pupils to take

responsibility for their learning was found to be effective for promoting challenge

• This involved teachers– taking a more facilitative role– planning tasks that revealed

the points at which it was possible to step back and let pupils work independently

The literature review: pupils’ starting points• An effective way of promoting challenge was building

on pupils’ starting points which involved– finding out what pupils knew and could do already by using

diagnostic tasks – designing tasks and resources that built on this

• For example, teachers used a test to find out about pupils’ understanding of a concept in algebra. They then provoked ‘cognitive conflict’ by asking the pupils to do the same task using a different method. The teachers helped the pupils resolve the ‘conflict’ by organising group discussion of the new concepts and methods.

The focus groups: teachers’ experiences of planning for challenge

• The teachers identified a number of issues in planning for challenge

• These included– the difficulties in identifying

pupils’ starting points– concerns about over-

challenging pupils– knowing when to step- back

The focus groups: identifying pupils’ starting points

• The teachers thought that identifying pupils’ starting points could be difficult because of a lack of time to– listen to pupils’ explanations in depth– observe pupils carrying out activities

The focus groups: strategies for identifying starting points

• The teachers suggested a number of strategies which could support the identification of pupils’ starting points

• These included– refraining from doing most of the talking– asking probing questions– planning structured written tasks that ask

pupils to record what they already know– developing pupils’ skills so that they can work

independently whilst the teacher carries out observation

The focus groups: over challenging students

• The teachers thought that over challenge could result in the pupils:– losing confidence and self-

esteem– becoming disinterested– behaving disruptively– developing misconceptions

particularly in mathematics and science

The focus groups: strategies for overcoming the risk of over-challenge

• The teachers suggested a number of strategies which could help reduce the risks of over-challenge

• These included– developing an ethos where it is ‘okay’ to be

stuck or ‘fail’ at a task initially– building up a relationship of trust by being

upfront about the nature of the challenge– stepping the challenge so that it gets

progressively more difficult

The focus groups: stepping back

• The teachers thought that knowing when to step-back could be difficult because– it was hard to let go– there was a lack of time to

help pupils develop the independent learning skills that they needed

– the students might develop misconceptions

The focus groups: strategies for stepping back

• The teachers suggested a number of strategies for stepping back

• These included– helping pupils develop

independent learning skills– explaining to pupils that they

were expected to work things out for themselves

– structuring tasks so that the learning was scaffolded and students were not completely left to their own devices in the early stages

What was the size of the study?

• The surveys involved over 2000 pupils from over 60 schools in 2008 and 2009, and over 8,000 pupils from over 100 schools in 2010

• The literature review involved consideration of 7000 studies from which 45 studies were identified in-depth data extraction

• 52 teachers from across England took part in the focus groups and included teachers with a primary and secondary background who had responsibilities for mathematics, English or science

How was the information gathered?

• Three online surveys of pupils were carried out over consecutive years

• A review of research into how teachers construct challenge was carried out for which 45 studies were systematically identified and synthesised

• 6 focus groups were held with teachers to explore the findings from the review

How can teachers use the evidence in this study?

• Encouraging pupils to take responsibility for their learning was found to be effective for promoting challenge which involved helping pupils to develop independent learning skills

• You might like to discuss with a colleague how you have you made these skills explicit to pupils. Which skills do you think your pupils particularly need to develop? Which skills do your pupils think they need to develop?

How can school leaders use the evidence in this study?

• A significant proportion of pupils felt that they were underchallenged

• To what extent do the students in your school feel challenged? You might want to work with your leadership group to design a questionnaire or classroom activity which will help you gather this information or use the one CUREE developed for this research

• Teachers found it difficult to step-back and let students take responsibility for their learning

• Could you provide opportunities for staff to discuss strategies for stepping back? How could you support staff in using these strategies?

References

• CUREE (2010) QCDA Building the evidence base-Constructing challenge in the curriculum: teachers’ views of the difficulties and risks involved and ways of overcoming them (unpublished report)

• CUREE (2010) QCDA Building the evidence base student data- final report (unpublished report)

• CUREE (2009) QCDA Building the evidence base – challenge review report Coventry: CUREE