Learning intentions

Leader’s agenda

1. 5′
2. 5′
3. 25′15:40
4. 20′16:05
5. 15′16:25
6. 5′

1. 15:30

   1Introduction

   5 min15:30–15:35

   1. a.
      Make sure that partners are sitting next to each other.
   2. b.
      Hand out the TLC agenda.
   3. c.
      Remind the group of the Ground rules for TLC and ask everyone to keep these principles in mind in every workshop.
   4. d.
      Share the learning intentions of this workshop. We are learning to:

      • share successes and failures, and support each other
      • understand how to incorporate learning intentions into lessons and why this is important.
   5. e.
      Explain, by referring to the agenda, that workshops will follow a standard format similar to the first meeting:

      • an introduction, including learning intentions
      • a starter activity
      • feedback
      • a formative assessment activity
      • action planning
      • a summary of learning.
   6. f.
      Tell the group that you will choose people at random (e.g. using name cards) throughout this workshop.
2. 15:35

   2Starter activity

   5 min15:35–15:40

   1. a.
      Clear the air before the work starts. Each teacher has 30 seconds to name one thing that made teaching hard this month, and one small thing that helped. Any teacher can ‘pass’. No one offers solutions yet: when it is not their turn, teachers listen actively.
   2. b.
      Use the stopwatch, and choose respondents at random (e.g. name cards).
   3. c.
      Everyone must be involved in this activity.
   4. d.
      No moaning beyond this point.
3. 15:40

   3Feedback

   25 min15:40–16:05

   1. a.
      Tell teachers that feedback will be a major feature of all workshops: they will feed back on the techniques they have attempted (and what they are doing less of) since the last workshop.
   2. b.
      Hand out ‘my personal action plan’. Remind the group that each teacher keeps their own plan, and that you will keep a copy of each one at the end of the workshop so that you have a record of what they said they would do between sessions.
   3. c.
      Ask teachers to write about a technique they have tried since the last workshop and complete the first section of the planning sheet, including who observed them using the technique (2 minutes).
   4. d.
      Choose someone at random to be the challenger and share the challenger’s role with them. During feedback, the challenger challenges the feedback that each member brings, to get everyone thinking about formative assessment, with questions like:

      • What’s formative about that?
      • What did you do with the information you collected?
      • How did this alter your teaching?
      • How did this benefit student learning?
   5. e.
      Give each person two minutes to share with the group, choosing teachers at random (e.g. name cards). As each teacher feeds back, the others listen actively, then discuss the points raised if there is time.
4. 16:05

   4Clarifying and sharing learning intentions

   20 min16:05–16:25

   1. a.
      Explain that this session emphasises developing high-quality learning intentions and using them to shape lessons, particularly the start and end of lessons. Learning intentions should help students to focus on their own learning. It is also important at the end of the lesson to find out what students have learned and to adapt future lessons based on this information.
   2. b.
      Distribute handout 1.2.1 What makes a good learning intention? and give teachers time to read it through individually.
   3. c.
      Reassure teachers that it is not always easy to develop good learning intentions, or to implement them well in the classroom.
   4. d.
      Distribute handout 1.2.2 Exploring learning intentions and ask teachers to work in threes, discussing the examples and agreeing on a good learning intention that they will share with the group.
   5. e.
      Point out that research shows that if teachers share what students are going to learn, and indicate how they will know if they have been successful, students are more prepared not only to take more responsibility for their own learning but also to engage in peer assessment and self-assessment.
   6. f.
      Distribute handout 1.2.3 Some ways to find out what my students really learned. Give individuals time to read the list, then discuss the methods as a whole group.
   7. g.
      Distribute copies of 1.2.4 My learning log, 1.2.5 My reflections, 1.2.6 My triangle of learning and 1.2.7 Reflective learners.
5. 16:25

   5Personal action planning

   15 min16:25–16:40

   1. a.
      Using ‘my personal action plan’, each teacher should choose which one or two techniques they are going to use during the next month and what they will do less of (teachers will need pushing on this).
   2. b.
      Pair-share: each teacher spends two minutes sharing their plan with their partner, then they swap.
   3. c.
      Hand out the peer lesson observation sheet for the teacher and the observer to use. Both are advised to keep a copy as evidence for performance management; there will be no centrally held copies.
   4. d.
      If necessary, explain the peer lesson observation sheet using an example like this: ‘The focus is the technique that I plan to use in the lesson, and I can ask my observer to collect up to three types of evidence. For example, if I am trying to use no hands up, I may want the observer to check how consistently I use it, how I deal with students who refuse to answer and whether the technique appears embedded.’
   5. e.
      Ask pairs to arrange when observations will take place (they can be for a whole lesson or just for 20 minutes at the start, middle or end of a lesson).
   6. f.
      Choose two teachers at random (e.g. name cards) to share with the group what their partner is planning.
   7. g.
      Keep a copy of each teacher’s personal action plan so that you can follow up at the next session.

   Your school’s technique menu: choose one or two

   • Strengths and weaknesses discussion
   • Model papers
   • Choose-swap-choose
   • WALT, WILF, TIB

   What each technique looks like in class
6. 16:40

   6Summary of learning

   5 min16:40–16:45

   1. a.
      Hand out exit cards and ask each member to write their name and one thing that they learned in the workshop.
   2. b.
      Collect in the exit cards.
   3. c.
      Read through the cards so that you can feed back to the group at the start of the next workshop.