Students as learning resources

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.
      Hand out the TLC agenda.
   2. b.
      Share the learning intentions of this workshop. We are learning to:

      • share successes and failures, and support each other
      • activate students as instructional resources for one another.
   3. c.
      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.
      Refer back to the Ground rules for TLC, which everyone should have a copy of. Ask teachers to read through them individually, then comment on whether they feel the group is keeping to these rules and/or whether any changes to the rules are needed.
   2. b.
      Each teacher has 30 seconds and no teacher can ‘pass’. When it is not their turn, teachers should be actively listening.
   3. c.
      Use the stopwatch, and choose respondents at random (e.g. name cards).
   4. d.
      Everyone must be involved in this activity.
3. 15:40

   3Feedback

   25 min15:40–16:05

   1. a.
      Hand out ‘my personal action plan’. If necessary, 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.
   2. b.
      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. It helps to have their personal action plan from the last meeting to refer to (2 minutes).
   3. c.
      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?
   4. d.
      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

   4Activating students as instructional resources for one another

   20 min16:05–16:25

   1. a.
      Distribute handout 1.5.1 Giving students more responsibility. Allow time to read it and have a short discussion, asking for questions and reactions: for example, are the three points at the start obvious to everyone, and is it clear why we are starting with peers rather than students’ own work? (5 minutes)
   2. b.
      Ask any participants who have used peers to support the learning of others to explain the advantages (5 minutes).
   3. c.
      Distribute handout 1.5.2 Some techniques for peer support and give time to read it and discuss in pairs, with each person choosing one technique that interests them (5 minutes).
   4. d.
      Choose two or three teachers at random to feed back what their partner has explained to them (5 minutes).
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.