Techniques for younger children

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
      • learn about some techniques that are particularly suited to younger children.
   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.
      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). Everyone must be involved in this activity.
   3. c.
      No moaning after this point.
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

   4Formative assessment techniques for early years

   20 min16:05–16:25

   1. a.
      Explain that we are looking at formative assessment techniques that are particularly suitable for younger children.
   2. b.
      Distribute handout 1.7a.1 Formative assessment techniques for early years. Ask each member to read through the suggested techniques individually and choose one technique for each strategy that they would like to try with their own class.
   3. c.
      In pairs, ask them to add one technique for each strategy (10 minutes).
   4. d.
      Ask each pair to feed back one technique that they intend to use (5 minutes).
5. 16:25

   5Personal action planning

   15 min16:25–16:40

   1. a.
      Using ‘my personal action plan’, each teacher chooses one or two techniques from today’s session that 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. Each keeps a copy as evidence for performance management; there will be no centrally held copies.
   4. d.
      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).
   5. e.
      Choose two teachers at random (e.g. name cards) to share with the group what their partner is planning.
   6. f.
      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.
      Ask members to share something they learned in the workshop, using a method of your choosing.