What moves learning forward

Leader’s agenda

1. Start

   1Introduction

   5 min

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

      • share successes and failures, and support each other
      • reflect on what moves student learning forward
2. +5′

   2Starter activity

   5 min

   1. a.
      Ask each teacher to think of some student learning this year that made them feel good. Each teacher has a maximum of 30 seconds to tell the group what it is, and no one can ‘pass’.
   2. b.
      Use the stopwatch to keep time, and choose respondents at random (e.g. name cards). Everyone must be involved in this activity.
   3. c.
      When it is not their turn, the teachers’ role is active listening.
3. +10′

   3Feedback

   20 min

   1. a.
      Ask everyone to think about a formative assessment technique they have used with a class since the last workshop that worked well – one that helped move student learning forward – and how and why it appeared to work well. It may help to have their personal action plan from the last meeting to hand. There is space on the agenda to write this down (two minutes).
   2. b.
      Choose someone to be the challenger and give them the role of the challenger sheet. During the feedback, the challenger’s role is to challenge the feedback each teacher brings, getting everyone to think 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?
   3. c.
      Give each person up to two minutes to share with the group, choosing teachers to feed back at random (e.g. name cards). As each teacher feeds back, the others actively listen, then discuss the points raised if there is time. Everyone must be involved in this activity.
4. +30′

   4Reviewing the year

   30 min

   1. a.
      Explain that we have discussed many formative assessment techniques this year, and hopefully we are all using some of them in every lesson. Start by reviewing the techniques we use regularly (at least once a week) and feel are successful.
   2. b.
      Distribute handout 2.9.1 (Formative assessment techniques that I use successfully) and give everyone ten minutes to complete it.
   3. c.
      In threes, teachers take turns to talk about why one of their techniques helps move learning forward – three minutes each – before a whole-group discussion (ten minutes).
   4. d.
      After ten minutes, bring the whole group together and, choosing at random (e.g. name cards), ask people in turn to tell the group about one technique that works well for someone else and how it moves learning forward (about ten minutes).
5. +60′

   5Personal action planning

   10 min

   1. a.
      Each teacher considers what they are going to do to build in better and more consistent use of formative assessment with their new classes next school year. There is space on the agenda to write this down.
   2. b.
      Pair-share: each teacher spends two minutes sharing their plan with another teacher, then they swap.
   3. c.
      Remind teachers that ideally they will have peer observed up to eight lessons and had eight peer observations themselves, giving them up to sixteen pieces of evidence of cooperative work, and maybe coaching.

   Your school’s technique menu: choose one or two

   Teachers tick theirs in their own action plan, on their device, and copy it to you before they leave.

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

   What each technique looks like in class
6. +70′

   6Summary of learning

   5 min

   1. a.
      Ask everyone to name something that they changed their mind about during this workshop. If someone can’t think of anything, broaden it to the last month.
   2. b.
      Choose teachers at random (e.g. name cards).