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Feeding back to content in a lesson, when using means of mass participation (e.g. mini whiteboards) can be relatively straight forward. If you check the understanding of a tiny aspect of the curriculum, you can then respond accordingly depending on how the class have performing. This gets tricky when a lot has been assessed at once, like when a class sit a mock paper or an end of topic test.

When whole lessons are given over to feedback from an assessment there are some pitfalls we must make sure we don’t fall into.

Let’s go through things to avoid and then I will give a cycle that I believe works best in practice.

What not to do:

1. Avoid going through the entire paper – this will most likely not benefit anybody
2. Avoid having students mark their own work on big assessment pieces – it’s crucial that you know, not just how they performed, but exactly what gaps or misconceptions within a question/topics students have
3. Avoid going through the specific question in the paper and then giving students more of the same. There is an underlying root cause that would mean they performed poorly on a question. You need to identify that and address the cause, not the symptom.
4. Avoid giving every single student individualised written feedback. If students learnt well that way all we’d ever have to do would be give them a revision guide and tell them to read their way through the curriculum. This just won’t work.
5. Avoid giving students their papers back at the start of the lesson, you’re just making life harder for yourself.

What to do

1. When marking the papers have a blank copy of the assessment to hand or some sort of summary sheet. Use it to record common misconceptions, gaps and strengths. Tally how often these occur so you start to build a picture of things that need working on. If using a QLA, this could be done with a selection of student papers once the QLA tells you exactly where to focus your efforts.
2. From the weaker areas split these into 3 categories:
   • Quick Wins: topics which may not have negatively affected all of the class but which can be addressed through little and often retrieval practice
   • Highest Leverage: these are the handful of topics that most students could benefit from reteach from and will make up the main focus of the lesson
   • Another Day: these topics are either too complex or require multiple areas to be addressed before students can access it meaningfully. If time permits at the end of the course or at another suitable point, these can be addressed then
3. Plan the lesson. Ensure that the key concepts missing from the highest leverage topics are retaught. You do not need to go through the exact exam question, zoom out and address the topic holistically. Use mini whiteboards to check for understanding and be responsive once the idea has been retaught and then give students time to practice and embed the new learning.
4. Have suitably challenging versions of this topic ready for those students who got it correct first time around but know that there is no harm in them revisiting this concept with the rest of the class.

All of the above can be broadly summed up in the following diagram:

Remember:

1. You will not be able to fix every gap. It is better to go through a few things well than many things poorly.
2. When reteaching, you should follow the same principles as when normally teaching (model, check, practice).

I hope this is of some use. This post seems to fit nicely with two others. This one, all about making sure that the marking you do is accurate in the first place. And this one, all about making the best use of QLAs.

I’m always interested in what people make of this so please feel free to comment with thoughts, questions or incomplete musings. Follow this or my Twitter account Teach_Solutions for similar content in the future. Also, check out the rest of this site, there’s some good stuff knocking about the place.

Well I think the title of this one speaks for itself. Let’s stop dilly-dallying and get into it.

1. SO WHAT?!

“So what?!” is the name of the first technique. It’s the idea that students need to aware that when giving a written response, or are being ask to “show that” something is true that they need to include the “so what”. The part highlighted in yellow are common responses from students, the bit in green, the “so what”, is often what’s missing:

It puts the answer in context and is the reason that sits behind the fact.

See another example and also a GCSE mark scheme for a different question that shows that without the “so what” students will not get the marks:

Teaching students to include a “so what” when written responses are required can be a quick way to pick up an extra mark here or there.

2. Number-Free Problems

This is a technique for not being stuck on those big, longer, context-heavy, wordier questions. Encourage students to ignore all the numbers and formulate a plan. I put it to you that this question is easier to answer when the numbers, which are initially superfluous, are ignored in the first instance. I appreciate people might have seen me talk about this before so I’ll be brief. If you want to read more about this then go here.

3. Brute Force Questions

There are questions that students might be asked that require no formal technique, just some good old perseverance. Let students know that these questions might come up and not to be put off by them. Trial and improvement, although no longer an explicit part of the curriculum, is still a perfectly valid technique. Check out these recent GCSE questions that students need not be freaked out by:

4. System 1 and System 2 Thinking

Students need to slow down and not run on intuition. Training them up about System 1 and System 2 thinking can really help. See here for the best way to do this.

5. Know the Mark Scheme

Students should be aware of a few things about mark schemes to help them out. Firstly, how easy the first/second mark in a big question can be to achieve, explicitly show them this and challenge them to get the first mark in a series of complex questions.

Students should also be taught what happens when you leave more than 1 valid answer in the answer space is.

6. Check Their Work

Have students sit an exam paper. Make sure the beginning is super-accessible for them. Let them work on it for 20-mins. Then let them know there will be a prize for the highest scoring paper.

There is a catch though. Their score is the total marks they have accrued up until the first time they drop marks. Sit back and watch them check through their own work like they never have before.

The important part is, once they are done, to have them reflect on that checking process. Highlight students who found and corrected mistakes. They need to be just as rigorous in the real thing.

There is a real mind-shift required when checking your own work rigorously and having them complete this exercise may be the first time some of them have ever done this. Make sure it isn’t the last!

Summary

These are all tips which can be introduced to students at any stage. Although they work great as tips to share just before they sit their exams, the earlier the better really. I hope these are useful. If you have any more, please share.

I’m always interested in what people make of this so please feel free to comment with thoughts, questions or incomplete musings. Follow this or my Twitter account Teach_Solutions for similar content in the future. Also, check out the rest of this site, there’s some good stuff knocking about the place.

A culture existing in a school is an inevitable byproduct of people working together. One will be created, there is nothing that can be done about that. As a result, it is essential to define the culture you want and then explicitly put things into action which make it a reality for all. Without taking a proactive stance on this, the door is open to producing unwanted working environments. This blog considers practical ways in which a desirable culture might be made.

Defining Culture

“Every teacher needs to improve, not because they are not good enough, but because they can be even better” Dylan Wiliam

The culture we want to create in each of our schools is one where teachers feel like they can develop and grow in a safe and nurturing environment where they can open-up about concerns safely. They are honest givers and open receivers of feedback.

Creating Culture

“To change your company’s culture, don’t start by trying to change the culture… Culture gets changed by doing real work in line with the new strategy” Michael Beer

Talking the talk is not enough, great culture relies on schools having the systems in place which change how things are done.

1.    We do what we say we do

Make sure that initiatives and systems are not just spoken about but enacted. If teaching staff should be adhering to something, then all leaders should be modelling this too, including ways of working, implementing new teaching strategies, and being coached. All should be happening visibly and unashamedly at every level.

2.    Provide feedback opportunities

Calendar set times where feedback will be gathered from stakeholders (pupils, staff, and parents). Make these explicit, anonymous, and put time aside to listen and learn from the responses to help produce inclusive working habits. Not only does this provide a chance to improve, but it also models the humility that great leadership requires.

3.    Be wary of initiative overload

There is a difference between being in a state of continuous improvement and continually changing things. Putting the time aside to get the foundations right in the first place should mean that only tweaks are needed to refine processes. A culture of too much change too quickly can overload staff and create a feeling of unease and of being “lost at sea”. New or improved ideas should, where possible, find ways to be assimilated into normal practice and, where completely novel ways of working need introducing, it is worth considering what they are replacing and making that explicit to stakeholders.

4.    Share the big picture

Where appropriate, tying in CPD and new initiatives to the broader vision and direction of the school is key. Leaders are often very close to the “why” behind a lot of initiatives but may skip this step when delivering the “what” to staff. Framing the micro in terms of the macro goes some way to alleviating this. Alongside this, any opportunities to keep the school’s vision at the forefront of people’s minds (posters, email signatures, letter headers) are always beneficial.

5.    Build a sense of belonging

Having a language or actions that make a school unique can help build a sense of belonging. From ways to show appreciation to using British Sign Language as a means of non-verbal communication with all staff, schools can build unique practices that set them apart. Rather than being alienating, the uniqueness is something that can bring people closer together.

6.    Appreciating the working habits of others

Being aware and allowing for different people’s working habits is crucial to them feeling seen and respected. Consider two people. One is someone who needs a time-pressure to get work done and will happily work into the night. The other doesn’t like working under pressure and has responsibilities outside of work so needs to be done by 5pm every day. If deadlines are met and the quality is there, there is nothing wrong with either of these two working habits. It’s important, as leaders that we provide tasks with enough time and clarity that all our colleagues’ habits can be respected. The same can be said for communication habits. It is worth considering if there are specific modes or times you want communication in your school to happen.

7.    Be upfront from day one

Letting staff know in recruitment and induction processes the ways of working at the school is not only a kind thing to do, but it also helps establish the cultural norms you expect to see early on. The fewer surprises the better. If everything that your school does is for the good for the children served, then there is nothing that needs to be hidden. Spelling out how colleagues will need to be working and what is expected of them at the earliest opportunity ensure people entering the organisation do so knowingly and willingly. Better to have someone decide the school is not for them on an interview day than turn up and be a negative force in what will most likely be a rather short-lived time with you.

8.    Be inclusive

Be aware that everyone has their own personal culture or requirements they bring to your school. Something which should be considered and respected. The current list of protected characteristics in the UK are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Proactively ensuring that none of these are a barrier to staff working or socialising at school-organised events is not only crucial for culture, but a legal requirement.

9.    Be consistent

Do all the above and do it consistently every day. Culture is not something that is built in a day or something that only needs considering on “Doughnut Fridays”. When done right, a school’s culture is lived out daily through the systems, processes and working habits that have been put in place.

Reflect

• How do you define culture in your school?

• What mechanisms are in place to ensure culture is purposefully built over time?

• How do you ensure all staff feel they are a part of the school culture?

• How do you ensure pupils and parents/carers feel like they’re a part of the school culture?

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Introduction

Sometimes I have the privilege of coaching teachers. Currently, I’m never in one place long enough to do it on a sustained basis but hope that I can be of some use alongside a more structured programme. There was a member of staff last academic year who I dropped in on semi-regularly and I ended up giving her the same action steps after each visit. Because of this I tried giving it in different ways over time to see if that made any difference. It never did. I found out her university tutor and her mentor were all giving her the same feedback too.

Her planning and delivery was great but lessons kept being being derailed by the same few students. The school had a clear behaviour policy involving a warning and then dismissal from the class but she wasn’t using it. She agreed with the action step (the use the policy), she observed others using the policy and she observed me, with her class, using the policy too and we scripted and rehearsed the delivery of sanctions to students. None of it seemed to work. This lasted all year.

I visited the school a few months into a this academic year expecting to see the same issue again. I did not. Instead her classrooms where a haven. All that great planning and delivery was landing to every student and her room was the epitome of calm.

What was it that had changed? I caught up with her recently and asked what it was. Some missing piece of advice? Some quality CPD she’d received? Something else? I was wondering what it was that I had done wrong.

She said “I needed the fresh start, I knew what I should have been doing, but because of how those kids from last year saw me, I was never able to change what I did, I know they knew I wasn’t that person. I needed new classes”.

This really resonated. I remember the anxiety at the start of the year trying to ensure behaviour is perfect. I also remember, probably 2 weeks into teaching sometimes, that I’d now lost this class forever and that I’d have to wait another year before I try again. It didn’t take long before I would write off ever being able to get a class back to where I wanted them.

This teacher managed in 1 year what took me about 8 and should be applauded. This post is challenging the narrative that we need to wait until the start of a new year and suggests ways that you can turn around culture in the classroom at any time of year, in a matter of weeks.

This post is broken down into things to do before that first lesson where you want to instigate change, during it, and then after. But first, there is a mindset issue that needs addressing.

Challenging a Fixed Mindset

Now, none of the tips we’ll explore below would actually have helped the teacher I referenced if their mindset wasn’t different in the first place. She was given a lot of these tips, though not all at once and it had no impact. The idea of enacting one small change at a time maybe wasn’t appropriate in hindsight and a full strategy was needed for her to see the change that was possible with a class halfway through the year.

What I do know is that it’s never too late to create the culture you want in the classroom. It takes a bit of time and a bit of prep but, I believe within 4 lessons, you are able to transform any classroom into the culture that you want it to be. If it takes longer, that’s no bad thing, if it take less time, fair play to you.

It’s important to remember a few things about human beings whilst you read the below:

• We Want to Fit In – We are social animals who want to fit in, we will adopt the perceived norms of the group almost unconsciously. Spotlight the good behaviours you want to see and others will fall in line. Highlight the 25 students not talking, rather than the 5 that are. If a disruptive minority get the majority of attention it will skew perceptions of how to act. Even if it means making up positive behaviours that you cannot quite see e.g. “I am only waiting for 3 students now to be silent” even when you know 10 are talking can work wonders.
• Recency Bias – We are fickle when it comes to memory and are biased towards what has happened recently. This is great when you want to instigate change as 3 good lessons can outweigh 20 poor ones from the past. Knowing this can help reassure you that no matter how many lessons have gone wrong in the past, there is no time like the present to change this.
• Utilise the Peak-End Rule – We don’t remember events that well. The end of an event and the emotional high of it are the two moments that “stick” the most. Trying to create a moment of joy in the lesson and ensuring you end positively, no matter how the lesson actually went, can work to your advantage. Students can end up having a misplaced sense of what norms are in your classroom if you focus on these two things.

All the ideas above are from behavioural economics. In my opinion this is an unused field in the world of education – read more about that here

On top of all the above about humans in general, it’s worth remembering that, as students, they want to learn. They want to do well. They want to succeed. This doesn’t stop them doing things in the short-term to self-sabotage but, they want you to do well. To lead them. To hold the line. And, having been trusted with the responsibility of educating them, you owe them all that.

Preparation

1. Ensure Content Isn’t a Barrier – Plan lessons where the content is definitely not going to be a barrier to success. If this means pausing how ambitious the curriculum is temporarily, then so be it. It will be worth it in the long run and you need to be sure in the lesson that students are able to access the content you put in front of them.
2. Tell Someone – Let someone know you are doing this, a mentor, HoD or SLT. Where possible, have them get “on-call” or someone in charge of behaviour to be nearby ready to quickly whip anyway any students not playing along.
3. Set Boundaries – Map out the expectations you want from students at each point of the lesson. When should there be silence? When should they be participating? What does participation look like? Rehearse making these expectations explicit to students before each phase of the lesson. I’d advise making things very black and white to begin with. Group work and paired talk is harder to manage so silence or one person talking at a time is your friend here.
4. Practise – Rehearse giving short, non-personal warnings and reminders that do not require a student response.

During the Lesson

1. Praise – Praise, praise, praise! Whilst it’s understandable you’re going to be on edge, a lot of behaviour management is preventative and if you want to establish new norms of working in your classroom you need to spotlight these where they exist. Praising the good as early and as often as you can is vital. You want to create a room where doing the right thing brings attention, not the opposite.
2. Minute 0 – Be ready to hold the line from the first second, and to hold it on the smallest of things (untucked shirts, top buttons…). This can feel harsh but is necessary. The students can rise to the challenge and you need the catch the first student choosing not to meet this as soon as you can.
3. Stay Calm – Keep your cool and do not get drawn into long arguments. 3 warnings that lead to a dismissal could be as simple as “I asked you to tuck your shirt in, it’s now a warning”, “that’s not how we respond to sanctions here, that’s your final warning”, “it’s rude to talk over someone, you now need to leave my class”.
4. Check for Understanding – Use mini whiteboards to check every students’ understanding. Break those checks down to be accessible and matched perfectly to the independent task. This means you can let them work, safe in the knowledge that they can access the content. They do not need to be talking to their friend or asking anyone except you for help.
5. Stand Still – Sacrifice circulating for observing everyone. If there is a chance to walk around the room where you need to inevitably have your back to certain parts of the room, do not do this until you are absolutely certain you have the culture you want.
6. End on a High – End the lesson piling the praise on. No matter how much stuff happened during the lesson you did not want, there will be plenty that was fine. Leave the students with that in their mind, it’ll be their last memory of you and that lesson before the next one.

After the Lesson

1. Call Home – Phone home for students with a 3:1 ratio of positive to corrective messages. This is likely not sustainable in the long run but only needs to happen for the first week or so.
2. Check in –Catch students on an individual basis, with a head of year or form tutor if necessary, that did not act how you want and spell out very clearly, what you expect to see of them next time.
3. Reflect – Reflect on what happened. Was the content accessible enough? What lead to a “back and forth” with a student? Was the line held high enough at the start?
4. Go again – Do not drop your expectations of these students. Managing the behaviour of 30 adolescents is a never ending job but a 2-week blitz sure can make things a lot easier.

Good luck!

I’m always interested in what people make of this so please feel free to comment with thoughts, questions or incomplete musings. Follow this or my Twitter account Teach_Solutions for similar content in the future.