The longer a teacher talks for, the more likely it is the number of pupils paying attention decreases. The trick to sustaining attention is to ask pupils questions and to expect 100% participation DURING an explanation. Questions interrupt the loss of attention. If done well, questions do not interrupt the flow of your explanation, as … Continue reading Choral Response and ‘I Say You Say’
teaching and learning
Turn and Talk
'Turn & talk' is one of the techniques I use most in my classroom - perhaps 20 or more times in any given 50-minute lesson. I recently shared a clip of what this might look like on Twitter (click here). My strategy for explicit instruction involves asking questions in three phases. Phase 1 questions include … Continue reading Turn and Talk
The Three Phases of Questioning
Have you ever delivered a really clear teacher explanation and used lots of checks for listening to ensure your class was paying attention, only to find that when you ask your class a question to check for understanding they respond with: "I'm not sure, sir" or "I think [completely wrong answer], sir" or "Is it … Continue reading The Three Phases of Questioning
Set Them Up for Success: Four Whole-School Strategies
Achieving 100% student attention is not easy. But there are lots of things school leaders and teachers can do to make it easier. In the first post in this series, I explained why 100% attention from 100% of students is important. In the second post, I discussed two key strategies for achieving this: 'All hands … Continue reading Set Them Up for Success: Four Whole-School Strategies
Checks for Listening: 100% Participation
It is natural for students to lose attention during an explanation. In this post, I share two of the highest leverage strategies you can use to secure 100% attention. I explain why this should be our goal in my previous post. Strategy 1: All Hands Up Cold Calling I disagree with the way lots of … Continue reading Checks for Listening: 100% Participation
Achieving 100% Student Attention: Why?
At any given moment in a lesson students are either engaged or they are coasting. When they are engaged, students are paying attention, thinking hard and learning. When they are daydreaming, off-task or inattentive, they are not learning. Our job as teachers is to ensure that 100% of students are engaged 100% of the time. … Continue reading Achieving 100% Student Attention: Why?
Clear Teacher Explanations 2c: Procedures
Effective teacher explanations are integral to teacher-led lessons. Clear explanations are best delivered when teachers begin with concrete examples before sharing abstract and generalised ideas. Clear diagrams also help teachers to effectively communicate their ideas. Diagrams elucidate the relationships in a sequence. Diagrams can also make definitions memorable and complex ideas easier to follow. All of … Continue reading Clear Teacher Explanations 2c: Procedures
Clear Teacher Explanations I: examples & non-examples
The phrase “too much teacher talk” scrawled across lesson observation forms seems to be on the decline (at least, according to my Twitter feed). Teachers are abandoning ineffective discovery-based approaches, and harnessing the power of teacher-led, explicit instruction. I like to imagine sages around the country getting onto their stages and unashamedly explaining the marvels … Continue reading Clear Teacher Explanations I: examples & non-examples
Writing in Science: Guest post by Hochman and Wexler
I am incredibly excited to share a guest post from the authors of The Writing Revolution themselves: Juditch C. Hochman and Natalie Wexler. They conclude the Writing in Science Symposium with a reflection on each of the contributions so far, and share their thoughts on how the ideas can be extended and applied to subjects … Continue reading Writing in Science: Guest post by Hochman and Wexler
Observations at Michaela
The culture of observations at Michaela is truly phenomenal. It provides a structure conducive to genuine improvement and honest reflection. Observations at Michaela are frequent, low-stakes and random. Since starting in September (around 24 teaching weeks), I have been observed around 70 times by other Michaela teachers. That's right - 70! Observers are typically in … Continue reading Observations at Michaela
Bunsen Blue 