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Term 4 Week 1-2
Term 4 Week 1-2
What is the purpose?
What is the purpose?
One thing that every teacher must do every day is start a lesson! However, sometimes we can lack clarity in what our intentions are for the activity. What are you trying to achieve from the start of your lesson?
Do you want to check what information students are able to retrieve from previous lessons?
Are you trying to 'hook them in'?
Do you want them practicing something to build fluency and automaticity?
Whatever the purpose is, just remember that there needs to be a purpose. Every minute matters and starting your lesson off purposefully can set up the rest of your lesson.
How to use this website
How to use this website
This website is designed to help you workout what you want to achieve from the start of your lesson and then how you can achieve that through practical examples.
Take your time to dig deep into each section. There are extra links if you'd like more information about any of the research.
Get your self in the right headspace and be open-minded and self-aware to the fact that at ay moment you might be effected by any one of these cognitive biases:
When we think we know more than we do. It's been described as “a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area.”
We look at new information based on preconceived ideas. Relevant for teachers and leaders to know what misconceptions their learners might have. Also need to be aware that learners may interpret information in a way that justifies their previous thoughts even if that wasn’t the intentions of the teacher.
We make decisions based on how much we have previously invested. Many schools and teachers stick with programs that are dated and lacking in support from research due to the time or money that has been invested.
When we know what we know, it can be hard to understand what others don’t know. When trying to teach someone, we need to know what prerequisite knowledge is required for the learner to understand the concept. Do we need to pre-teach vocabulary or provide graphic organisers to help them connect the new information.
We can over-emphasise a person’s actions towards their personality. I find this one relevant because it goes to show that it does matter what people think of you! Whether you’re trying to influence the students in your class or make whole-school changes, remember that what you are saying and doing might only be received positively if the people think positively about you.
When you believe or do something based on what others around you do. Schools are suckers for jumping on board with whatever is trending in their social circles. For school leaders, Barbara Blackburn has spoken about when pushing for change how 5-10% of people will do everything, 5-10% will do nothing, so aim for the middle to drive it.
When we make poor decisions in order to avoid confrontations within a group. If we haven’t created a psychologically safe environment or there is an outspoken leader, often teachers will bite their tongue to avoid disharmony with others.
Reflect on how you currently start a lesson and what you would like to do better. Hopefully, throughout this experience you will find some useful strategies to deepen the learning experience for your students.
Low stakes quiz
Low stakes quiz
At the end of each section there will be a quick low-stakes quiz. It is designed to be part of your own retrieval practice process. At the end of each quiz, you will receive the link to the next section.
Professional Learning Community
Professional Learning Community
Every two weeks, you will meet with other teachers to check-in. Sometimes this will be in pairs and other times in small groups. The purpose of this will be to:
Draw out connections and challenges to practice
Determine a precise strategy/technique for practice improvement
Make adjustments, in light of what’s happening
Check in with colleagues to sustain momentum
Reflect on the effectiveness
Share insights and determine implications for future practice
Identify possible next steps
Requirements
Requirements
It is called start of lesson because it should only take up the start of your lesson (5-10 minutes). This means if you go over, you are starting to dig into your time for learning new material.
The routine for each activity needs to be explicitly taught first (modelled, guided, practice). So, the first time will take longer. This way when the routine is repeated in the future, you can let students know what routine they will be starting with as they enter the classroom and they should know what to do for that activity. This means that you don't want to be trying to introduce too many new routines at once.
For consistency in expectations, the activities promoted here should aim to be done silently and independently (of course there will be exceptions to this rule). This is to help students calm down and get them in the right frame of mind to pay attention to your next instructions. We don't want a harsh disciplinary silence, but one that feels special due to the luxury of being able to think peacefully. Discussions as a part of feedback, can take place after the golden silence period.
Focus on low cost, high impact activities. Meaning that you want activities that are time efficient, repeatable and effective.
Feedback needs to be factored in. When will you give it, how will you give it, how much time will you allocate for it?
The activities need to provide the right amount of challenge - not too easy and not too hard. This is what Bjork & Bjork, 2011, have called desirable difficulties.
What do you want to achieve from the start of your lesson?
What do you want to achieve from the start of your lesson?
Starting the lesson has been broken up into 2 sections on this website.
Retrieval Practice
Build Connections
For each section there are two parts. Part A of each section looks at what the concept is, while Part B goes over practical examples that can be used in the classroom.
In Term 4, we will be focusing on Retrieval Practice and look at "Building connections" in 2022.
Retrieval practice
Retrieval practice
As teachers, we can get frustrated when we feel like we have taught something well and then our students seem to have forgotten it by the next lesson. Retrieval practice is all about pulling information from previous learning. It makes use of the "testing effect" and forces students to think. "Use it or lose it!"
Build Connections
Build Connections
We often lose the attention of our students at the start of a lesson, if we don't pitch it at the right level. We need to help them build the connections between their prior knowledge and the new learning. Best used when starting a new topic/concept.
Developing your routines - Teaching Walkthrus
Developing your routines - Teaching Walkthrus
Getting lessons started
Getting lessons started
Rehearsing Routines
Rehearsing Routines
Where does this PL Fit in?
Where does this PL Fit in?
What Works Best
What Works Best
Explicit Teaching
Effective feedback
Assessment
NSW Proficient Teacher Standards
NSW Proficient Teacher Standards
1. Know students and how they learn
1.1.2 Use teaching strategies based on knowledge of students’ physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics to improve student learning.
1.2.2 Structure teaching programs using research and collegial advice about how students learn.
1.5.2 Develop teaching activities that incorporate differentiated strategies to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
3. Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
3.2.2 Plan and implement well-structured learning and teaching programs or lesson sequences that engage students and promote learning.
4. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
4.2.2 Establish and maintain orderly and workable routines to create an environment where student time is spent on learning tasks.
5. Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
5.1.2 Develop, select and use informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative assessment strategies to assess student learning.
5.2.2 Provide timely, effective and appropriate feedback to students about their achievement relative to their learning goals.
6. Engage in professional learning
6.2.2 Participate in learning to update knowledge and practice targeted to professional needs and school and/or system priorities.
6.3.2 Contribute to collegial discussions and apply constructive feedback from colleagues to improve professional knowledge and practice.
How is this supported by research
How is this supported by research
Teaching the Science of Learning (Weinstein et al., 2018)
Tried and Tested – Spacing and retrieval practice (Australian Education Research Organisation, 2021)
Great Teaching Toolkit (Coe et al., 2020)
Improving Students’ Learning with Effective Learning Techniques (Dunlosky et al., 2013)
Principles of Instruction (Rosenshine, 2012)
The Science of Learning (Deans for Impact, 2015)
Learning: What is it and how might we catalyse it? (McCrea, 2019)
Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning (IES, 2007)
Cognitive Science Approaches in the Classroom (EEF, 2021)
Learning about Learning (NCTQ, 2016)
Applying Science of Learning in Education (Benassi et al., 2014)
To gain access to the information about retrieval practice complete QUIZ 1 (below)
To gain access to the information about retrieval practice complete QUIZ 1 (below)
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