Our learners understand where they are with their learning

PUPIL COMMENTS

Most pupils have conversations with staff regarding their learning at regular points in the year. 

How do we ensure this happens for all learners? 

Staff engineer effective discussions, tasks and activities which elicit evidence of learning. Every interaction with a pupil or group of pupils should leave staff knowing more about what a pupil knows or can do. This knowledge is then used to adapt our teaching accordingly, such that the next move we make is the best for moving learning forward. 

Staff are responsive teachers:

• Creating situations that reveal what pupils know and are thinking

• Attending closely to this information

• Interpreting it

• Responding by adjusting learning

Learners are encouraged to “own their own learning”.  Teachers help students to know where they are going and where they are on their curriculum journey by:

• giving students access to long-term plans for courses

• setting out milestones in the learning journey so that students can take their bearings and plan their own next steps through appropriate forms of practice, becoming increasingly independent

• providing exemplars of performance at various levels of success up to a high/exceptional level so students can compare their own work against a scale and see for themselves where they are and what short-run learning goals might be achievable to move forward

An important part of young people’s understanding of their own learning is how they perceive themselves. All pupils know their strengths, and have opportunities to build transferable skills that allow them to be successful. This helps to create a positive sense of self where pupils have confidence and a learning environment that has pupil wellbeing at its heart.

Use of Plenaries to support learning

Plenaries are used by teachers either during or at the end of a lesson, to review aims and consolidate the students’ learning. It is an evaluative part of a lesson, where students reflect on what they have learnt and achieved during that teaching period. The teacher is using this to identify what learning has taken place and plan next steps for learning and teaching. 

Examples of Effective Practice

• Calm, safe and engaging learning environment that supports learning

• Effective use of HOT questioning used to assess understanding, e.g. Think-Pair-Share, peer discussion, Show Me Boards, Active assessment

• Engaging AiFL strategies are appropriately employed to plan or adapt learning experiences

• All staff know where learners are and are taking next steps to progress learning

• Success criteria allows learners to assess their own learning