VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1

OCT 2013

The FE Toolkit:
A Magazine for Grade 1 Teachers
LESSON PLANNING
SPECIAL The Teacher’s Mantra
FEATURES
ASSESSMENT
CORNER
1
“Failing to prepare is
NATIONAL
CONFERENCE
2 preparing to fail”
OFSTED ON 3
PLANNING
Grade 1 performance is usually distinguished by three specific
THE DIAMOND
LESSON PLAN
5 aspects of planning:

WRITING AIMS
1. A comprehensive assessment of student needs that
8
AND OUTCOMES includes gifted & talented, SEN students and use of Learning
Support Assistants.
ALTERNATIVES TO 11
LESSON PLANS 2. The use of collaborative activities with clear goals that
are relevant to both the student’s course and real life, and
controlled effectively for timings and student participation.
CORRECTION 3. Meticulous attention to checking learning in the session.

In our January 2012

edition on learning
styles, we mistakenly
referred to Prof. Frank
Assessment Corner Simple ways to test
learning
Coffield’s 2004 research
on Learning Styles as a
non peer-reviewed Learning Review
study—this is of course
incorrect and we Bradley Lightbody’s ‘learning review’ asks students to
apologise for this error.
Professor Coffield and rate their understanding using a traffic light system:
esteemed colleagues
undertook a I am confident I’ve I will extend my learning
comprehensive process
of peer review with understood... by...
leading authorities on
learning styles research I have a few questions I will seek answers by….
and education
practitioners, that is about...
well documented and
acknowledged by the I’d welcome more help I will seek further help by...
education research with...
community.

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OUR NATIONAL CONFERENCE IS COMING... Speakers include...

LEADING FURTHER EDUCATION  Johnny Ball

 Toni Fazaeli

21st March 2014, Mandolay Hotel, Guildford  Matthew Coffey

 Prof. David Clutterbuck
 Prof. Denis Gleeson
The challenge for FE leaders to improve education
 Prof. Helen Colley
outcomes has never been greater!  Lynne Sedgmore CBE
 Beej Kaczmarczyk
Keynote Speaker:  Mike Davis
 Geoff Petty
Johnny Ball  Julian Appleyard
What does stretch and challenge really mean to your  Stephen Grix
learners? How can FE leaders develop a ‘thinking culture’  Trevor Gordon
where every learner feels that they have a chance to  Helen Groves
succeed and fulfil their potential? How should colleges
 John Perry
respond to the new OFSTED requirement to embed
 Joanne Miles
literacy and numeracy? Johnny Ball, Mr ‘Think of a
Number’ discusses the work he has done in FE Colleges.  Andy Grant

CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES Workshop Titles

Attend this event if you want to: Getting Grade 1 in
Leadership &
 Examine the implication of recent funding changes on leadership and Management
management priorities
Optimising Senior
 Consider whole-college strategies for managing large cultural change Management
projects Performance through
 Examine successful approaches to managing short-notice inspections Executive Coaching
 Evaluate links between coaching and organisational performance Funding Masterclass: 16
 Discuss entrepreneurial strategies for generating new business and revenue -18 funding for Senior
streams Managers
 Consider innovative methods for embedding creativity and numeracy The Right Way to
Manage Talent:
SPEAKERS Developing Internal
Capability

Leading Improvements
in Teaching, Learning &
Assessment

Getting Grade 1 in
Teaching & Learning

The Learning Leader

Improving Performance
Geoff Petty Lynne Sedgmore Toni Fazaeli David Clutterbuck
through Peer
Observation
Date & Venue: 21 March 2014 Using Coaching to
Mandolay Hotel & Conference Centre, Transform College
Learning Cultures
36-40 London Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 2AE.
Getting Grade 1 in
Delegate Rate: £289.00 exc. VAT/ £346.80 inc VAT
Outcomes for Learners
E-mail your booking to [email protected]

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OFSTED ON LESSON PLANNING Outstanding Teaching

Contrary to popular myth, OFSTED are not that interested “Outstanding teaching and
learning are characterised by
in lesson plans - particularly those of a standardised highly skilled and enthusiastic
variety. They are, however, VERY interested in how lesson teachers who use their
planning leads to imaginative, inclusive and well-managed sessions where extensive expertise to inspire a
culture of learning and
there is a strong emphasis on progress and achievement. challenge. Very effective
Quotes: planning leads to brisk, lively
and imaginative teaching that
“A good lesson is about what works… A formulaic approach pushed out by a ensures that learners’ differing
[college] or prescribed as part of the inspection process traps too many in a needs are met.
stultifying and stifling mould…” (Michael Wilshaw, Chief Inspector, 2012). Teachers’ expectations of their
learners are high, checks on
“We, and in that word “we” I include OFSTED, should be wary of trying to prescribe a learning are frequent, questions
particular style of teaching, whether it be a three part lesson; an insistence that are probing and work is
there should be a balance between teacher led activities and independent learning, appropriately challenging.
or that the lesson should start with aims and objectives with a plenary at the end Learners are fully involved in
and so on and so forth. We should be wary of too much prescription”. evaluating and reflecting on
their own learning and they
“The worst sessions are those where a teacher ploughs through the plan learn quickly and make good
irrespective of how well or badly the lesson is going. OFSTED won’t require lesson progress.
plans when observing, but they will want to see a planned lesson” (Michael Learners needing additional
Wilshaw, Chief Inspector, 2012). help are identified early and
effective support is provided
Quotes taken from www.teacherbattleground.wordpress.com, Michael Wilshaw’s promptly”.
keynote address to the RSA, October 2012.
Annual Chief Inspector’s Report,
THE ADVICE: DEVELOP YOUR OWN STYLE 2011, OFSTED

Michael Wilshaw, the Chief Inspector, describes two OFSTED Helpdesk

outstanding lessons from Mossbourne School, where he
Advice from one inspector:
worked as a Headteacher:
New Topics: What do they know
“One is an English teacher. ..and I remember observing already?
lots of her lessons ...One of them was a lesson on the  Individual mindmap
Merchant of Venice...She had part of the class reciting  Repeat in pairs, then in
fours
Portia’s speech; you know, the quality of mercy. They were  Finally, a group mindmap
all doing that; this is a middle ability class. She had the Al
Linking Lessons:
Pacino film on the touchscreen behind her. She had a
 Get students to guess what
couple of youngsters dressed in Tudor garb and it was just one of those brilliant will happen in the next
lessons that you see and it was full of energy; it was full of pace and she was session
moving around between the different groups doing different things….  Get students to decide
what they would like to
learn about the topic in the
...The second lesson, or the second teacher I remember...He was a very traditional next session.
teacher. He taught in a pretty didactic way, but the kids loved him across the ability
Differentiated Outcomes:
range. He knew how to teach maths. You know what a great maths teacher does?
Builds block by block to ensure that youngsters don’t move on until they  Replace the old ‘All-Most-
Some’ with ‘Must-Should-
understand the ground rules. He would spend many, many hours in the evening Could’ as the latter
every night preparing powerpoints for himself and for the staff in his department removes the issue of
and he would disseminate good practice, in terms of how to use powerpoints, to ‘limitations’ inherent in the
former.
other people in his department and beyond his department to other schools in
Hackney and beyond. And he produced absolutely fantastic results although some Supporting Gifted & Talented:

people would say he was a very didactic teacher…  Higher-order learning

outcomes included
...So these two people were very different teachers but incredibly successful and  Extension tasks flagged on
the reason why they were successful was because they developed a style of lesson plan
teaching with which they were comfortable, not complacent...and which they knew  ‘Challenge’ questions
worked. It worked because children enjoyed their lessons; were engaged; were highlighted under
‘assessment’
focused; learnt a great deal and made real progress.”
 Gifted/Talented identified
Quotes taken from www.teacherbattleground.wordpress.com, Michael Wilshaw’s in ‘student needs’
keynote address to the RSA, October 2012.

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THE ACTIVE SCHEME OF WORK Assessment Calendar

According to Geoff Petty (2001), all teachers should be developing an active scheme of work Provide students with a
complete calendar of all
for their course(s). An active scheme of work is different from a conventional scheme of
assessment deadlines for every
work because: module covered in the year (put
modules along the top of the
 It includes strategies for identifying students’ prior learning and activities for page with the course weeks
addressing any missing elements running down the page). At a
glance students can see when
 It includes time and strategies to teach skills (such as essay writing) as well as the modules are taught, how the
content assessments are spaced and
where the workload will be most
 It explicitly integrates e-learning, inclusion and functional/core skills into the teaching demanding. Use colour to make
scheme. each module stand out.
Agree with students what an
IDENTIFY AND BUILD ON PRIOR LEARNING appropriate interim/draft
deadline should be for each
The first 6 weeks is crucial to whether students continue with the course and navigate its assessment and how this should
challenges successfully—it is your template for how students will regard the rest of the be submitted to you. It is here
academic year! You cannot plan a successful induction without a comprehensive that you will generate
commitment from the group to
assessment of what your students already know and do. Consider the following tasks: the assessment process, whilst
at the same time, ensuring that
 Conduct a thorough skills assessment of your course, identifying the core skills, and
feedback is available to
supplementary skills, that students need to be successful. The core skills should be a prime students prior to their final
focus in your first 6 weeks (e.g. at least 3 explicit points in this 6 week period where you focus module submission.
your class on the development of these core skills e.g. critical thinking, communication,
evaluation, teamworking, time management, etc). Investment in these skills in the early stages If the calendar is issued as a
separate document, ensure
of the course will improve student engagement, retention and achievement. students stick this into their
 Use the existing diagnostic information from instruments such as the enrolment interview, handbook. Upload a copy to your
Basic Key Skill Builder (BKSB), written tests, GCSE profile, etc to provide a thumbnail portrait of course VLE site.
each student in your class— this will become your ‘student profile’ and will enable you to use
the first 6 weeks to build a rapport with the student and to gain some initial feedback on their Student SoW
’core skills’. The best student profiles are documents which allow the teacher to add progress
comments against each student’s portrait, which will enable you later to set targets for each It goes without saying that
student and demonstrate evidence that learning is being actively tracked. The student profile students must be clear about
the way their course is organised
now becomes a ‘live’ document and an integral part of your assessment strategy.
and assessed.
FOCUS ON SKILLS, INCLUSION AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY Not only do good teachers have
their own, highly detailed
Tips for the first 6 weeks:
scheme of work in place for their
 Collaborative Working— perhaps one of the most important skills for students to develop is the course, but they also provide
ability to work effectively with others in their group. All students want to feel valued, respected their students with an
and involved — therefore, your first 6 weeks should be about creating the right group abbreviated version of this.
environment for students to learn effectively. One of the most successful ways of doing this is One idea that works well is to
through the use of a carefully chosen team icebreaker activity such as Cave Rescue or Moon produce a 1 page A4 scheme
Landing, which require students to work together, to share information, to consider the relative that covers the content week-by-
merits of a situation, and to make joint decisions about the best way to solve a problem. week and includes set
extension/homework tasks. The
 Study skills such as evaluation, critical thinking and essay writing need to be features of your student version does not need to
first 6 weeks delivery and taught as part of your main subject. ‘Early and often’ is a useful specify information on learning
mantra— don’t assume that students will come to the classroom already equipped with these activities, differentiation etc,
skills; all students will benefit from having these skills made explicit by teachers through the unless the teacher views this as
use of example and illustration, and through repetitive practice. Make sure repetition is a core essential; however, what it does
do is prime the student to think
principle that is embedded into your scheme of work.
about, and undertake, prior
 Even the most able IT students will need to be shown how to use specific learning technologies reading and preparation for the
that will be used on their course e.g. Blackboard, MOODLE, online referencing;, etc. Whole- coming lessons, whilst showing
class sessions are effective for showing students how these new technologies will support their students how the structure of
the course is mapped out.
learning. Try not to overload your students with too many new tasks in the first few weeks -
prioritise what you want them to use first; e.g. if want students to use your virtual learning This A4 scheme coupled with the
environment (VLE) to access extended reading materials, make this a feature early on in your course assessment calendar
first 6 weeks, set a task for completion and ensure that all students can achieve this before provides a simple, accessible
and informed picture of how the
moving on to a new technology! course is organised. Course
GOLDEN TIP: organisation is one of the key
expectations of students, and
 ‘Early and often’ should be your mantra for course starts where there are vital skills early impressions are important.
to be learned - remember the importance of repetition and demonstration by Poor course organisation at the
start is difficult to redress, and
example. can lead to retention problems.

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THE DIAMOND LESSON PLAN Grade 1 Checklist

In his book, Outstanding Teaching and Learning 14-19 (2nd Ed), Bradley Lightbody Tully (2012) has produced
(2012) proposes the use of a diamond lesson plan for delivering a grade 1 lesson — a practical checklist for
it comprises 9 key elements: planning lessons based
on hundreds of
observations of
outstanding lessons:
1. Vivid ‘hooks’ to stimulate
initial interest and
Lightbody asserts that there is ‘surprise’ .
no specific order that the
2. Clear links between the
elements should be delivered in,
session and course
but that a lesson missing one or assessment.
more of these ingredients has a
3. A short recap or ‘spotquiz’
higher chance of being less
to test prior learning that
effective than a lesson that involves all learners.
includes all nine elements.
4. Simple, explicit learning
Bradley Lightbody’s book Outstanding outcomes that provide
Teaching & Learning 14-19 (2nd Ed) is increasing challenge for
available from Amazon at £18.99 learners.
Appetiser 5. Nominated (directed)
Open your lesson with a bright, upbeat 3-5 minute activity to capture attention and questioning of all
enthuse. learners, leading to
Big Picture
detailed, evaluative
Raise interest by highlighting links to last lesson, the curriculum, the exam, current
affairs the real world plus a clear statement of the learning focus. answers from the
Recap majority.
Check learning from the last lesson and if need be re-teach any aspects of difficulty. Gain 6. Learners — unprompted —
responses from all. asking higher-level
Exposition
questions of the teacher
Introduce new learning with a clear overview or demonstration keeping short and sharp.
Question and answer and other learners.
Engage with fast paced open and directed questions to check understanding and to 7. Learner-centred tasks
promote thinking based on ‘real’ problems
Active learning and involving learners in
Facilitate individual, paired or group tasks to explore and consolidate new learning and
specific roles, and rotated
functional skills.
Check learning feedback.
Gain feedback from all to check and confirm the key learning points and link to 8. Strong attention to ‘time-
objectives. on-task’ and task
Summarise completion.
Summarise the key points all should have recorded.
Bridge 9. Frequent positive
Issue a research task as a bridge to the next lesson reinforcement.
10. Plenary review that
Guidance on Using the Diamond Lesson Plan:
Lightbody states that the 9 elements should be present in an outstanding lesson, but summarises and
that they can be used in different combinations and sequences. For instance, a teacher congratulates learners for
may want to start with a group activity, then move to a question and answer session, and their achievements in-
then ask learners to make connections with the previous session. This is followed by a session.
Big Picture review (how today’s findings and last week’s findings say something
important about the topic), drawing out links with one or two key theoretical positions. Tully (2012), The FE Animal
This then leads to a quick appetizer/ energiser as a change of pace, before setting up a Unpublished
series of quizzes/short tests on what students know, and what they still want to find out
(based on the big picture), finishing with a brief recap and scene setter for next week.

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DISSECTING YOUR BASIC LESSON PLAN What Counts as E&D?

It is an error to think of Equality
TIME TEACHER ACTIVITY STUDENT ACTIVITY ASSESSMENT RESOURCES and Diversity as a ‘bolt-on’ -
Your timings: What the tutor does: this is What the student How you How you have something extra to the usual
the section that explains does: Here you are demonstrate supported learning: practice of classroom delivery.
Insert a timed why the tasks are advised to write in learning: This List the resources Embedding equality and
break down of important,. You may wish to the relevant section is very that will support diversity means being able to
the lesson. insert links to specific parts learning outcomes important! These each learning task answer this single question: to
of the syllabus or make for this part of the are activities that and consider over what extent have I as a teacher
links with the previous lesson (you have are used to test time how varied planned to meet the varying
Consider the session. probably written learning — make your range of needs of my students in this
nine steps of these on the front sure you identify resources are. session? It is the central focus
Bradley Enter each teaching action page of your lesson the behaviours or Highlight the use of of effective teaching and
Lightbody’s and if there are learning outputs you technology in a
plan!). learning.
diamond support assistants in the expect from different colour.
lesson also their expected Enter the tasks that students in each Successful teachers do this in
lesson plan
actions. Discuss your the students will assessment task. (remember, your several ways, which we have
lesson plan with the complete and e.g. each student use of technology collectively called the 6Cs of
learning assistants and aim indicate the will produce one is another example embedding equality and
Consider differentiation of differentiation in
for a partnership. definition that diversity:
student involved (e.g. they will share your class)
attention Remember concentration different student  Choice
spans: spans and not to talk for with the class,
roles, skills
between 7 and too long — 15-20 minutes etc.  Collaboration
practised, peer-to-
20 minutes is a at most before introducing peer mentoring Enter key  Communication
good guideline. an individual, paired or opportunities, how questions the
group task. If you like using  Cultural Awareness
students will work students will be
the learning styles with each other, tested on and  Counter-Stereotypes
approach, highlight the specify what you
etc.)  Celebration
Visual, Auditory and consider to be an
Kinaesthetic tasks in appropriate Choice: Giving students
different colours—an answer different options, roles or
instant recognition that (distinguish PASS resources, in order to meet a
differentiation is being and CHALLENGE specific learning outcome.
considered. questions)
Collaboration: Putting students
into pairs or groups where the
Example: Example: Example: Example: Example: purpose is to share information
09.00-09.30 Introduction to Freud’s LO: to assess Students will Powerpoint with a and experiences (self-
theory of personality, students’ prior swap scripts and short montage of disclosure), carry out project
Module 4, individual task to knowledge of Freud mark responses Freud photographs work, or simply to problem-
find out what students and his contribution against a pre- solve.
defined set of Questionnaire and
already know about Freud to psychology Communication: Using
answers. Marks answer sheet
Students will respectful and level-appropriate
will be shared in language that puts student
individually Wipeboard
plenary. esteem and involvement at the
complete a quiz on
Freud’s biography Research task heart of student-tutor and
and ideas using a 7- set on incorrect student-student interactions,
item questionnaire. items for next whilst simultaneously
session. challenging offensive or
derogatory comments.
Core Lesson Plan Themes Cultural Awareness: Using
This section describes your methods for supporting independent learning e.g. through internet multi-cultural examples and
Extension research, peer mentoring tasks, advanced problems, homework tasks, self-reflection tasks, global themes to enrich the
Tasks extended reading tasks — these will include tasks that form a bridge to the next lesson. There curriculum and broaden
(‘Stretch & are two excellent models you may want to consider: Lightbody’s individual-paired-group task students’ horizons beyond their
structure (which offer pass and challenge task dimensions) and Tully’s Pair-Share-Chair-Aware immediate experience.
Challenge’)
active learning model (both these models are explained in this journal). Counter-Stereotypes: Making
You should always refer to a ‘student profile’ in this section (the ‘student profile’ will be a deliberate and conscious
separate document!). However, you are also advised to summarise the key student support efforts to challenge existing
Individual issues in this section—not only specific learning needs, or the use of a learning support stereotypes and assumptions in
Needs assistant, but whether the student is confident, focused etc. Remember, your job here is to the class and in the wider
convince an observer that your planning has catered for all these needs—don’t let them watch college (e.g. via marketing
Considered
something which requires you to explain later in your feedback session—if students behave in literature, lesson content, follow
certain ways which may affect their learning, flag it here on your lesson plan! -up of inappropriate behaviour).

Specify any opportunities or aspects of Equality and Diversity, Functional Skills, Employability Celebration: Finding
Personal Skills or Every Citizen Matters themes that apply in the lesson and how these relate to the opportunities both to celebrate
students’ wider personal development. Not every lesson will include all of these themes— and in calendar events that are unique
Development to certain cultures, and to
many classes this is not desirable—but do be specific!
commend the performance of
Self- those learners who have
Consider how well the lesson worked and adjust the content accordingly next time around Save achieved in the face of extreme
Assessment this lesson plan and overtime build up effective lesson plans for all your major topics. adversity.
Notes

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HOW YOUR LESSON PLANS ARE JUDGED Petty’s PAR Model

Lesson plans are a fact of life for FE teachers—but it helps to know how an observer may Geoff Petty offers a model
come to judge the quality and depth of these plans. The following competency grid sets out of lesson planning founded
the typical criteria than an observer may use to ‘grade’ your planning documentation using on three types of activity:
the OFSTED 1-4 scale.  Presenting New
Information
LESSON PLANNING COMPETENCY GRID  Applying the Learning
 Reviewing the Learning
OUTSTANDING GOOD
Scrupulously plans schemes of work Plans schemes of work and lesson
and lessons using the full range of plans in detail, using some initial
initial assessment data available, and assessment data, incorporating several
looks to incorporate good practice at examples of good practice.
every opportunity
 Has a good knowledge of initial assessment
 Has an extensive knowledge of initial techniques to assess learners’ needs, and
assessment techniques to assess learners’ attempts to use these to plan for student
needs, and uses these effectively to inform learning.
curriculum planning and learning support
 Schemes of work are logical, detailed and
requirements. well-constructed, leading to lesson plans Like a three-legged stool,
 Designs logical and comprehensive with reasonably clear learning outcomes should one of these
schemes of work and translates these into which measure what students are activities be missing, the
relevant, well-constructed lesson plans with supposed to achieve. stool will fall over!
SMART learning outcomes.  Some attempt is made to ensure that
 Has a comprehensive understanding of the learning materials are sensitive to learners’
concept of differentiation, and the needs.
techniques used to achieve this in the
 Regularly attempts to introduce good
classroom. practice into teaching and learning, and can
 Teaching and learning materials are varied, point to one or two examples where this
Present: (up to 35%)
sensitive to learner’s needs, and produced has been achieved successfully.
 Sharing learning
to an exceptional quality.
outcomes
 There is substantial evidence that good  New knowledge and
practice in teaching and learning is skills explained/
embedded into lesson design e.g. demonstrated
integration of key skills, use of learning
 Watching videos ,
support, work placements, response to
reading exercises,
national initiatives etc.
 Co-operative learning
activities (e.g. jigsaw
REQUIRES IMPROVEMENT INADEQUATE learning) that introduce
new material
Schemes of work and lesson plans are Insufficient planning takes place for
usually prepared, but lack detail and/or lessons, evidenced by incomplete or Apply (at least 60%):
cogency, using imprecise learning non-existent schemes of work and/or  Problem-solving and
outcomes, with limited evidence of lesson plans, poorly developed learning
decision-making
embedding good practice. outcomes and no identification with
good practice. activities
 Has a limited knowledge of initial  Case studies, projects,
assessment techniques, and understands  Does not use initial assessment to plan for roleplays, simulations
their value in planning for student learning. student learning, or regard it as a high  Making posters or
priority. mindmaps
 Schemes of work are in place, but contain
occasional inaccuracies or omissions,  Schemes of work, where they exist, are  Presentations & peer
incomplete or out-of-date, leading to basic learning tasks
leading to lesson plans with moderately
lesson plans with little or no variety to  Practising new skills in
clear learning outcomes that can be
lesson activities, including vague or ill- realistic environments
usually, but not always, measured.
conceived learning outcomes .
 Has a limited understanding of how to  Learning materials are produced without Review (at least 5%):
adapt learning materials to meet different reference to different learning needs.  Recap at start of lesson
learners’ need, though shows a willingness  Key learning points at
to find out how to do this.  Little or no interest is shown in introducing
good practice in teaching and learning, and end of lesson
 Shows an interest in introducing good is often resistant to attempts by colleagues  Summarising &
practice in teaching and learning, but finds to do so. Reflecting
it difficult to progress and/or follow through  Peer to peer testing
ideas.

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WRITING AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES SOLO Model

Aims: broad general statements, providing an overview of the session and what will be The SOLO (Structure of
covered, often single sentences, and usually no more than two sentences: e.g. Observed Learning
Outcomes) model of learning
 An introduction to Freud’s five stages of psychosexual development; developed by John Biggs
 To explore the economic and political causes of the American Civil War; states there are five stages
to the learning process that
 A practical workshop that enables students to carry out a client consultation; teachers should plan for:
 An investigation into the properties of sulphuric acid; 1. Prestructural—I don’t
know much about this
Learning Outcomes: specific statements that break the session down into manageable
2. Unistructural—I have one
segments, written as tasks that students are expected to achieve in the session. Often, but
idea about this
not always, the outcomes are sequenced in increasing levels of difficulty.
3. Multistructural—I have
 Name three Generals who served in the Union army during the American Civil War several ideas about this
 Summarise the main events that took place in the Battle of Gettysburg 4. Relational—I can link my
ideas together to see the
 Evaluate the political and military impact that the Gettysburg victory had on the
big picture
Confederate movement.
5. Extended Abstract—I can
Learning Outcomes: Putting the ‘DO’ back into learning look at these ideas in a
new and different way.
Why use learning outcomes? Put simply, learning outcomes tell students what the lesson is
about what they will achieve by the end of the session. Learning outcomes are what If you are preparing students
students will be able to do as a consequence of the learning that takes place in the session. for examinations which
typically involve questions
The best outcomes in classrooms are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant set at an ‘extended abstract’
and - more often than not — Timeframed). level (e.g. evaluation tasks),
Learning outcomes contain active verbs such as ‘List’, ‘Describe’, ‘Explain’, ‘Create’, etc and it is essential that you lead
specify the behaviours, knowledge and skills that will be performed by students in the the student through a series
of increasingly difficult
session. If one of your learning outcomes states: ‘Explain the concept of photosynthesis’, we ‘thinking steps’ to achieve
only know if students can do this if they provide you with an explanation, e.g. either orally or this using the SOLO model as
via a written report. The assessment of this outcome is then an opportunity for the student your guide.
to visibly demonstrate that they can offer the ‘explanation’ - and if successful, we can infer
Example:
that the student has learned and understood the required information to achieve this task.
If you wanted students to be
Words to Avoid: able to answer the question:
Not surprisingly, there are words you should avoid because they do not provide the student What is Shakespeare’s
with a clear idea of what you want them to do: know, understand, appreciate, familiarise, influence on modern
recognise...these words are too general and could mean many different things to the writers?
student. By using words like ‘explain’, ‘analyse’, ‘evaluate’ etc, you give students a clear ...you need to realise that
picture about the task, its complexity and what you are expecting from them. students cannot do this
immediately and that you
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY— ‘PASS’ AND ‘CHALLENGE’ need to lead students
through a series of less
Benjamin Bloom’s cognitive taxonomy is a guide to writing learning outcomes for different challenging thinking
levels of learning. The first three stages emphasise the acquisition of knowledge and skills exercises first, such as:
(PASS level learning), whereas the final three stages focus on higher-level thinking  Unistructural — Who is
(CHALLENGE level learning). Shakespeare?
Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy  Multistructural — What
did Shakespeare do and
To be able to state, repeat facts and information e.g.
Knowledge why?
List, Name, Identify, Recall, State, Define, Match,
LOWER  Relational — What
To be able to explain facts and information in context similarities does
Comprehension ORDER
e.g. Explain, Describe, Summarise, Re-order, Classify Shakespeare share with
THINKING modern playwrights?
To be able to use and apply in new situations e.g.
Application With SOLO, it is possible to:
Demonstrate, Calculate, Use, Compute, Apply
To be able to select and compare e.g. Distinguish,
1. Thoughtfully design
Analysis learning outcomes and
Categorise, Analyse, Compare, Contrast, Examine
HIGHER activities that stretch
To revise, summarise and extend e.g. Design, Devise, every student.
Synthesis
Produce, Construct, Create, Develop, Make ORDER
2. Identify and use effective
To justify, criticise and articulate opinion THINKING success criteria to
Evaluation measure student
Justify, Defend, Evaluate, Critique, Discuss,
progress.

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MODELS OF DIFFERENTIATION The Big Picture Start

Experiment with pictorial
MODEL 1: VARYING TASK STRUCTURE MODEL 2: ACTIVE LEARNING displays of your learning
outcomes, presented in the
Bradley Lightbody (2009) provides a simple, Paul Tully (2006) suggested four ways of form of a bubble diagram
yet compelling model of differentiation that ensuring differentiation and involvement: (conceptual map).
is easy to design and execute. He suggests
 Pair - activities that require students to team
that all grade 1 lessons comprise of:
up and discuss, solve or explore
 Individual tasks  Share - collaborative activities, involving
groups, where students exchange
 Paired Tasks
information to achieve a goal.
 Group Tasks  Chair—simulations and role-plays in which The topic is written into the
students play ‘real-life’ characters and roles centre, and the key learning
The tasks can be in any order, as long as outcomes are inserted into the
to practise skills and learned routines.
the session includes for all three types of branches. Lightbody (2009)
activity.  Aware — reflective activities, conducted suggests writing in key
individually or in groups, which focus on questions e.g. Why did Hitler
progress made and how learners like to learn Invade Poland?, rather than
learning outcome statements,
which may offer a more student
-friendly way of introducing the
THE LEARNING HIERARCHY : DEEP LEARNING = LEARNING-BY-DOING topic and its constituent tasks.

Adapted from Edgar Dale (1969), go to www.sparkinsight.com

Teaching Vocabulary
Robert Marzano, the great
American educator, suggests a
six-step template for designing a
lesson where the focus is on
developing the students’
vocabulary:
1. The teacher gives a
description, explanation or
example of the new term.
2. The teacher will ask the
student to give a
description, explanation or
example of the term in their
own words.
3. The teacher will ask the
learner to draw a picture,
symbol or locate a graphic to
represent the new term.
4. Students are exposed to a
number of activities that
THE 5 MINUTE LESSON PLAN: A MODEL FOR BUSY TEACHERS build on this initial
understanding e.g. by
finding related words, or by
developing their own
definitions and ways of
classifying the term with
previously learned
vocabulary.
5. The learner will discuss the
term with other learners, e.g
through a Think-Pair-Share
activity where individual
descriptions and images are
shared with another person
in the group, and then with
the whole group which
allows all learners to test
their ideas and correct any
misconceptions.
6. The learner participates in
learning games e.g. word
search, that reinforce the
Adapted from Teacher Toolkit new vocabulary.

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DESIGNING ACTIVITIES FOR MULTIPLE USES Activities & Choice

CAVE RESCUE—An example of a Multi-Purpose Collaborative Activity Cave Rescue can be used to
develop a number of important
By Paul Tully learning skills and attributes:
A vast number of teacher hours are devoted to the design of learning activities — often used  Developing team skills: As
once and then put away until the following year. Perhaps a more appropriate use of time is an ice-breaker it is an ideal
for teachers to develop activities that have multiple purposes: activities that can test a exercise for getting students
to work together, and to
range of learning skills, use collaboration and problem-solving, and require students to encourage a discussion
justify a course of action. Cave Rescue is one such about effective and
activity that can be used in a number of ways across ineffective learning in
the curriculum to support learning. groups. Links very well with
Bruce Tuckman’s ‘forming-
storming-norming-
What is Cave Rescue? performing’ model of group
Cave Rescue is a collaborative activity (simulation) that development.
involves individual and group decision-making, in which  Study Skills: It provides a
learners weigh up the relative merits of six hypothetical vehicle for discussing the
individuals who are trapped in a deep cavern and are in difference between facts,
urgent need of rescuing. At the start, ensure the class is opinions and evidence which
divided into groups of 5-7. may be a useful study skills
exercise at many levels.
The Brief: The tutor should read this brief to the students.  Communication Skills: It
Your group have been called to an emergency meeting to make decisions about life and death. There has been an enables students to develop
accident in a private coal mine when an important visit was taking place. You have to decide who will be rescued (and be assessed) on their
and in what order. A rescue team will arrive in 25 minutes and will follow your instructions. The trapped people are oral communication skills,
caught in a cave-in. They have limited air supply and water is rising in that area. Only one person can be released at and may link to criteria for
a time and it is likely some or all may die. Your group have to discuss and agree the rank order list of the people to functional skills assessment.
be rescued. The only details available about the trapped people are outlined on the attached sheet. Your order  Equality & Diversity: It offers
should be entered on the ranking sheet provided. an example of how
assumptions and
The Biographies: stereotypes can influence
people’s perceptions of what
JANE IMRAN TRISH
Single, aged 34, presently employed as A Pakistani who came to the UK with his She is 40 years old and lives with a is ‘worthy’ and ‘acceptable’ .
secretary in a large manufacturing parents at age 12. He is now aged 32. Managing Director of an insurance  Assessment: You might use
company in London where she has His wife is six months pregnant with company. They have two children (boy 2 this activity to discuss the
worked for ten years. She is unmarried their first child. Works as a supervisor in years, girl 4 years). She has never been
potential difficulties of
but lives with a local teacher. Her a Leeds foods factory. Attending Open employed though she has been involved
employers regard her as indispensable; University taking a psychology degree. with Meals on Wheels for 7 years and is assessing individual
her work record is superb and her ideas He hopes to develop his career further now heavily involved in training and performance within a group
are usually very good. Is very active in in psychology once he gets his degree. organising volunteer workers. It is setting, leading to a review
local charitable groups and has raised He is an active Hockey player and is in suspected that she is involved with a of how group performance
£100,000 over the last two years. She the Pakistani national squad. He also banned terrorist organisation. might be better (and more
is known to be active in the local Labour wants to take an extended holiday each objectively) evaluated.
Party and is considering standing for the year of at least 4 weeks to spend time
local council. in his native country. Students will not want to do this
ARTHUR DAVID CHARLES activity more than once in an
Native of York. Married 23 years, and Student aged 19, at University of Keele Married, aged 59 and has three grown academic year—why would they
has two children, (boy 17 years, girl 15 reading Politics, single but recently up children who have moved away from want to? This is not the purpose
years). Is currently involved in an affair engaged and plans to marry when home and have families of their own. He of using or creating a ‘multi-
with his secretary. Research Consultant qualified. Hopes to become a Social has recently lost his wife who had Aids. purpose’ learning activity.
at York Medical School working on an Worker. He is rather lazy at college, but He is the commercial manager of a
AIDS cure. Current publications indicate has ability. This frustrates his tutors and small factory producing canned goods The key point here is that you
that he is on the verge of a significant friends. He is a member of several for food. The factory employs 80 people. have flexibility in deciding when
discovery. A court case is impending campus societies and gives a lot of time Charles has personally negotiated a to use this type of activity in your
concerning an assault by him on his to other people’s needs. Has had large contract for his company which course. If you cannot use it as an
wife. articles published in various literary will save it from liquidation when it is ice-breaker (e.g. you run out of
magazines about his activities at college completed and signed. This contract time on day 1, or you have a
and has donated the fees to local can only be signed by him and would
better ice-breaker, or you are
charities. He is a keen campaigner for mean the security of employment for
Gay Rights. His girlfriend is pregnant but the workforce for the next three years. interrupted by a fire drill, etc),
he does not know about this yet, as his He spends a lot of his time at the pub there are several opportunities
girlfriend suspects he will not want to with his friends. He has three speeding later in the course where you
keep the child. tickets for driving in excess of 100 miles can deploy it successfully,
per hour in his Porsche. because of its ability to tap into
a variety of important skills.
Procedure: Most activities, by their nature,
 Individuals are asked to put in rank order the people whom they would rescue 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. are designed to support discrete
They have 5 minutes to read the thumbnails and complete this initial task—get them to fill out a learning outcomes, and must be
ranking sheet. No conferring with other group members at this point. used at a specific point in the
 Ask the groups now to use the next 20 minutes to agree an order that they would rescue the syllabus. Cave Rescue—and
trapped individuals. Chances are that views will differ widely. No voting by majority is allowed— activities like it — do not have
students are expected to argue the merits of their choices. Groups must manage their own time. this limitation.

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A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO LESSON PLANNING

By Robert Powell, RCP Training & Consultancy
It was in 2008 that I first met Frank Coffield, the year that the LSN published his wonderful and
heartfelt pamphlet ‘Just suppose teaching and learning became the first priority…’ In the light of
such sentiments...I continue to be amazed how many colleges believe that the route to better
teaching lies with lesson-planning documents.
These forms are most commonly found in general FE colleges, and the worst examples of such
forms require teachers to detail all aspects of their forthcoming lessons, with boxes for lesson
objectives, lesson outcomes, success criteria, ICT, special needs, differentiation, resources and
use of support staff. Every time a new initiative emerges a new box is added, so most forms now
include sections for Every Citizen Matters, Equality and Diversity, Health and Safety and Sustainability. That takes up the
first two pages and then on page three teachers are required to set out in great detail what will happen in each phase of
their lessons, often in five minute blocks. Page four is for evaluation…
There are a number of major flaws in this reliance on form-filling.
 These forms take an inordinate amount of time to complete. Even with a high degree of copying and pasting from the previous
lesson, many will take up to 45 minutes of teacher time and for teachers with 15 or more classes a week that is more than ten
hours of valuable time gone.
 The form-filling now leaves no time for the preparation of resources and stimulus that would have transformed the quality of the
learning in the lesson: e.g. scaffolds for writing, visual lesson aims, key word posters, multi-sensory stimuli and personal logs for
independent or group work.
 These forms almost universally include a box called ‘differentiation’ – how teachers plan to meet the individual needs of learners.
Differentiation is at the heart of outstanding practice, encompasses all aspects of teaching and learning, and cannot be dealt with in
a small box on a form. It is like having a plan for healthy living and inserting ‘fibre’ in the box entitled ‘healthy diet’.
 While topics such as Equality and Diversity, Every Citizen Matters and Sustainability are important, they should not divert teachers in
the planning of lessons; there are better ways to ensure that these agendas are embedded.
I can understand that some teachers might benefit from a tightly structured lesson-planning format, particularly those who
are new to the profession or those in need of support. But to insist that all staff, even those identified as good or
outstanding, should complete such detailed forms is nonsensical. A teacher who planned identical tasks for all students,
regardless of the wide range of ability in the class, would be graded ‘inadequate – no evidence of differentiation’. Yet the
very same managers making such judgements then impose a lesson-planning format on all staff regardless of their past
performance in teaching; differentiation for learners but not for teachers seems to be the rule! Nor can Ofsted be used as
an excuse for such practice. Ofsted inspectors do not expect to see these forms and will rarely look at them. They want to
see ‘evidence of planning’, not lesson-planning forms. Ofsted is quite right to adopt this view; great teaching and learning
does not result from paperwork exercises that drain the energy and sap the enthusiasm.
Principles Not Lesson Plans
There is an alternative. If colleges were to develop a teaching, learning and assessment policy based on principles and
then ask teams to develop a range of strategies for meeting those principles, a number of benefits would accrue.
Two examples of what I mean by principles are set out below.
Principle 1. The learning environment is safe and welcoming and there are clear systems of classroom management.
Principle 2. The purpose of learning is clearly understood by all – teachers, learners and support staff.
Once principles for teaching, for learning and for assessment are agreed across the college, curriculum teams meet to
agree how they meet each principle. A range of strategies are discussed, agreed and then recorded in a departmental
handbook of outstanding practice. Such an approach has a number of critical benefits:
1. In compiling the handbook all staff are involved and best practice would be disseminated as team members share successful
techniques - CPD at its most useful.
2. A variety of strategies will be included for each principle, encouraging creativity and variety based on rigorous and non-negotiable
principles.
3. Policies on such areas as Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity will be included in the handbooks and capture the ethos
and practice of a curriculum area. This is written once, not repeated in each lesson plan.
4. Key techniques e.g. on differentiation can be described in detail using a key word system e.g. Snowball, Jigsaw, Support Groups
or Scaffold. Lesson planning becomes very quick as key words replace paragraphs.
All it needs is visionary leadership and a commitment to make team time available.

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THE FE TOOLKIT Page 12

LESSON PLANNING FOR QUALITY MANAGERS Appetizer—Try This!

Lesson Plans need to have well-defined assessment tasks that show what learners should How Many Triangles?
be able to do or say to meet the learning outcome (these are the success Present the following shape via
criteria for each learning activity). This example, from a Hairdressing Level 3 Assessment: Powerpoint or on the
session, shows the level of detail now required in the assessment column. Be specific. What wipeboard/flipchart at the start
does each of the session.
student achieve?

Learning Outcome Student Activity Assessment

Identify and describe a range of Learners will be provided with six Each student will identify at least one
hair/scalp problems and their photographs of hair and scalp problem confidently and accurately
recommended treatments. problems, and will work from the image set. More experienced
individually, and then in pairs, to students will identify at least 3
identify the problems. problems.
Students will then contribute to a Each student will complete a
plenary discussion about the mindmap of common scalp problems
possible treatments, and will and their treatments. Explanations of
develop a mindmap linking each one will be recorded on the
Ask students how many
problems with treatments using mindmap.
triangles can be seen.
the SMARTboard. Students will individually complete a Combine the activity with an
Students will be tested on their matching exercise for problems and electronic timer or sandtimer
knowledge of these treatments treatments, with errors marked for for that additional competitive
using an assessment worksheet. additional reading (to be undertaken element.. Give sweets or some
for the next lesson). other prize to the winning
student(s).

NEWBUBBLES CPD EVENTS: AUTUMN 2013 Review —Try This!

Newbubbles — Experts in Further Education! Tableau for Four!

OFSTED Ready
Towards the end of the lesson,
explain that the class are going
Date Event Location Trainer to review the lesson in groups
06.11.13 Inspecting Teaching & Learning* Sutton Helen Groves HMI of four. They will do this by
creating four different
13.11.13 Better Questioning Skills Portsmouth Bradley Lightbody snapshots of the session.
Everyone in the group must
18.11.13 Effective Revision & Exam Techniques Portsmouth Learning Performance take part and they have 5
minutes to come up with the
19.11.13 Stress Management & Counselling Skills for Camberley John Perry ideas and five minutes to
Advanced Practitioners** present the snapshots back to
the rest of the group.
21.11.13 Preparing for Inspection: 48 Hours Notice* Bracknell Phil Hatton
The Fun Recap
26.11.13 The FE Data Toolkit* Croydon Mike Davis
Who Am I?
29.11.13 Outstanding Assessment Practices* Portsmouth Geoff Petty Technically,
this game
02.12.13 Anyone Can Get Grade 1 Portsmouth Paul Tully could be about
a person or
06.12.13 National Teacher Training Conference*** Croydon Multiple Speakers word or
concept
21.03.14 National FE Conference — Leading Further Guildford Multiple Speakers learned in the previous session.
Education
Ensure that your clues are
*Cost of this event is £169.00 + VAT **Cost of this event is £149.00 + VAT written at different levels of
***Cost of this conference is £229.00 + VAT difficulty, starting first with your
most difficult clue.
To book yourself onto an event, please e-mail [email protected]. You can use this game to test
individual students or create a
If you can offer a training specialism and your background is in further education, competition for groups of
students.
we would like to talk to you. E-mail us at [email protected].
Do not make the clues too
straightforward— be creative!
The harder that students have
Further Reading Next issue ... to work at the answers, the
greater the likelihood that they
Invisible Teaching, will recall the answer on
MANAGING GROUPWORK another occasion.
Dave Keeling & David Variation: get students to
Hodgson, 2011 prepare the clues!

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