Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
The Structure for Learning
Introduction...:
Our third T&L session was on Wednesday 1st December, during which our focus was the “Structure for Learning”. This particularly focussed on how lessons may be structured to develop and maximise learning focus for students to ensure that expected learning outcomes were achieved.
This was another enriching Learning and Teaching Workshop, in which, this time, Aishwarya Raghuraman (G12), Julia Kirchmayr (G11) and Stanislas Juery (G6) gave us the privilege of their views and opinions on how best learning and lessons can be structured.
Our discussions proved, again, to be informative and valuable insights into our professional methodologies in education...
What is A "Structure for Learning"?
Discussion Prompt/Stimulus:
Can we ALL teach in the same way?
Can there be a single lesson structure for all teaching from Primary to Grade 12?
Can there be a single structure/format for all subjects and all teachers?
What is YOUR opinion...?
Meeting Summary:
The structure of lessons should be learning-focused with a student-centred approach that embraces our school's commitment to the IB. A lesson or series of lessons should provide a cycle of learning that connects, activates, demonstrates and consolidates learning.
Connect
Prepare and connect what has to be learned to what is already known (homework)
Make the learning personal and from the start
Manage the classroom climate to involve all and exclude no-one
Agree 'this is what we will do, this is how we will do it'
Make the process of learning the focus of learning and explain the benefits
Activate
Engage learners by involving them in sense making
Provide information to help solve problems e.g. vocabulary
Utilise aids to encourage learning through seeing, hearing and doing
Provide opportunities for description, reflection and speculation throughout
Demonstrate
Provide challenging opportunities for learners to 'show they know'
Sharing opportunities in various groupings
Provide immediate educative feedback that improves rather than 'proves'
Give help about process and content to be acted upon straight away
Consolidate
Provide learners with opportunities to test their learning, in pairs, group or whole class
Reflect on what has been learnt and how
Link the process and content outcomes to the connect phase
Utilise experience to transfer learning: how can I use this learning?
Preview: coming next lesson....
The timing of a lesson should follow: 'demonstrate' takes approximately half the lesson and 'connect', 'activate' and 'consolidate' are divided evenly for the remainder of the lesson. Ensure the learners are aware of these timings to allow them also to time-manage their lessons.
Issues to consider through discussions with students:
Homework needs to be relevant and important. If it is important then the structure of a lesson allows sufficient time to provide feedback on homework?
Give students the opportunity to ask questions and provide valuable feedback to their teachers , in a safe, comfortable climate where they do not fear a reflection in their grades?
Students would like to ask more questions in class but find the atmosphere intimidating.
During periods of absence and trips the whole class are not held back in moving forward with lessons.
Lesson differentiation
Provide a strategy which supports absent students to access work they have missed and places the responsibility on the teacher to make it available and the student to complete it.
Provide a classroom environment where students can take risks by admitting they need help and students and teachers are supportive.
Be aware of problems of travelling around the school to arrive on time for lessons.
As the grade gets higher the parental involvement becomes less noticeable and this seems to impact on behaviour in class.
Give appropriate notice of tests to learners to allow time for studying.
Maybe a system to be implemented to allow tests to be scheduled appropriately.