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Professional development meeting (PDM): creating an inclusive classroom learning environment

Notes to the presenter The prompts are intended as possible examples of topics for the PDM.

You will want to make decisions about the focus and content of the session and adapt it according to the development of individual schools.

There is enough material for more than one PDM, if you want to extend the time given to a particular focus. Alternatively, you might want to choose a particular focus, that has emerged as a key factor in helping children achieve their curricular targets. such as developing children’s ability to work independently,

The PDM is written to be used with school staff but should be led by a leading teacher, a consultant or a member of the SMT.

As you present the session, keep the key messages in mind so that participants leave the training with a clear understanding of where they need to focus their development over the coming half-term.

You may want to record relevant contributions on a flipchart as you work through the session so that participants can use these prompts when they complete their individual development plan towards the end of the meeting.

The PDMs are written so that they include input, activities and discussion. It is worth including practical examples or video sequences in the training.

As you take participants through this session, note which staff are confident in this area and could share their expertise, for example by supporting colleagues in school. Also note staff who are less confident and who may need more focused support over the half-term.

Agenda for PDM: creating an inclusive classroom learning environment

1. Establishing the significance of the classroom learning environment for children’s achievement of targets

2. Promoting children’s sense of confidence and competence3. Helping children to work collaboratively4. Helping children to learn to work independently5. Identifying next steps

Training sequenceNotes

These notes are for guidance only; it is expected that schools will choose from what is suggested and adapt materials to meet their own needs.

These notes are written to be appropriate for the whole school; for the Foundation Stage it is important to think of activities rather than lessons.

Page 1 of 17 |Leading on Intervention DfES 03817-2006PCK-EN © Crown copyright 2006

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Aim of the PDM To support class teachers in creating a learning environment where children

feel confident and competent, are able to work both collaboratively in groups and independently.

1. Establishing the significance of the classroom learning environment for children’s achievement of targetsIntroduction Possible introductory activity

Watch parts of the video sequences ‘Inclusive teaching 1’ and ‘Inclusive teaching 2’ from the DVD Learning and teaching for children with special educational needs in the primary years (DfES 0321-2004 G DVD). Sequence 1 shows a Year 3 mathematics lesson. Show the part of the lesson where the teacher works directly with a group of children. Sequence 2 shows a Year 2 literacy lesson. Show the section that begins with the teacher describing the school’s use of assessment for learning strategies such as ‘traffic lighting’.

In pairs, talk about any features of the classroom climate that helped all children to feel included, confident and competent.

Take feedback, drawing out the way

children were encouraged to help one another the teacher created a climate in which children could acknowledge

areas of difficulty the teacher responded to children’s contributions and mistakes.

Point out that the teachers’ choice of language, tone of voice and manner played a large part in establishing an ethos in which children would feel safe to make mistakes and take risks with their learning.


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2. Promoting children’s sense of confidence and competenceGiving feedback

Possible activityThis activity examines teacher language in more detail. It uses the examples that staff have gathered and brought with them, in order to explore the language that best promotes children’s feelings of confidence and competence.

Handout 1: ‘Teacher language’ explains one way of looking at the language teachers use when giving children feedback.

Research suggests that teacher language of types A, C and F is most likely to promote a sense of confidence and competence in children.

Working in pairs, sort the sticky notes or cards you have brought with you, each with an example of teacher feedback, into six piles corresponding to the A–F types of feedback on the slide.

Take feedback. What issues did the sorting task raise? Which were the most common types of teacher feedback? Which were observed least often? What might be the implications for practice?

Draw out the importance of feedback that values children’s ideas, while giving them clear guidance about what the teacher wants to see.

Positive language

Possible activityThe discussion will have raised issues about how to respond when children have got something wrong or are struggling. This activity focuses on this tricky issue – how to make clear to the child that they are not on the right track, without reducing their sense of confidence and competence.

Participants might read Handout 2: ‘Supportive language’, and discuss whether they think this is a useful way of thinking about teacher language.

Handout 3:, ‘Things children say and what they really mean’ has examples of things children often say – particularly those who are underachieving. Ask participants to work in threes. One person should pretend to be the child and read out the child’s words from the first column on the handout. The second person should try to guess at the child’s feelings and come up with some words for what the child really means. The third person plays the teacher and responds to the child, trying to use the language of success, hope or possibility. The ‘child’ should say how the response makes them feel, and the group then discuss and improve on the teacher response until they are satisfied with it.

Do the first example together. If the child says ‘No one will play with me’ they might, for example, mean ‘I’m lonely and I think no one likes me’. The teacher might use the language of possibility and respond ‘A bit lonely today? That must make you feel sad. What did you do yesterday when you wanted to play in the sand with Arthur and Sedef? Do you remember what you said that worked then?’

You could compare your responses with those on Handout 4: ‘Possible teacher responses’. Emphasise that there is no single correct response; participants may well have come up with better examples than those on the handout.


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3. Helping children to work collaborativelyCollaborative learning

Possible activityWatch the video sequence ‘Collaborative learning’ from the DVD Learning and teaching for children with special educational needs in the primary years (DfES 0321-2004 G DVD). The video sequence shows two teachers talking about collaborative work they have developed in the particularly challenging context of their school.

Ask participants to discuss the following questions in pairs.

What did you like about what you saw? What do you see as the obstacles to working in this way? What do you find successful or difficult in managing group work in

class?

Take feedback on obstacles to successful collaborative work and record these on a flipchart.

Pupil grouping arrangements

Possible activityThis activity involves investigating research on pupil groupings. Half the group read some research on how groups are currently used in the majority of primary classrooms (Handout 5: ‘Pupil groupings in primary classrooms’). The other half read some research on the benefits and drawbacks of working in mixed-ability groups and single-ability groups (Handout 6: ‘Ability groupings in primary classrooms’).

Participants then pair up and describe the key points from their reading to their partner.

Invite discussion of how far the practices described on the handouts resemble what happens in school. Do children often sit in groups without necessarily working collaboratively? Do staff generally use mixed-ability or single-ability groupings, or a mixture of both?

Possible activityTel the group this story of a not-untypical grouping in a primary classroom.

Andrew, who has communication difficulties, works at the same table for most of the school day. He sits with four other children, all with additional needs. Sedef is at an early stage in learning English as an additional language. Ryan has behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, but average attainment levels. David has Asperger syndrome (an autistic spectrum disorder) and is good at mathematics but has below-average reading comprehension. Kylie has moderate learning difficulties and language delay.

This grouping allows the teacher to make sure there is a teaching assistant with the group almost all the time.

As a group, discuss the advantages and disadvantages with this arrangement. Draw out the following points.

The group may have good access to adult support, but will have little opportunity to receive support from peers.

The children with communication needs will have limited access to positive role models for language and communication.

The children will have little opportunity to develop confidence in interacting with a range of peers.

There is a risk that the teacher will set the same independent tasks for all the children in the group, which may not provide an appropriate


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level of challenge for individual children, who are working at very different levels.

As a group, discuss how the teacher might change the grouping arrangements. Draw out some key principles.

Group children flexibly on the basis of what you want them to learn. When you are teaching a group directly, group children who need to

work on similar learning objectives. When children are working on a collaborative task independently of the

teacher, use mixed-ability groups. When children are working independently but individually, plan seating

arrangements that provide children with good role models and peer support.

Plan for social as well as academic learning.

Possible activityParticipants might work in pairs to look back at the day’s teaching, taking turns to describe briefly the day’s lessons, and how they arranged pupil groupings. The other member of the pair should encourage their partner to reflect on how far the grouping and seating arrangements matched the key principles that the group have formulated, and explore whether, if teaching this lesson again, they would manage groupings differently.

Developing group work skills

Possible activityLook back at the feedback you collected after watching the video on collaborative learning, and reflect on the obstacles to successful group work. Participants are likely to have mentioned times when group work became chaotic, children argued, wasted time, failed to share equipment, needed constant teacher attention, and so on. Establish that these are common problems. Group work is successful in schools where children have lots of practice in working in groups, and the teacher has spent time actively teaching them how to work well together.

As a group, discuss what you currently do to teach children how to work together effectively.

You might want to watch the video sequence ‘Celts and Romans’ from Speaking, listening, learning (DfES 0623-2003 G), or look at the ‘Getting on and falling out’ booklets from the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) materials (DfES 0110-2005), to identify opportunities in the materials for explicitly teaching group-work skills. Participants might explore the progression within the SEAL materials, one group picking out relevant aspects from the Foundation Stage booklet, while other groups look at the booklets for Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6. Each group might write up a short summary of what is taught in their year-group materials, which you could collate and distribute after the session.


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(From PGM: Creating and inclusive classroom learning environment)

4. Helping children to learn to work independentlyWorking independently

Reflect again on feedback you collected after watching the video sequence, in which participants listed obstacles to successful group work they had experienced in their own practice. Draw out concerns about children’s perceived inability to work independently of the teacher. Ask whether this has also been a problem in participants’ experience when children were given individual tasks, and whether they see it as a particular problem for underachieving children.

Possible activityHandout 7: ’ A Year 1 literacy lesson on reading and following instructions’ describes a classroom activity where children were meant to work independently but this did not work as well as it might.

Working in small groups, identify ways in which the teacher could structure the activity so that children experience a greater degree of success in working independently.

You could make available a selection of clue cards prepared from Handout 8: ‘Helping children to work independently – Clue cards’ for participants to use if they need additional ideas.

Take feedback, asking each group to contribute one or more of their best ideas for promoting independence.

5. Identifying next stepsNext steps What actions am I going to take to further develop a classroom climate

where all children feel confident and competent?

What actions am I going to take to promote collaborative learning?

What actions am I going to take to help children work independently?

Possible discussion What are your key actions as an individual, year group or school? What further resources, support or professional development do you

need?

ResourcesResources Excellence and Enjoyment: Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning

(DfES 0110-2005)

Getting on and falling out: booklets from the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) materials (DfES 0110-2005)

Excellence and Enjoyment: Learning and teaching in the primary years for children with SEN (DfES 0321-2004 G DVD)

Speaking, listening, learning (DfES 0623-2003 G)

Learning and teaching for bilingual children in the primary years (0013-2006PCK-EN)


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Handout 1: Teacher language*Type A Teacher response that accepts, clarifies, and responds with

warmth and interest to children’s comments, ideas and answers Type B Teacher response that disallows, ignores or criticises children’s

comments, ideas and answersType C Descriptive praise – praise that tells the child exactly what it is they

have done well Type D Praise that is bland and non-specific, or given with an added

negative commentType E Behaviour management that focuses on inappropriate behaviour,

or uses deprecating remarks that criticise or reject the child Type F Behaviour management that focuses on appropriate behaviour –

noticing positive behaviour or specifying what the child should be doing

*This classification is based on one developed by John Colwell and Tina O’Connor (2003) Understanding nurturing practices – a comparison of the use of strategies likely to enhance self-esteem in nurture groups and normal classrooms, British Journal of Special Education 3 (30).


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Handout 2: Supportive languageHughes and Vass (2001) have identified three types of language that are helpful in supporting learning and motivation.

The language of successSignal confidence to children about their ability to succeed with phrases such as ‘I know you can…’.

The language of hopeCreate an ethos where it is acceptable for children to say ‘I’ll try but I need some help…’ rather than ‘I cannot do it ’. Support this by using phrases such as ‘You can do it’, and ‘What helps you do it?’

The language of possibilityLearners may express limits to their achievements with phrases such as ‘I’m no good at…’ and ‘I always get X wrong.’ Support a climate of greater possibility by the language you use in response, such as ‘Yes, you did get a bit mixed up but let’s see which bit is causing you problems’.

(From Hughes, M and Vass, A. (2001) Strategies for closing the learning gap, Network Educational Press)

The researcher Guy Claxton suggests that if we want to help children become good learners, we need to create a classroom climate where it is understood that learning can only begin when we are able to say ‘I do not know’.

In this climate, failure and frustration are seen as helpful starting points for a learning journey. Wrong answers are viewed as potentially as important and valuable as right answers. They are seen as interesting, providing an opportunity to explore the thinking that led to the answer, rather than a sign of failure.

When a child gives a wrong answer, inclusive teachers might ask for opinions: ‘That’s interesting – does anyone think differently? Why?’ Or they may recognise any part of the child’s answer that is correct, then prompt or scaffold the same pupil to answer again. They avoid going on to other pupils for the ‘right’ answer.

When explaining something, inclusive teachers might use a signal for children to tell them if they haven’t understood:

red/yellow/green traffic light symbols

thumbs up for ‘yes’, thumbs sideways for ‘a bit’, thumbs down for ‘no’

five fingers for ‘completely’, down to no fingers for ‘not at all’.

The inclusive teacher will let children know that if they don’t understand, that means that they as the teacher need to find another way of explaining – it is the teacher’s problem, not theirs.


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When children are stuck with their work, the inclusive teacher might say: ‘Well done – if it’s making you think, you are learning’, ‘That’s good you’ve got a bit stuck – what helped you last time this happened?’


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Handout 3: Things children say and what they really mean

What they say What it might mean A way to respond using positive language

No one will play with me.

I can’t understand this.

I can’t do this. It’s too hard.

I always spell ‘beautiful’ wrong.

That was easy.

I’m stuck.

I don’t like writing.


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Handout 4: Possible teacher responses

What they say What it might mean A way to respond using positive language

No one will play with me.

I’m lonely and I think no one likes me.

A bit lonely today? That must make you feel sad. What did you do yesterday when you wanted to play in the sand with Arthur and Sedef? Do you remember what you said that worked then?

I can’t understand this.

I’m stupid. That’s great – it’s making you think, you’re learning.

I can’t do this. It’s too hard.

I’m no good at this. OK, so you haven’t mastered it yet. Let’s see which bits I didn’t explain well enough.

I always spell ‘beautiful’ wrong.

I can’t spell. You need to tell me.

Which is the tricky bit? What do you need to remember? What would be a way of remembering that bit?

That was easy. I’m OK at this – or maybe it was just really easy.

What was it you did that helped you do that so well?

I’m stuck. Help me. Yes, you’ve got a bit stuck – what helped you last time this happened?

I don’t like writing.

I’m no good at writing.

I know you’re not very confident yet with your writing. Just let’s look at some of your work, though. Let’s see… that was at the beginning of the year… now you choose something you were proud of when we did the work on… Can you see the difference? What do you want to aim for next?


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Handout 5: Pupil groupings in primary classroomsA number of researchers have documented the benefits of collaborative group work as an inclusion strategy. Four studies (Piercy et al., 2002; Nixon, 1999; Dugan et al., 1995 and Kamps et al., 1989) used measures of children’s social and academic engagement before and after the introduction of cooperative learning strategies. All four studies found a significant increase in engagement for children with special education needs (SEN) and disabilities (learning difficulties, autistic spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Two of these studies also measured academic performance and reported improved performance on formal tests after children with SEN took part in cooperative learning.

Jenkins et al. (2003) evaluated teacher perceptions of the impact of introducing cooperative group work. Teachers were generally positive about the effects on children with learning difficulties, citing in particular improvements to self-esteem, feeling more secure as a result of being part of a group, and improved learning outcomes.

Most of the systematic research on cooperative learning comes from the United States. Evidence from the UK shows that children have relatively few opportunities to work together in groups. While pupils are often seated in groups, they still tend to be set individual tasks. Observational research has shown that seating children in groups does not of itself lead to cooperative learning. The ORACLE studies (Galton et al., 1980 and 1999) showed that children spend up to 5 hours a week interacting with each other in class, but three quarters of those interactions had nothing to do with the task in hand. McPake et al. (1999) found that children sitting in groups around tables were concentrating on the task for less than half their time. Where the teacher taught the whole class, their time spent concentrating on the task rose to 74%. The children did best of all, however, on the rare occasions when they worked together on a task, when they concentrated for an average of 93% of the time.

Successful cooperative group work has a number of key features.

The group have a shared group goal. Individual children are assigned complementary and interconnected roles,

for example scribe, timekeeper, chairperson, materials gatherer. Everyone in the group is dependent on other members: for example, each

member has only a portion of the information, materials or resources needed to complete the task.

The group work together over a period of time and are thus able to establish a group identity, and perhaps choose a group name or group symbol.

The children are explicitly taught the social skills necessary to working effectively in groups or teams.

The children are given opportunities to reflect on how well they worked together as a group and what they need to do to improve.


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Handout 6: Ability groupings in primary classroomsWhen children are working independently of the teacher, research suggests that mixed-ability groups work better than single-ability groups for children of average and below-average ability. For children of above-average ability, mixed-ability groups work at least as well as single-ability groups, and sometimes better.

In a review of 50 research studies, Cohen (1994) found strong evidence that putting students of mixed achievement levels into the same group was better than having groups with the same achievement level. Contrary to popular understanding, working in mixed-ability groups benefited both low-achieving and high-achieving students. There was evidence that the thinking of the lower-achieving students improved through interaction with the higher-achieving students. Providing effective support to lower-achieving students helped higher-achieving students develop their explanatory skills.

Swing and Peterson (1982) found that both high-attaining and low-attaining children learned more in mixed-ability groups, and hypothesised that the more-able children gained a deeper understanding of, and greater hold, on new learning through explaining and justifying their ideas to the less able. Slavin (1996), in a 2-year study of schools using mixed-ability cooperative learning, found particularly positive effects on the achievement of the most able pupils – those in the top 5–10% of their classes.

Bennett (1991) analysed the kinds of talk in groups of all high-ability, all average-ability and all low-ability children. He found that if grouped together, the low attainers tended to use low-quality discourse, with little sharing of explanations or knowledge. Low attainers in mixed-ability groups, however, benefited from the more sophisticated talk and achieved more. High attainers performed well whichever group they happened to be a member of.

Bennett’s research also looked at different types of mixed-ability group, some with two more-able children to one less-able, and some with the reverse ratio. He concluded:

‘On every criterion it was the two low and one high group which was superior. What appeared to happen in the other combination is that the two high attainers talked together whilst the lower attainer was ignored, or opted out, and as a consequence misunderstood the basis on which decisions were being made. In the two low and one high combination, on the other hand, the high attainer took on the role of peer tutor and support.’

Work in mixed-ability groups needs to be balanced with opportunities to work in other types of grouping when the teacher is working directly with children. In their review Effective pupil grouping in the primary school (2002), Hallam et al. concluded that: ‘Ability groups can assist in the acquisition of basic skills through increasing interaction between teachers and pupils’. For children with special education needs, increasing the amount of time spent on group work with the teacher present in an instructional role can make a big difference to children’s concentration and achievement. Croll and Moses (1985), for example,


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showed that for slow-learning children and children with behaviour problems, whose overall levels of time spent concentrating on the task in hand were below average, a shift to group work with the teacher rather than individual work or class work meant a big rise in their engagement with learning.


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Handout 7: A Year 1 literacy lesson on reading and following instructions

During shared reading, the class had been reading Mr Gumpy’s outing by John Burningham. Mr Gumpy gives an instruction to each of the characters in the story, for example ‘Yes, but don’t hop about’. Further whole-class work has been done on reading and following simple instructions.

The teacher has planned an activity for a group of lower-attaining children who need help in developing their oral language skills.

The teacher’s intention is that they should make stick puppets and use them to speak a character part in an enactment of the story.

The teacher has prepared a card with written instructions.

Making a puppet

1. Draw an animal.

2. Colour it.

3. Cut it out.

4. Fix it on the stick.

The lower-attaining children are the first group to do this activity. They have card and lolly sticks on their table. The teacher talks and reads through the instructions with the children:

I want you to draw an animal. You will need to colour it in and cut it out. Then you will need to fix one of the sticks onto the back to make a stick puppet. Use your card this way round (indicating paper in portrait mode) and don’t draw your animal too small, or we won’t be able to see it when we do the play. Please don’t draw an animal that anyone else is drawing, and if you finish you can practise with your puppets, ready to show the class your play.

At the end of the session, one child has made an elephant puppet (not in the story) and has wandered off to the Lego table. A second has cut off the legs and part of the tail of the animal. This child is trying to join in with the other two children who are waving their puppets about and making animal noises. Three of the children have been to the teacher at least once during the course of the activity.


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Handout 8: Helping children to work independently – Cue cardsPlan groupings carefully Model the task in shared time before children

undertake it independently

Share the learning objective with the children: ‘We are learning to…’

Model the end product of an activity before the children start – ‘What I am looking for is…’

Assign specific roles to individual children Give children who find learning difficult more complex independent tasks towards the end of the week, when they have seen other children demonstrate their learning in plenary sessions

Provide a pictorial task card as a reminder to the children of what they have to do

Give children a ‘5 things to do if you are stuck’ reminder card

Think about resources that may help children with the task – for example, their own copies of the shared text to refer to

Assign each child a ‘study buddy’ so they have someone to go to for help if they get stuck

Have children work in collaborative pairs – for example pairing a child with lots of ideas but difficulties with written recording with a child who is good at the secretarial aspects of writing but has fewer ideas

Develop over time a repertoire of regularly repeated group or individual activities, so that while task content may be new, the task structure is familiar to children

Plan for alternatives to written recording – for example matching, sequencing, sorting, highlighting

Provide a writing frame or other part-completed structure for children to complete

Actively teach children core routines for certain tasks, practising them with progressively less help until they can quickly tell or show you what they have to do if you ask them to undertake that type of task

Provide practical aids that anticipate possible difficulties – for example, an alphabet strip, spelling resource box, word mats, words on bookmarks, wall displays of words children will need, glossaries of topic word meanings or mathematical vocabulary, spelling dictionaries

Provide a reminder to show children they are meant to be working independently – a soft toy on their table, for example

Provide relevant mathematical resources – number lines and squares, place value cards, calculators

Give instructions carefully – chunk them rather than saying them in one long string; be prepared to repeat them; ask one child to repeat them for the group; jot them down on a sticky note or encourage the children to do so

Provide children with their own study pack containing, for example, highlighter pens, sticky notes, index cards for subject vocabulary, sticky labels to use to correct or conceal, a tables square, place value cards, a pocket number line, number cards, a hundred square, a calendar

Make sure children know what to do when they have finished – where to put their work, and what they can do next (read, finish a piece of extended writing, play a game)

Label or colour-code basic equipment for each table – rulers, pencils, erasers – so that groups know which is theirs


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