RQT Project: Jen KnightRQT Project: Jen Knight

Rationale

To research into metacognition strategies…

‘…teaching approaches which make learners’ thinking about learning more explicit in the classroom. This is usually through teaching

pupils strategies to plan, monitor and evaluate their own learning.’ (The Sutton Trust).

My Top 5 Best CombosMy Top 5 Best Combos

Research combo

‘Deliberately difficult’

Didau

‘Deliberately difficult’

Didau

Feedback

Hattie

Feedback

Hattie

The research comboThe research combo

‘Difficult DIRT’‘Difficult DIRT’

The project:Deliberately Difficult DIRT

The project:Deliberately Difficult DIRT

• Class: 10N1, Higher ability RE group•

• Reason: They focus on summative grade given and not formative feedback given after a test. Generally minimal use of green pen during reflection time or meaningless reflection - ‘OK miss’ or ‘I will put in examples’ next to my feedback to ‘put in examples’.

• The plan: To reduce my feedback, give an overall target, then they work out where that target specifically applies and improve their work

• The rationale: pupils won’t have a grade to be distracted by. Pupils will have to think more about their work and how to improve because I have given less guidance.

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Difficult DIRT: PlanDifficult DIRT: Plan

• Pupils dislike having no grade for their work• Only the intrinsically motivated students

worked harder to work out what improvements to make

• I didn’t feel that they took greater notice of my comments in order to improve overall

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Difficult DIRT: resultsDifficult DIRT: results

Difficult DIRT: Revised PlanDifficult DIRT: Revised Plan

Adding the extras for an extra special combo…

Difficult DIRT: Revised PlanDifficult DIRT: Revised Plan

• Class: 9P2, Higher ability RE group• Collect more evidence

– After improvements have been made, I give them their first original mark and then their mark following improvements.

• Motivate pupils– Offering rewards for an increase in grade

between first ‘draft’ and improved response. Build in an element of competition which focuses on attitude and progress rather than highest grade.

•

• 62% of pupils were able to improve their work by 1 mark or more.• 2 pupils out of 29 improved their work by more than 5 marks.• 11/29 pupils did not improve their work – this seemed to be due to lack of

effort despite the rewards offered.• Marking time – increased due to checking the improvements made.•

• Next steps – to implement this as a routine – some pupils may need to get used to the system for it to work effectively. Also, an End of Unit Test isn’t practical as it is too much to mark twice. It would work well for mid unit exam questions. It may be that this sense of control over their progress could work to imporve their intrinsic motivation as this research suggests. http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/21-simple-ideas-to-improve-student-motivatio/

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Difficult DIRT Revised: ResultsDifficult DIRT Revised: Results

Pupils’ workPupils’ work

1st Attempt.Targets given using

codes (pink pen). Mark recorded by teacher but

not given to student.

2nd Attempt.Student has worked out

the targets and made improvements.

Finally, marked (red pen)Student told how much progress was made and

given a green e-ref.

‘We know what we’ve got to do to improve’

‘We know what we’ve got to do to improve’

‘When we improve on a test we did

before we know what to do the

next time’

‘When we improve on a test we did

before we know what to do the

next time’

‘It makes you less anxious about the

test’

‘It makes you less anxious about the

test’‘The edible surprises are a good incentive’‘The edible surprises are a good incentive’

‘I didn’t have enough time to finish making

the improvements’

‘I didn’t have enough time to finish making

the improvements’

‘Instructions weren’t clear – didn’t need to

literally rewrite what was

written before’

‘Instructions weren’t clear – didn’t need to

literally rewrite what was

written before’

‘Sometimes the comments aren’t that

helpful because you don’t know

that certain thing you can’t

add it’

‘Sometimes the comments aren’t that

helpful because you don’t know

that certain thing you can’t

add it’

15 pupils admitted they did not put enough effort in

15 pupils admitted they did not put enough effort in

Feedback from pupilsFeedback from pupils

Summary of project

• ‘Deliberately difficult’ feedback challenges students to think and therefore forces them to metacognitively engage with their own work

• Lack of summative grades after marking first draft is good for lower ability but frustrating for higher ability

• Students need to be motivated to improve: can be intrinsic or encouraged with rewards and competition

• Involves marking their work twice BUT a little time is saved by reducing feedback to one comment per question

• Question – should the first or second summative grade be recorded officially as their actual result?

•

SummarySummary

Going forward

• Research motivation strategies – this is key to any learning for progress.

• Introduce this as a standard routine to Year 9 classes in September for exam questions mid unit only.

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Going forward…Going forward…