TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT

Jon Curtis-BrignellAssistant Head: Teaching and

Learning

Pedagogy and assessment1. What is great teaching?2. How do we judge the quality of our teaching?3. Why are challenge and expectations so

important?4. How might we build in challenge through

assessment?

What makes great teaching?What does the research suggest to be the most and least effective of these teaching practices?1. Grouping by ability2. Teacher beliefs3. Classroom climate4. Learning styles5. Using praise lavishly6. Growing a beard7. Quality of instruction8. Classroom management9. Discovery learning10.Professional behaviours11. (Pedagogical) Content Knowledge12.Card sorting activities

What makes great teaching?Strong evidence of impact:1. (Pedagogical) Content Knowledge2. Quality of instructionModerate evidence of impact3. Classroom climate4. Classroom managementSome evidence of impact5. Teacher beliefs6. Professional behavioursLittle or no significant evidence of impact7. Using praise lavishly8. Discovery learning9. Grouping by ability10.Learning styles

What makes great teaching?The two factors with the strongest evidence in improving student outcomes are: 1. (Pedagogical) content knowledge (Strong evidence of impact)

• Subject knowledge• Understanding the ways students think about the content, being able to

evaluate the thinking behind students’ own methods, and identifying students’ common misconceptions.2. Quality of instruction (Strong evidence of impact)

• Effective questioning• Formative assessment• Reviewing previous learning• Modelling • Structured deliberate practice• Scaffolding

What makes great teaching?

The following two elements of effective teaching have moderate evidence showing a positive impact on results: 3. Classroom climate (Moderate evidence of impact)

• Quality of interactions between teachers and students• High expectations• A Growth mindset (persistence)

4. Classroom management (Moderate evidence of impact)

• Timing• Classroom resources and space• Behaviour management

Another way of looking at it:

Another way of looking at it:

“Given the complexity of teaching, it is surprisingly difficult for anyone watching a teacher to judge how effectively students are learning. We all think we can do it, but the research evidence shows that we can’t. Anyone who wants to judge the quality of teaching needs to be very cautious.” Professor Robert Coe, Durham University.

How do we judge the quality of our teaching?

Quality of teaching or effectiveness of teaching?

Great teaching is defined as that which leads to improved student progress.We define effective teaching as that which leads to improved student achievement using outcomes that matter to their future success. Defining effective teaching is not easy. The research keeps coming back to this critical point: student progress is the yardstick by which teacher quality should be assessed. Ultimately, for a judgement about whether teaching is effective, to be seen as trustworthy, it must be checked against the progress being made by students. - The Sutton Trust, What makes great teaching?

What does this mean for us?• No prescribed way of teaching – as long as it’s effective• No more graded lesson observations• Formative lesson observations which promote

professional dialogue between the observer and the observee, supporting reflection and growth for both

• No tick-list approach for observations• Three simple questions for observation:1. What is the teacher trying to do?2. How do the students respond?3. How could the teaching be even more effective?4. Observer = critical friend

How do we judge the effectiveness of our teaching?

A formative teacher evaluation system – based on continuous assessment and feedback rather than a high-stakes test - must incorporate a range of measures, from different sources, using a variety of methods. A key to suitably cautious and critical use of the different methods is to triangulate them against each other. A single source of evidence may suggest the way forward, but when it is confirmed by another independent source it starts to become a credible guide.

- The Sutton Trust

The goal?A move away from grading one-off classroom performance, and towards a more sophisticated model of gathering reliable and valid sources of evidence over time …

How do we judge the effectiveness of our teaching?

• Autumn 1: Learning walks• Autumn 2: Formative

observations• Spring 1: Book looks and

student feedback• Spring 2: Learning walks• Summer 1: Book looks

and standardisation• Summer 2: Formative

observations and student feedback

What is challenge and why does it matter so much?

Three principles of challenge1. It is not just about the ‘most able’.2. We should have high expectations of all students, all of

the time.3.

Challenge – a planning and reflection tool

• Are all students expected to develop their knowledge and skills during the lesson?

• Are learning objectives challenging for all?• Is the bar of expectation high for all students?• Is appropriate support and scaffolding in place to enable

all students to achieve this level of expectation?• Is formal, subject-specific, academic language modelled

by teachers and encouraged from students?• Are examples of excellence shared, discussed and

deconstructed with the class?• Is subject content relevant and challenging?

At a glance:A dual system:• Effort towards Tallis Habits reported 3 times a year• Progress in subject specific competencies reported twice

a year

1. Effort towards the Habits

2. Subject-specific competencies

How do we define our ‘Thresholds’• Define what a learner/historian/mathematician/artist /etc should

know and be able to do by the end of:• Year 7• Year 8• Year 9How would this look for:• Learners who are excelling?• Learners who are secure?• Those who are developing their learning, but are not yet secure?• Emerging learners who are working towards expectations for

their year group?

Tracking progress and reporting to parents

In tracking progress and reporting to parents, we will look at performance relative to baseline threshold:• Working below baseline threshold – Below expected progress.

• Working within their baseline threshold – Good progress.

• Working above their baseline threshold or at the top of or beyond the Excelling threshold – Outstanding progress.

How can we use Tallis Thresholds to build in challenge?