PEPPA in Action - What does high quality teaching look like in action? Ian Stonnell

Our PEPPA teaching and learning model is coming up to its 2nd birthday. You can read the original blog piece launching it here. Recently we have released the PEPPA in action summary guidance - a quick read to remind us all of the excellent pedagogical practices and systems we have at Denbigh that help us deliver the impactful lessons that support our students to 'know more, remember more, do more!' . 

Click on the image to see a live version of the guidance with hyperlinks to resources.

What does great teaching and learning look like in action?

PLANNING - We ensure:

• our lesson follows the curriculum plan;

• our lesson has clear learning objectives and we are sure of the knowledge and skills we intend our students to acquire or rehearse - limiting cognitive overload;

• adaptations for students are made based on knowing our students including SEND; giving appropriate stretch and challenge.

• knowledge from previous learning and assessment is used to adapt out planning;

• our lesson tasks are logically sequenced to ensure longer term memory and recall;

• other staff supporting the lesson are informed and prepared for the lesson;

ENGAGEMENT - We ensure:

• clear entry routines are planned and followed - meet and greet; distribution of books; do now activities ready on board etc.
• behaviour for learning strategies are used effectively to maximise attention such as SLANT and steps to success; and learning modes.
• seating plans are implemented;
• prior knowledge is engaged; and students are made aware of ‘Why this? Why now?’.

PEDAGOGY - We ensure:

• clear explanations and models are used to communicate knowledge and skills;
• scaffolds are given when required;
• when reading we use effective strategies to ensure students ‘read to learn’;
• students are given opportunities to practice and rehearse new knowledge and skills;
• we use technology effectively to enhance teaching and learning including the setting of homework. 

PROGRESS - We ensure:

• questioning and feedback strategies are being used routinely to check the progress of all learners giving opportunities to provide feedback and be adaptive in our teaching (AFL); 
• we move throughout the classroom when students are engaged in practice to assess progress and provide support;
• students are given opportunities to demonstrate mastery of learning through written work or oracy.

Many of the great pedagogical stragies are outlined in your walkthrus book.

No doubt that our the PEPPA in action guidance will evolve as we learn more from educational research and new or rediscovered pedagogical strategies come to light - we are always looking to improve. Nevertheless, as a basis, these core priciples form a narrative for our philosphy of teaching and learning at Denbigh that we aspire to deliver for all. 

Blended Learning - 3 Smart ways to use Google Rubrics - Ian Stonnell

A few months ago I wrote a post about the rubric function in Google Assignments and how you can create them. If you are still unfamiliar with what a rubric is you can read that post (and watch the some exemplar videos) here. 

I am pleased to say that since that post was published staff at Denbigh have gone on to create many rubrics to help assess the progress of students and give feedback. These rubrics have had the added benefit of reducing workload in the marking process. 

In this blog we will look at three effective ways that rubrics have been used across the school. If you have any other unique ways you are using rubrics please get in touch to let me know.

1) The rubric that 'soft marks'
I'll be honest, this is essentially the 'tick and flick' equivalent of marking on Google Classroom (yet slightly better as I'll explain).  At it's heart it is a simple rubric that does the equivalent of RAGing a piece of work and has been applied by many departments. Take a look at this example below that assesses 'quality of work' it is so generic it could be applied to almost any subject.

Click the image to see a Google Sheet of this rubric (CLT staff only)

The advantage of a this rubric is that it is quick to set up and generates simple numeric data that is automatically stored in the markbook for every online lesson or homework task that a student completes. The rubric also helps teachers roughly assess, or 'soft mark', work that may not necessarily have a numeric value or be a key point of assessment that requires detailed marking. This type of marking also gives teachers a general understanding of student engagement and attitudes and can keep students motivated and on their toes. The disadvantage is that the feedback this rubric generates to students is not overly helpful in supporting progress, it just lets them know how happy you are with their work.

On a side note here is a great blog in defence of 'tick and flick' by David Didau.

2) The rubric that mimics assessment criteria
These rubrics are far more complex as they attempt to reflect the assessment or marking criteria of a particular exam question or a set of KPIs for a particular subject. They may also only apply to a specific task/exam question in a subject area. Take a look at this example from English which provides a rubric for their 24 mark question in the GCSE language paper - it looks like a lot of work went into it!

Click the image to see a Google Sheet of this rubric (CLT staff only)

However, despite the initial effort that is required to create a rubric like this the reward is great. First of all, the time it takes to mark an essay is reduced to a few clicks which automatically generates a score. Secondly, the rubric creates a highly valid bank of data that smartly identifies weaknesses which can in turn help formulate valid targets for a student and also help inform future teaching. The only drawback to this kind of rubric is the danger that a student may not be able to access the language of complex mark scheme or exam criteria if the rubric reflects it too closely. As such when they receive a mark and look at a rubric it may be difficult for students to decipher what it means and therefore not benefit from it. This highlights the importance of either thinking about the language we use when we create this kind of rubric or spending lesson time to help students understand the that criteria - something that is not always necessary or useful.

3) The rubric that provides scaffolding and develops metacognition
The weakness of the previous rubric leads on to this final rubric possibility; a rubric that is designed to scaffold a task and develop metacognition. With this kind of rubric there may be a complete abandonment of any complex and convoluted language related to exam criteria and in its place a pupil friendly instructional language which guides students to succeed in a task process or skill. 

In History and RE they have been developing rubrics just like this to help students answer longer essay questions and, rather than using the examination marking criteria, they have produced instructional rubrics that provide the scaffolds for different stages of the writing process. Take this example below where the rubric follows a paragraph by paragraph approach detailing what is expected from each stage which ultimately build towards a more complete answer.

Click the image to see a Google Sheet of this rubric (CLT staff only)

The advantage of this rubric is that it helps students develop metacognition skills for a specific task (the process of writing this essay becomes ingrained the more they engage with the rubric) and although it may not neatly match up with an examination marking criteria, by students following the process they will develop consistency and competency in the task to the point that the rubric will barely be needed - as will happen in an exam. Of course personalized feedback can still be created to support progress further (as with any rubric) however, in this example it is the rubric that will underpin the skill.

A well thought out rubric can support progress and build confidence.

I hope you have found this blog useful. If you want further support developing rubrics please have a discussion with your team leader or let me know and I'll be happy to help. Thanks to all the teachers who have contributed to this blog and keep up the great work! 

Ian Stonnell @DenbighCPD

Remote Learning - How to encourage peer interaction in Google Classroom - Ian Stonnell

At Denbigh we do not do 'live' lessons in the way they are portrayed in the media. Rather we take a synchronous approach were we post resources on Google Classroom, including pre-records, set tasks and then watch the work come in to give feedback on. During this time we are available to answer questions submitted via email or through the Classroom comments section. This approach has the advantage of allowing students to get the work done at their own pace and even go asynchronous if needed.

However, the issue with this approach can be the lack of peer interaction. This is quite a concern as the EEF found that during remote learning periods, peer interactions helped to improve motivation and led to better outcomes. This probably makes a lot of sense after all for many subjects peer interaction, though debate and discussion, is often the lifeblood of a lesson that characterizes deep learning and understanding. 

The loss of peer interaction is inherently de-motivating and can limit pupil progress.

The question is how can we bring back some of this peer interaction into our current model of remote learning? In this blog we will look at a few ways that teachers have been attempting to do this using Google Classroom. If you have any other ideas please get in touch and let me know! 

1. Using the 'Announcement' feature to encourage discussion in History
In this example Sana Tariq encouraged peer interaction by using an announcement to pose an open question assessing prior knowledge about the Crusades. Students responded rapidly through the lesson hour. During this time Sana responded to comments, checked misconceptions, issued praise and asked further developmental questions which encouraged students to conduct their own research on the topic. 

In total 41 comments were made and students certainly got a good feel for other students being present in the classroom working toward the same learning goals.

2. Using the 'Question' feature to encourage debate in RE
When setting assignments Google Classroom offers a 'question' feature. It is a wonderful way to encourage general discussion and debate in an online setting.

An example of how to set up a debate question on Google Classroom.

When you set a question it creates what is essentially a message board, where students can answer the question and also reply to other student's answers. It also places the teacher as a moderator who can equally engage with discussion, adding comments, responding to comment and adding further questions and so on, as well as have the ability to delete comments and mute students if needed (this feature is available throughout the Google Classroom - just click on the 3 dots next to any comment). 

Last week the whole RE department used this approach in a year 7 debate about the nature of evil and suffering. This generated some passionate arguments and top quality work, largely due to the genuine peer interaction that was offered. 

3. Sharing documents to enable peer marking in English 
Finally, in English they have been using peer marking as a way of encouraging student interaction. Using the sharing settings on any document, a student can give access rights to one of their peers allowing them to make comments and suggestions which can be reviewed by the class teacher.

An example of peer marking in year 11 English.

Considering the benefits of encouraging peer interaction I hope you give one of these strategies a go. You could possibly do it as a review activity for the learning students have engaged in so far, I know that's what I am going to. 

Thanks to all the teachers who have contributed to this week's blog! 

Ian Stonnell @DenbighCPD

Blended Learning: How to get the most out of technology for learning at Denbigh - Ian Stonnell

With the likelihood that further Covid-19 restrictions will return in the autumn and winter months the probability that we will have to resort to some form of distance learning is also high (as I write already three year groups have been sent home to isolate). As such we should be keenly aware of developing our ability to provide the best quality teaching and learning for our students through distance learning. We can start this by developing our current technology for learning practices so that, when distant learning happens we will be ready for a seamless transition. 

In this blog we will look at a few basic strategies that, if we develop and make them a part of our culture of practice in now, we can make the change to distance learning seemless for our students - it is a blended learning approach. 

If you wish to see these techniques demonstrated and ask further questions DEnbigh staff can sign up for the additional CPD session on Wednesday 30th September, led by myself and Emma Darcy; sign up here.

1. Using Google Classroom to share.

One of the simplest things to do with your lesson resources is to share them. Upload your lesson presentations, worksheets, video links and more just with a few clicks. By sharing resources we make sure that all students have access to them whether they are in school or out. You can also provide detailed instructions for what you want students to do with the resources when they are shared. 

2. Google Classroom to assess - Summative and Formative

Assessment is now so easy using google classroom. For formal assessments and exam questions it is possible to set assignments which students can complete in school using Chromebooks or at home. Marking these assessments is easy - you can edit students' work to add literacy suggestions automatically, you can create comment banks to give students specific feedback, and for exam questions you can even create generic rubrics that can act as assessment criteria (which you can mark along to). This is time saving and can be done at a great distance or even in the classroom for live marking. If you want to assess speaking you can also have student upload recordings of themselves that you can give feedback too.

AFL can also be built into live lessons using google forms. You can easily set a google form that can contain short, low-stakes, multiple choice knowledge questions that can be marked automatically and give you instant feedback that can be shared with the class. This can also be done remotely.

It is important to note that in both of these examples Google Classroom will automatically create a mark sheet for you that can track student progress. In the context of distance learning this is useful information that can assess how much a student is engaging with work and also how well they are doing -providing evidence for you if you need to call home for concerns or praise!

3. Using Chromebooks for literacy.

Sharing resources is easy. Why not share reading resources? In a live lesson students reading along to an extract that a teacher is reading in front of them is a powerful way to improve the vocabulary of students. Engaging in reading, with a Chromebook at their fingertips, also provides them with the means to build their understanding using online dictionaries or further signposted resources that can illustrate the concepts they are reading about. 

In distance learning scenarios you can still share reading as an activity. Then provide them with a google form quiz to assess understanding (multiple choices questions are good here) and then a longer written assignment that assesses comprehension and other desired skills.

4. Using Chromebooks to open the world.

Why not send students on an trip during distance learning? You can! Here is a 360 degree tour of the Holy Sites of Jerusalem and another visit to North Pole. Just two among hundreds available!

The internet is a gateway to the world. So long as we provide them direction, students can see the world in a way that builds their knowledge in your subject. Using resources such as Google Expeditions and Google Poly we can open the world up to our students. For the latest list of expeditions available on Google Expeditions have a look here. I need not remind you that YouTube also has a wealth of educational videos and guided tours of world sites that are also worth a search - here is a 360 degree tour of St Paul's Cathedral in London that could be used in history and RE.

5. Using Screencastify to explain and model.

Screencastify is a recording tool which is an extension added to google chrome. The free version (which we have at Denbigh) enables you to record 5 minute videos of your computer screen (such as presentation slides) with you talking over. My covid video was produced using screencastify and, after a few practice runs, I found it an easy to use. 

The impact that screencastify can have for distance learning is powerful. 

During lockdown, students reported that one of the biggest things they missed was teachers explaining concepts to them. Reading from presentations can be effective, but that guided pieces of teacher narrative can make the difference. Using screencastify we can record short and concise explanations of the more difficult concepts we deliver in our subjects. We can also model how to tackle exam questions or problems using meta-cognitive speech - a proven way to support student progress that is hard to replicate using the written word.

Ian Stonnell @DenbighCPD

CELPO - Learning, Progress and Outcomes - What is the difference? Ian Stonnell

In this last few blog posts we have been looking at Denbigh's teaching and learning model CELPO. We have looked at challenge and engagement, and in this post we will take a look at the final three; learning, progress and outcomes.

Now I am going to be honest here. When I first heard about the CELPO model 4 or 5 years ago, I was unsure about what the difference between learning, progress and outcomes were. My thinking went down the line - 'if students have learnt something, then they have made progress, and if they have made progress then that in itself is the outcome. Surely these three terms are much of a muchness, why have them at all?' Well, although my logic was impeccable it did oversimplify. Now with a few more years experience I can appreciate the three terms and how they fit into the CELPO model.

Learning - AKA Curriculum, planning and instruction

In the CELPO model learning is simply about what the teacher intends the students to know and do. As such, one aspect that is being considered here is curriculum and lesson planning. Some questions that could be considered are:

1. Intent - What are the students learning as a whole and why? 
2. Sequencing - Why are the students learning this particular topic/unit now? 
3. Implementation - How does the learning in this lesson achieve the intent?

If these questions have been thought about carefully, a lesson will fit into part of a wider narrative of learning, with the objectives of the lesson building upon prior learning which leads to a clear goal.

It is important to consider the curriculum journey that students will follow. This curriculum should provide opportunities for review to support long term memory and recall.

Another aspect to consider here is how the teacher uses their pedagogical knowledge to help students engage in the learning during any given lesson. Now this could look radically different from lesson to lesson, subject to subject and teacher to teacher. One method could involve extensive teacher instruction and modelling, another could involve students quietly reading and working independently, another lesson could involve students collaborating to achieve a goal. The point is, whatever method is being used, it should be underpinned by sound pedagogical thinking and crucially support the progress of all learners in achieving the intended outcomes. This leads us on nicely to the next section...

Progress

What we learnt from the last post on engagement is that engagement in the completion of tasks does not mean that students are making any progress in their learning. A student is making progress if they know and remember more about the curriculum that they are studying. As such, student progress is a measure of their own knowledge of the curriculum we have planned for them not whether they have completed lots of tasks. 

Nevertheless, what we cannot expect to do is 'see' progress happen in a 20 minute learning visit - students miraculously grasping new concepts in every lesson they have is not how progress happens. As teachers, we know that the rate of progress is inconstant - a student may grasp a concept one week, remember it the next, then lose it the following month only to recover it later. Observing it happening is not easy.

Progress is not linear. Students knowledge and their access to it can come and go, however with regular review over a prolonged period of time it will happen.

Nevertheless, we can still gather a sense of the overall progress that students are making. One of the most effective ways of doing this is by talking to them. This is the method now preferred by OFSTED, where, rather than relying on some questionable numbers to show progress from a month old data entry, an actual conversation takes place with students about the curriculum they are studying. 

'Can you talk to me about this work in your exercise book?' 

'Do you often look back at learning you have done in the past?'

'How does what you are learning today relate to what you did last lesson?'

'Can you tell me what you know about this topic you studied last term?'

By asking such questions and triangulating the answers with curriculum plans and exercise books, we will get a far more valid picture of progress than a number on a spreadsheet. Ticking off KPIs may look like progress, but a student confidently talking about the KPIs and their learning of them is progress.

Obviously, in addition to looking at general progress overall, in a 20 minute learning visit, we may expect to see some formative teacher assessment of progress. This could include some low-stakes quizzing, teacher Q&A and so on. We would also expect to see some marking and feedback in books and a summative assessment or two. This is good practice that supports progress. However the proof is in the pudding - what the students actually know.

Outcome AKA Reflection and flexibility

In the CELPO model the outcome of any learning episode should be a reflection upon the progress made. From a student perspective this may be a plenary activity assessing whether students have hit the learning goals at the end of a lesson or a sequence of lessons - what Rosenshine cals daily, weekly and monthly review. This task is useful so long as the teacher does something about the results. 

Teacher reflection is just as important if not more so.  

 

Every day a teacher should be thinking about the success of their lessons: Did the students get it? How do I know? Do I need to revisit that topic sooner or later? Why did that activity work well with that class but fail with the other one? How is today's lesson going to affect the way I plan next lesson?

By being reflective teachers, we will be able to help support the progress of our students by adapting to their needs. What we don't want to do is remain stagnant and rigid delivering the same lessons we are comfortable in delivering regardless of the impact. If we fail to reflect and adapt our teaching according to our successes and failures, then student progress will be stifled. This means that in reflective practice a degree of flexibility is essential. One of the dangers of a meticulously planned curriculum is that it can act like a straight jacket - impeding reflective adaptation. Rather a curriculum should be the handrail that guides us on a learning journey. Experienced teachers should be able to occasionally let go of the handrail and take a detour (introducing different pedagogical practices or areas of subject knowledge) before returning back to main path dependent on the needs of the students.

Ian Stonnell @DenbighCPD

Further Reading

• Ross MgGill - The new meaning of progress
• David Didau - The problem with progress part 2: Designing a curriculum for learning.
• David Didau - How do we know pupils are making progress? Part 2: the Curriculum.
• TES - How to hone your skills as a reflective practitioner
• Barack Rosenshine - Principles of Instruction

VLOG#2 - Technology for Learning - Using Flippers for AFL and Retrieval Practice - Saif Aftab

Denbigh has been at the cutting edge of technology use for many years. Last year there were a series of films produced with the support of the Chartered College of Teaching to demonstrate some of the best practice that takes place at Denbigh. In this video we see how Saif Aftab, now teaching in the warmer climes of Qatar, uses plickers as an assessment tool in computer science. It's a great strategy for AFL and retrieval practice that can be used with chromebooks.

You can follow Saif Aftab on twitter @MrAftabs
You can follow Emma Darcy on twitter @darcyprior